Listing the most annoying things faced by any PC user, there will not be many surpassing internet connection problems, indicated by those irritating “Address Not Found” or “Unable to connect to Internet” words bluntly displayed on the computer screen. Moreover, failing to diagnose the issue by repeatedly pressing F5 key just adds insult to injury. Admittedly, finding and fixing network related matters is never easy, owing to the long chain of constituents it involves including firmware drivers, hardware device, network equipment, and finally the ISP uplink. But still, one can try adopting a systematic approach to narrow down the problem and converge all attention to one specific fault. This article does something similar by listing troubleshooting steps that will more often than not fix your network problems.
Prior to proceeding this piece for the solution, let be advised to first Scan and Fix your system’s concealed disorders which most probably is eliciting the inconsistencies:
- Step 1 : Download Systimizer – PC Cleaner & Internet Booster (Works on Windows 10, 8, 7 & XP)
- Step 2 : Click “Scan” to find system issues
- Step 3 : Click “Fix” to repair all anomalies
Step 1 – Be Simple
Before you go about messing with your network settings or dialing your ISP for help, it would be helpful to perform some easy-to-do steps first.
Do a simple restart
Firstly, power cycle your network equipment, particularly your modem and router. A modem is a networking device that is responsible for converting analog data from telephone line to digital information before sending to the computer, and vice versa. On the other hand, router’s job is to connect your computer to the outside web world.
Power cycling involves switching off these components and waiting for about 5 minutes before turning them back on. This procedure will ensure temporary memory is cleaned and potentially erroneous data is wiped out from these devices. Once done, try connecting to the internet again. In most cases, performing this simple step gives greater rewards than expected. Read Wi-Fi Signal Optimization tips.
Are the lights of modem and router blinking right?
While every lighting configuration is different for every device, general notion is that all desired router/modem lights must go green. However, to interpret the indications better, it is advised you consult the user manuals and ensure everything is in proper order.
Login to multiple websites
It is very important to confirm whether the issue repeats only with a specific website, or other pages are having similar problems too. Sometimes, you may continue diagnosing the problem from your side, only to realize that the problem lied with the server all along. Best way to be sure is to try connecting to multiple websites, ideally four or five. Alternatively, you could also use www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com to verify any website-down matters.
Switch to a different device
Use different devices to connect to the internet, such as a different laptop, some other computer, or even a different smartphone. If you experience network problems only with a specific machine, it’s likely that there is some software problem with that particular device. Resolve it by checking its network settings, particularly its IP configurations.
If being cute did not resolve your internet problem, it’s time you get rough and interrogate a few crucial internet components.
Step 2 – Ensure a properly assigned IP address
To check whether you are allocated a correct IP address from your DHCP server, open command prompt and type ipconfig in the window. Notice your IP address listed alongside IPv4 Address. Typically, local network IPs begin with “192.168.1.x” or “192.168.0.x”. If you find your device indicating some erratic value, you need to fix DHCP settings. Often, the issue lies with selecting a manual IP address instead of using DHCP services. This needs to be resolved by changing back to using DHCP:
- Right-click the network icon displayed at taskbar, and choose Open Network and Sharing Center
- Select Change adapter settings from the left pane
- Right-click your primary connection and go to Properties
- Scroll down to click Internet Protocol Version 4
- Click Properties button
- Ensure checkmark against Obtain an IP address automatically
- Retest your connection
Step 2 – Check for DNS issues
Domain Name Server is a network component that converts the typed website name into IPs. For example, when you enter www.google.com, the default DNS server converts the name into 74.125.224.72 (IP address of Google server) for further processing.
To check for DNS issues, open up your browser and type http://74.125.224.72. If the Google webpage loads successfully, your problem resides with a failed DNS connection. Rather than wait for your ISP to fix the error, try using third-party DNS server like OpenDNS or Google Public DNS.
Step 3 – Disable Proxy Settings
Proxy server acts as an intermediary node between the client and the connecting server. Its settings can be manually configured for both specific browsers and for the operating system in general. However, most often, it is found that harmful malware alter the set proxy settings without the user even knowing it, blocking the path to the required server. To fix this, check global proxy settings in Internet Explorer:
- Open Internet Explorer
- Enter Tools (ALT + X) and go to Internet options
- View Connections tab and click LAN settings
- Ensure Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connections) is deselected
If you have tried everything but with no luck, its time you go ahead and contact your ISP. After all, who knows your connection better than your providers themselves. Hopefully, they should be get your internet up and running.
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