Is our Ethernet or Wi-Fi network not connecting to the Internet? Let’s see how to reset the connection settings
Our computer uses the connection with Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi module to access Internet resources and, in the event of a malfunction, our business will be significantly affected, given that it will be impossible to work, study or use the computer.
For every network problem on a PC, the first solution, before changing any parts, calling a technician or reinstalling Windows, is to reset your Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection settings.
READ ALSO -> Prioritize network and WiFi connections in Windows 10 and 11
1) Windows troubleshooting
The first effective method to restore the Ethernet and Wi-Fi network on a PC involves the use of Windows troubleshooting tools, a series of tools integrated into the system capable of restoring the correct functioning of any network connection.
To restore the network on Windows 11 we press WIN+I on the keyboard, let’s get on the path System -> Troubleshootwe click on Other troubleshooters and press the button Run present next to the entries Internet connections, Incoming connections e Network card.
On Windows 10 we can launch the troubleshooting tools by taking us to the path Settings -> Update & Security -> Troubleshootby pressing up Additional troubleshooting tools and pressing up Internet connections, Incoming connections e Network card.
2) Reset network card settings
In addition to troubleshooting tools, we can restore the correct functioning of the Ethernet network or Wi-Fi network with a tool that restores the network cards used for the connection to factory settings.
On Windows 11 we can start the total reset of the network card settings by taking us to the path Settings -> Network and Internetby pressing on the menu Advanced network settingsby clicking on Network recovery and finally selecting on the button Restore.
If we use Windows 10 as our operating system we can reset the network settings by taking us to the path Settings -> Network and Internetby pressing down on the item Network recovery and clicking on the button Restore.
3) Restore from command prompt
The command prompt can also become a very useful tool for restoring the Ethernet and Wi-Fi network on PCs equipped with Windows 11 and Windows 10, without having to use external programs.
To perform the recovery we launch a command prompt with administrative rights (Start menu, search cmdwe right click on Command Prompt and we press on Run as administrator) and type the following commands one at a time (by pressing on Enter at the end of each command):
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
netsh advfirewall reset
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
To learn more we can read our guide on how to use the IPCONFIG command to restore the internet.
4) Reinstalling network drivers
If none of the previous suggestions have solved the problems with your network card we can try restore the drivers associated with your Ethernet network card or Wi-Fi cardusing the generic driver provided by Windows.
To proceed, right-click on the Start menu and press on Device managementlet’s expand the section Network cardswe right-click on the network card used, press on Uninstall device; at the end of the uninstallation we restart the PC for the changes to take effect.
In this case it is not advisable to also remove the actual driver: if this happens it may be impossible to access the Internet, unless you manually download the new network card driver, as seen in our guide on how to identify Unknown Devices on Windows 10 and 11 PC.
5) Use an auxiliary mains adapter
To prevent problems with integrated network cards on PCs it is worth keeping aside the portable network cardsconnectable via USB, to be used only if the integrated network card gives problems and does not want to function correctly.
To replace the Ethernet network card we can use a adattatore Ethernet USBconnectable to a USB port and immediately ready for use: all we have to do is connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port of the adapter and start browsing.
If, however, we wanted to replace a faulty Wi-Fi card we can purchase one of many USB Wi-Fi adapters commercially available.
On additional network cards we can read our articles on how to add ethernet card to pc and laptop come on how to add Wi-Fi to a desktop PC.
Conclusions
With the advice given in this guide we will be able to correctly reset the network settings on the PC, whatever the type of connection used.
Since the problem can appear at any time we advise you to Keep this guide as a bookmark in your browser bookmarksso you can access it from a phone synchronized with PC bookmarks.
For further information we can read our articles on How to fix Windows 11 problem that won’t connect to Wi-Fi come on how to fix Wi-Fi icon on Windows 11 that is not visible.