Not working internet connection. What to do?
Fixing a not working connection is quite easy and simple if the problem is at home. Let’s be more positive, while we are frustrated, instead of the word ‘problem’ we should be using the word ‘issue’.
So how to fix an issue when the internet connection is not working or it has weird behaviour? I promise to keep the long story short and in ‘human’ language. As always.
Solution One: check cables, restart your computer
This is the simplest one. Turn off the computer. Check to see if all cables are connected. To avoid a ‘cold’ connection, you can unplug and plug in all the cable connectors. Don’t be too soft, don’t be too rough. When you will plug the connector in, you will hear a click. Turn on the computer.
Solution Two: restart your network device
A network device is your modem. It can have a built-in WiFi. It is a small box with a few lit LED diodes. Usually it is under your table covered by dust… Turn off your computer.
Unplug the power cable from the modem. Keep it unplugged for at least 30 sec. Plug the power cable back. Why? The modem will restart, but keep the settings. And why wait? The modem has a few electrolytic capacitors and they are charged with power. We need to erase the temporary memory in the modem (RAM), also the modem has its own small operating system.
Plug in the power cable and wait 1-5 minutes for reconnection. The time is dependent on the device and network typology. When your modem is connected to the network, turn on your computer.
It is standard to restart a modem 1-4 times per month. It is also dependent on the ‘cables’ outside. Some people just don’t restart the modem at all, because an operator (internet provider) can restart it remotely.
Solution Three: Using a command prompt
This is a little bit more sophisticated. But it really often helps. Let’s get ready: clear internet history, browsing cache, close all applications if you have opened some, restart computer.
Open command prompt. In start menu type ‘cmd’. In search result you will see the app Command Prompt with black window icon. Click on it with right button, and then click on ‘Run as administrator’.
Type in the black window the command which will clear the DNS resolver cache (translating web addresses to IP addresses and opposite):
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ipconfig /flushdns [and press Enter]
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Now we will reset Winsock catalogue. Type two commands:
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netsh [and press Enter]
winsock [and press Enter]
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You will see both commands like:
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netsh winsock>
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Now type ‘reset’ and press Enter. You can type ‘exit’ and press enter, 2 times, or just close the window. Restart your computer.
Use the mentioned solutions in the order as they are written! 90% of all issues are successfully resolved. 10% has to be resolved by internet providers.
Perhaps you are wondering what is ‘Winsock’
Winsock is shortened from Windows Sockets API – a specification that defines how Windows network software should access network services, especially over TCP/IP and this is the reason why it is important for us to reset it sometime over CMD.