Fixed: “No Internet Connection” Issue in Windows 7, 8, 10

Recently, we’ve become immensely dependent on having constant, reliable online access. Running into the “No Internet Connection Issue” in Windows 7, 8, or 10 can be a massive damper on productivity, but don’t fret — we’ve fixed it before, and if you follow the steps below, you can fairly easily resolve this particular Windows problem. It’s actually rare that this particular error prompt is due to anything serious, and thus some simple troubleshooting steps can help you to entirely resolve it.

Read on, if this problem has ever been an obstacle to your online activity.

We’ve all had it happen, before. At one moment, you’re happily scrolling through your Facebook feed, zeroing out your email inbox, or clicking through content on your favorite websites. Then, one link fails to load. You try another one. Suddenly, you can’t connect to your email server. You slowly realize, through trial and error, that you can’t connect to anything. Your computer seems healthy. Your modem and router are both blinking healthy, green lights.

What’s the issue, then? Windows isn’t telling you what to do about this particular problem, so what’s the next step?

Thankfully, we’ve organized all of our troubleshooting into a list of easy steps, below. While this particular problem is occasionally indicative of hardware failure, or something else very serious, it’s usually something that can be resolved quite simply. Wireless cards can occasionally have software driver errors and require a reset. Sometimes, Windows operating system updates will cause conflicts in your connectivity but can be easily resolved.

The problem could also be with your wireless router or modem, and we can help you to troubleshoot that, too. About the only thing that we won’t be able to help with is a problem with your respective ISP (internet service provider) but we can help you to narrow down if that’s the culprit for your connectivity issues. And if it is, we’ll give you pointers on how to help them resolve it.

No Internet Connection?!

Any computer hardware engineer will be quick to tell you — our online services and activities are almost blessedly automated. Browsing the web, sending emails, or even performing more advanced functions requires only minimal input from the user. The systems that we have in place — the basic functions of Internet connectivity — take care of all the rest of it. That means that we can perform quite a few online functions without having any idea about the technical wizardry that’s behind it.

In most cases, that’s something to be thankful for. When something goes wrong, however, it can prove troublesome, since we don’t know where to even begin if we want to resolve it.

Windows is pretty good about letting us know when there’s a problem, at least. The message “No Internet Connection” will pop up in your web browser or online client, usually accompanied by an error code specifying the nature of the problem. The operating system has built-in troubleshooting features that have become increasingly more useful, too. Windows 10, in particular, is very good at resolving operating system problems with only a minuscule amount of effort necessary on part of the user.

Common Causes

Below, we’ve assembled some of the most common causes for this particular issue. They’re all things that we can help to resolve, and it’s helpful to be aware of how many different things can contribute to this issue.

• Errors in your modem or router.
• Service interruption from your ISP.
• Conflicts in software drivers, for your computer’s hardware.
• DNS (domain name system) lookup errors.
• Local wireless interference.
• Windows update errors.
• Hardware failures (a rare circumstance, thankfully!)

There are a few others, too, but they’re mostly outliers. The above problems are far and away more likely to be causing your particular connectivity issues. Whether it’s a single issue or a combination of the above problems, our troubleshooting steps below will help you to resolve it.

Resolving the Error

Below, we’re going to work through the various things that you can do to resolve this issue, beginning with the simplest, and ending with the most difficult. We’ll cap it off with some suggestions for how to best contact your ISP if we determine that the issue isn’t with your hardware or software, but with their services.

After all, if you’re paying for a persistent, high-speed internet connection, it’s absolutely within your right as a customer to expect your ISP to resolve any errors on their end, as swiftly as they can!

Restart Your Computer

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s a good first step. Occasionally, restarting your computer will resolve the issue entirely, since it also allows your network adapter to restart, and your online services to reconnect anew.

Additionally, you will want to check in on your Windows operating system updates, before resetting your computer. In some cases, network issues can be prompted by something as simple as your computer requiring a reboot, after beginning the installation of OS updates. Use the Windows Search bar to search for Windows Updates. Check to see if your computer is requesting a restart.

In the Start Menu, select the Power option, followed by Restart. Allow your computer to shut down, and then reboot. After, check to see if you’re now able to connect to the internet. If not, then we can continue — with the reassurance that Windows has installed all necessary updates, to boot!

Windows Network Troubleshooter

Next, you’re going to want to run your Windows Network Troubleshooter. This is a tool that’s become increasingly useful with each successive iteration of Windows, but even if you’re using Windows 7, it’s still quite a strong feature.

In the Windows Search bar, type in “Network Troubleshooter,” and then select it from the list. In the window that follows, select Identify and repair network problems.

This will set the troubleshooter to debugging and examining your active internet connections, both inside of the operating system, and also in the devices that you’re using to connect to the internet. Your results are going to vary depending on the nature of your problem, but one of the steps that the troubleshooter will take is to reset your wireless network adapter. If the issue is with the drivers for this particular device, or on the device itself, this should help to straighten things out.

Reset Your Modem and Router

It’s a good idea to regularly reset your modem and router, to ditch cached information and free up your bandwidth. However, if you’re running into the “No Internet Connection” issue, we recommend that you do it as part of these troubleshooting steps.

Find your modem and router, and more specifically, where each of them is connected to a power source. Unplug them, and allow them to remain powered off for 30 to 60 seconds.

“With a modem, anyone can follow the world and report on the world-no middle man, no big brother. I guess this changes everything.” – Matt Drudge

Plug your modem back into its power source first, and allow it to run through the entire boot cycle. Its display interface is going to depend on the model you’re using, but you’ll want to wait until it is showing green lights in your “power” and “internet” indicators, at least. Once the modem has finished booting up, you can plug your router back in as well. Just as before, wait until it’s gone through the entire boot cycle, and the flashing lights indicating your active connections are showing solid green.

After doing this, try your connection again. If you’re still unable to connect through your browser or online services, then we can continue with a ping test. If any of the indicators for your internet service on your modem or router are not green, then it’s time to contact your ISP and ask about a service interruption. We’ll discuss that briefly, below.

Run a Ping Test

Running a ping test will help you to further determine the nature of this problem. It’s fairly easy to do, too!

Open the Windows Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows Search bar. Ensure that you right-click it so that you can select “Run as Administrator.”

• Within the Command Prompt, type ipconfig.
• Find the IP address next to “Default Gateway” and make a note of it.
• Next, type ping [default gateway], and replace the brackets and text with the IP address from above.
• Your computer will now attempt to ping the IP address several times. You’ll give given a detailed report of packets received and lost, which you should also make note of.
• If the ping is successful, and you have no lost packets (but still can’t connect to the internet) it’s time to contact your ISP.

Contacting Your ISP

The idea of being on-hold, waiting for an operator from your ISP sounds like a drag, but it might be necessary if you want to figure out why you’re unable to contact the internet. Check your most recent bill from your ISP for a service number, and give them a call.

When you’re connected with a representative, make sure that you outline all of the steps that we’ve taken, above. This will help them to determine if there’s still a potential problem on your end, or if there’s an interruption to online service in your area.

Seeing that “No Internet Connection” error can be quite the bummer, but we hope that the above troubleshooting steps have helped you to resolve it. Windows 7, 8, and 10 contain fairly comprehensive diagnostic tools, and where they’re lacking, some fuss and elbow grease no your router and modem can also help to fix the issue. If you have any remaining questions, let us know in the comments below! As always, thanks for reading!