How to connect to my WiFi Router

Question

How to connect to my WiFi Router

Bryan Kelly 636

Windows 11.

Problem

The internet connection that was present this morning is no longer present.

The Question:

What can be done to restore the internet connection on the desktop computer? This question is being posted via a laptop.

Details

In summary, visited Windows > Settings and all the options but did not find anything fitting the concept of: Select this local network interface device, select network X, enter password ABC, and connect.

That led me to check this laptop, and said option is no longer present.

What steps need to be taken to restore the internet connection?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Gunasekar N 69,550 Independent Advisor

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Is the Wi-Fi option completely missing from the Network & Internet section?

1

Reinstall the network adapters.

Open the Device Manager.

Expand the arrow next to Network adapters.

Right-click your default Wi-Fi network driver (Intel), select Uninstall device, select 'Attempt to remove the driver software for this device' check box, then click Uninstall.

Once uninstalled, restart your computer and try connecting your desktop to your Wi-Fi router.

2

System Restore.

This option takes your PC back to an earlier point in time.

Click Windows + R key, type rstrui.exe, and click Ok.

Select the date/time you would like to restore your computer (the most recent one).

Click Finish to complete the restoration.

====================================

If you are still having issues on your desktop,

type msinfo in the search bar on the taskbar and click Enter.

Post a screenshot of the resulting dialog box.

Bryan Kelly 636 Reputation points

2026-03-27T04:56:03.7366667+00:00

Hello,

Start with the easiest one first.

Reinstall the network adapters

I cannot find the device manager. I used to find it under Settings as described, but its not there now. Maybe my memory is incorrect. Please advise on that concept.

System Restore

Save that until the other two options have been exhausted.

msinfo results. Posting that. The fourth line about Hyper-V is the last line in that option.

After that, opened Hardware Resources > Network, Adapter. That screen capture is attached.

The NETGEAR a7500, a USB adapter was still installed. I pulled it out and verified the make and model. It was working this morning. Is it suspect?

And after posting and edit I see the AI response. Will start working that.

Thank you for your timely

Third edit:

I unplugged the network device to verify the type. Plugged it back in with the computer running. It binged upon removed and re-insertion. Suddenly an internet notification popped up, and internet is working. Unexpected and good news.

Still, a question remains: Where is the option to select an internet/WiFi device/adapter and select the network to connect to?
Gunasekar N 69,550 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-27T09:57:11.19+00:00

Hello,

To find Device Manager,

Type " Device Manager in the search bar on the taskbar and click Enter.

(OR) Click Windows + X key, select Device Manager in the lists.

Expand the arrow next to network adapters.

(like the one in the screenshot below)

Edit: I just now saw that you are able to connect your device to the internet. Glad that replugging the network adapter started making the internet work again.

==================================================================

Where is the option to select an internet/WiFi device/adapter and select the network to connect to?

Do you see the Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar?

You can click this icon to select the network you want to connect to. (OR) Go to Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Click Show available networks.

Answer 2

Use the built‑in Windows 11 Wi‑Fi troubleshooting steps to restore the connection.

Verify Wi‑Fi is enabled
- On the taskbar, select the network icon.
- Make sure Wi‑Fi is turned on.
- If using a laptop/PC with a physical Wi‑Fi switch, ensure that switch is set to On.
Check that Wi‑Fi networks are visible
- If no Wi‑Fi networks appear and the icon shows No Internet:
  - Open Settings > Network & internet.
  - Confirm Wi‑Fi is turned on.
  - If still no networks are found, the adapter may not support the router’s band (for example, router on 5 GHz, adapter only supports 2.4 GHz) or the driver is filtering it out.
  - To check adapter band settings:
    1. Open Device Manager (select Search on the taskbar, type Device Manager).
    2. Expand Network adapters, select the wireless adapter.
    3. Right‑click > Properties > Advanced tab.
    4. Look for Wireless Mode or Band and ensure it allows the band your router uses (2.4 GHz and/or 5 GHz).
If connected to Wi‑Fi but “No Internet” is shown
- If the desktop shows connected to the Wi‑Fi but no internet access:
  1. Turn Wi‑Fi off and back on, then reconnect to the network and re‑enter the Wi‑Fi password if prompted.
  2. Renew IP configuration:
    - Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
    - Run:
      - ipconfig /release
      - ipconfig /renew
  3. Flush DNS cache:
    - In the same Command Prompt, run:
      - ipconfig /flushdns
  4. Check proxy settings:
    - Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy.
    - Turn off any manual proxy settings.
  5. Check the IP address:
    - Confirm it is not in the form 169.254.x.x. If it is, enable DHCP on the router so the PC can obtain a valid IP address.
Use Network Reset as a last resort
- If the above steps do not restore connectivity:
  1. Open Settings > Network & internet.
  2. On Windows 11, select Advanced network settings > Network reset.
  3. Select Reset now > Yes.
  4. After restart, reconnect to the Wi‑Fi network and enter the Wi‑Fi password again.
- Note: Network reset removes and reinstalls network adapters and resets their settings. VPN clients and virtual switches might need to be reinstalled or reconfigured afterward.

Once Wi‑Fi is visible and enabled, the desktop should show available networks in the network fly‑out on the taskbar. Select the router’s SSID, choose Connect, enter the Wi‑Fi password, and confirm that the icon changes to Wi‑Fi Connected.

References:

Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows

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How to connect to my WiFi Router

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