false no internet and lost all audio and taskbar adjuster

Question

false no internet and lost all audio and taskbar adjuster

jake mundt 0

turned my pc on this morning and had zero audio at all, went into settings and the devices aren't even being read anymore. I've ran the prompts for resetting Ip and clearing the dns and nothing has fixed it, I've reset the network settings also and nothing has fixed it important to note i am connected via ethernet as my motherboard does not have built in Wi-Fi. when i try to start my windows audio service it keeps saying access denied.

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Answer 1

David-M 121.9K Independent Advisor

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

To be able to assist you better, please clarify the following:

Do you have a third-party antivirus installed? (e.g., Kaspersky, McAfee, Avast, etc.) If yes, which one?
Do you have any VPN software installed? (Even if it's not running at the moment) If yes, which one?
Are you trying to play audio via internal speakers, external speakers, or headphones?
If it is an external speaker or headphones, does it have a standard audio connector (Jack connector) or USB connector, or is it connected via Bluetooth?
Is there an X in the speaker icon next to the clock?

Also, please share a screenshot of your system information.

Press "Windows + R", type msinfo32 and press Enter.

Maximize the window and use the shortcut "Windows + Shift + S" to use the screenshot tool.

Looking forward to your reply.

jake mundt 0 Reputation points

2026-07-27T17:59:01.5266667+00:00

no vpn or antivirus installed on here, and im trying to use headphones, ive tried the usb receivers and wired in. its recognizing the devices but no audio. and still getting the false no internet but obviously i am, just not for some apps.
David-M 121.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-27T18:28:37.8266667+00:00
Thanks for the clarifications.

I believe the problem is either corrupted system files/permissions or a leftover virtual adapter confusing Windows.

Before proceeding with major repairs, please check these two things first:

1 = Check for a virtual network adapter that might be causing conflicts:

Press Windows + R, type ncpa.cpl and hit Enter.

Share a screenshot of the window showing all listed network connections. This helps identify if any virtual adapters are tricking the network check.

2 = Use the system file checker to repair possible corrupted system files:

Open Start and type cmd, right-click on "Command Prompt", and select "Run as administrator".

Run the following commands at the Command Prompt one at a time:

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth sfc /scannow

Note: Pay close attention to the results. Let me know if any error message is displayed or if SFC repaired any files.

Restart (not shutdown) the PC.

Looking forward to your reply.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.