Network, DNS & VPN troubleshooting

Wi-Fi/Ethernet, DHCP/IP, DNS, adapters, proxy/VPN and connection failures.

Start here

Classify the failing layer first: adapter/link, DHCP/IP, gateway, DNS, proxy/VPN, browser transport or upstream network.

Escalation boundary

Move to Winsock/TCP-IP/Network reset only after the narrower layer is identified and simpler diagnostics fail.

Diagnostic mapIdentify the failing layer before changing the system.

01Adapter & link

Is Wi-Fi/Ethernet present, enabled and physically connected?

02DHCP & IP

Did Windows receive a usable address, gateway and lease?

03Gateway & upstream

Can the PC reach beyond its local adapter/network?

04DNS

Do hostnames resolve through the configured DNS path?

05Proxy & VPN

Is traffic being rerouted, filtered or changed by policy/tunnel state?

06Browser & app

Does the failure follow one browser/app or the whole Windows network?

Network, DNS & VPN

Wi-Fi not working in Windows 11: a safe troubleshooting order

Diagnose a Windows 11 Wi-Fi problem from the least disruptive checks to network reset.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low to medium

Network, DNS & VPN

Ethernet not working in Windows 11: isolate cable, router, adapter and Windows

Separate a physical Ethernet path failure from a PC-only network-stack or driver problem before using network reset.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low to medium

Network, DNS & VPN

169.254 IP address in Windows 11: diagnose DHCP before resetting the network

A 169.254.x.x IPv4 address is a strong clue that Windows did not receive a usable DHCP address from the router or DHCP server.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low to medium

Network, DNS & VPN

DNS not resolving in Windows 11: prove name resolution before changing DNS settings

Use IP configuration, nslookup and a browser comparison to separate DNS failure from general connectivity or one-site failure.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low

Network, DNS & VPN

Connected but no Internet in Windows 11: identify IP, DNS or upstream failure

A connected Wi-Fi/Ethernet icon does not prove usable Internet; check addressing, gateway, DNS and another device before resetting Windows.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low to medium

Network, DNS & VPN

Proxy blocking Internet in Windows 11: verify whether the proxy is intentional first

A manual proxy or setup script can be required by work/school networks, so distinguish stale configuration from managed policy before disabling it.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low

Network, DNS & VPN

VPN connected but no Internet in Windows 11: separate tunnel policy from Windows networking

Compare the connection with and without the VPN, preserve organization policy, and avoid network reset until the failure is proven to be Windows-wide.

Reviewed 2026-09-17 · Low to medium

Repair tools

Commands used in this system

Low risk

IPCONFIG FlushDNS

ipconfig /flushdns

Clear the DNS client resolver cache on Windows.

Low risk

IPCONFIG Release / Renew

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Release the current DHCP lease and request a new IP configuration from the network.

Medium risk

NETSH Winsock Reset

netsh winsock reset

Reset the Winsock catalog used by Windows networking applications.

Medium risk

NETSH TCP/IP Reset

netsh int ip reset

Reset TCP/IP configuration state as part of deeper Windows network repair.

Low risk

IPCONFIG /all

ipconfig /all

Display full TCP/IP configuration for all adapters, including addressing information useful for DHCP, gateway and DNS diagnosis.

Low risk

NSLOOKUP

nslookup example.com

Query DNS name-resolution information so a hostname failure can be distinguished from general IP connectivity problems.

Low risk

PING

ping <targetname>

Test IP-level reachability and round-trip responses to a TCP/IP host; comparing a hostname with an IP can also provide name-resolution clues.

Low risk

TRACERT

tracert <targetname>

Trace the IP path toward a destination using increasing TTL values, providing hop/latency clues without changing network settings.