Suddenly "No internet access"

Question

My primary desk computer running Win11 (upgraded from Win10) suddenly won't connect to the internet. The Network icon on the task bar looks like a globe with a small circle with a slanted line thru it. The computer has full access to my home Ubiquity based network. The network trouble shooter reports "Can't reach DNS server". I spend a day with Gemini making suggestions of things to try with it finally telling me to do a full fresh Win11 install, thus loosing all my settings and apps, some of which are not longer available to install. I tried a Windows repair. I have tried other suggested fixes posted on this site. I've deleted the ethernet adapter and reinstalled it. The problem and symptoms are the same whether connect to my home network via ethernet, or connected to my iPhone hotspot over wifi.

Running "nslookup google.com" will return an IP address for Google (or any other named website). I can successfully ping the returned IP address. But I can't access google.com with a browser nor can I access google by putting its IP address in the Chrome address bar.

Answer 1

Follow these steps on the Windows 11 PC to isolate and fix the “No internet access / can’t reach DNS server” issue, especially since nslookup works but browsers do not:

1. Renew IP configuration
   1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (Search → type Command Prompt → Run as administrator → Yes).
   2. Run:

            ipconfig /release
            ipconfig /renew
      

   3. Test browsing again.
2. Flush DNS cache
   1. In the same elevated Command Prompt, run:

            ipconfig /flushdns
      

   2. Test browsing again.
3. Reset Winsock and TCP/IP stack
   1. In elevated Command Prompt, run these commands in order:

            netsh winsock reset
            netsh int ip reset
            ipconfig /release
            ipconfig /renew
            ipconfig /flushdns
      

   2. Restart the PC and test.
4. Check for proxy settings
   1. Open Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy.
   2. Turn off any Manual proxy setup entries.
   3. If using any VPN or security software with web filtering, temporarily disable it and test.
5. Verify IP address and DNS
   1. In elevated Command Prompt, run:

            ipconfig /all
      

   2. Ensure the IPv4 address is not in the 169.254.x.x range. If it is, the PC is not getting a valid IP; check DHCP on the router as described in the Wi‑Fi limited connectivity section.
   3. Confirm that a DNS Servers entry is present and reachable:

            ipconfig /all | findstr /c:"DNS Servers"
            ping <DNS-server-IP>
      

   4. If the DNS server cannot be pinged even with a valid IP, change DNS to a different server as described under Change TCP/IP settings in the referenced article and test again.
6. Use Network Reset (last resort before reinstall) Network reset removes and reinstalls all network adapters and resets their settings to defaults. This often fixes post‑upgrade issues where the PC can see the local network but not the internet.
   1. Select Start → type settings → open Settings → Network & internet.
   2. On Windows 11, select Advanced network settings → Network reset.
   3. Select Reset now → Yes to confirm.
   4. The PC will restart; test connectivity afterward.
   Notes:
   • After network reset, VPN clients and virtual switches (Hyper‑V or other virtualization tools) may need to be reinstalled or reconfigured.
   • Known networks may be set to Public profile; if needed, change to Private via the network settings.

If, after these steps, nslookup and ping both work but browsers still cannot reach sites, focus on:

• Disabling or uninstalling third‑party antivirus/firewall or web‑filtering software temporarily (similar to the case where antivirus blocked downloads).
• Ensuring no VPN or proxy is intercepting HTTP/HTTPS traffic.

These steps target exactly the scenario where Windows reports “No Internet” or “Can’t reach DNS server” while basic IP and DNS resolution appear to work.

---

References:

• Fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Having internet, but not being able to download anything - Microsoft Q&A

Answer 2

Solved!

I started to look at proxy, and then thought to look at installed apps. I found my VPN and uninstalled that. Then I looked further and found several things that had somehow been installed the previous day by the company that made my radar detector. I uninstalled those.

I then noticed that the icon on the task bar had changed to indicate internet was connected. Opened a browser and it is now working. One of the things I uninstalled seemed to have been the problem.