Network Issues with Windows 10 Pro

Question

Network Issues with Windows 10 Pro

Gary Orr 0

Hey folks looking for some help. I recently had a pretty bad Malware and spent about 3 days with AI trying to remove it and get me back to normal. I eventually had to format my C: Drive and put a fresh install in place. I have Windows activated and it is connected to my router. The problem I have is that it will show as connected on my taskbar and will allow me to open 2 maybe 3 web pages before it starts to buffer and then tells me that there is no connection. I have changed network cables and ports but still same result. AI once again had me in the guts of the pc changing all different things. As of now I just want to throw it out the window. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have ran so many programs and services to try and fix this, too numerous to list here so I am sorry if you suggest something I have already tried

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Answer 1

Gary Orr 0

Hello there, ty for answering to my problem. The connection is Ethernet, but I changed it to wireless last night after installing a usb Realtek wireless antenna. When I used the Ethernet connection, the websites I selected were randome. It was very quick to open the first 2 or 3 websites but after that it would buffer then time out. Other devices have no problem connecting to the Router, I have a laptop, 2 phones 2 tvs and a tablet connected with no issues. Running ipconfig /all gives the following results

C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8811AU Wireless LAN 802.11ac USB 2.0 Network Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #3

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 12:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #4

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8192EE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

I have uninstalled and rebooted the machine several time but with no luck

Thanks

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Sin-D 12,245 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-03T06:56:18.49+00:00
Hi Gary Orr,

Thank you for the additional information.

Since the issue occurs with both the onboard Ethernet adapter and a separate USB Wi‑Fi adapter, while all other devices on the same router continue to work normally, this makes a simple cable, port, or router issue less likely.

As a quick test, please open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

netsh int ip reset netsh winsock reset shutdown /r /t 0

After the restart, test whether the connection remains stable.

If the problem persists, please provide:

The output of ipconfig /all while the PC is actually connected to the Internet (the current output only shows disconnected adapters).

The motherboard or PC model.

Whether the issue started immediately after the Windows reinstall, before installing any additional drivers or optimization/security software.
Gary Orr 0 Reputation points

2026-08-03T07:18:48.75+00:00

This is the result of ipconfig /all while the network icon shows "Connected Internet Access"

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #3

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 12:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #4

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8811AU Wireless LAN 802.11ac USB 2.0 Network Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 03 August 2026 08:11:09

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 03 August 2026 10:11:10

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1

DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 250105350

DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

[Moderator note: PII removed]

NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8192EE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : [Moderator note: PII removed]

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Sin-D 12,245 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-03T07:33:23.1266667+00:00
Hi Gary Orr,

Thank you for providing the complete ipconfig /all output.

Based on the information you've shared, the wireless adapter is successfully obtaining a valid IP address, default gateway, and DNS server from your router. This suggests that basic network connectivity between the PC and the router is working correctly.

Please try the following check:

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

Right-click your active Wi-Fi 2 adapter and select Properties.

Take note of any items listed besides the standard Microsoft components such as:

Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)

Client for Microsoft Networks

File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks

If you see any third-party security, VPN, traffic filtering, packet inspection, or malware-related entries, please provide their names.

Additionally, when the connection starts buffering, open Command Prompt and run: ping 192.168.88.1 -t

(wait about 30 seconds while the problem is occurring)

Then press Ctrl+C and share the results.

This will help determine whether the connection is being lost between the PC and router, or whether the PC can still reach the router but cannot access the Internet. That distinction will significantly narrow down the root cause.
Sin-D 12,245 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-04T06:28:27.9466667+00:00

Hi Gary Orr,

Have you had the chance to check my answer yet?

Please do keep me updated.
Gary Orr 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T08:37:11.8933333+00:00

Hi there sorry Have been busy. I removed the Ethernet cable and tried to use the Wi-fi connection. That had the same result. However I have a wi-fi extender setup in a seperate room and I have been able to connect to that without any problesm
Sin-D 12,245 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-05T04:32:53.44+00:00
Hi Gary Orr,

Thank you for the update.

As a quick test, could you please check:

What is the make and model of your router?

Does the issue occur when connected to both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi‑Fi networks from the main router (if available)?

While connected directly to the main router, can you open Command Prompt and run: ping 192.168.88.1 -t

Let it run until the connection starts buffering, then press Ctrl+C and post the results.

Since the connection remains stable through the extender, these results should help determine whether the communication issue is occurring between the PC and the router itself, rather than between the router and the Internet.
Gary Orr 0 Reputation points

2026-08-05T07:55:28.11+00:00

The Router is a TP-Link Model HC-220-G5. I have no internet when trying to connect with the Ethernet cable or when using the 5G service. I can only connect thru the extender. I have used the ping to the IP on my router and the ping didnt finish it stopped after showing this result "Reply from 192.168.88.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64". It kept going
Sin-D 12,245 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-10T03:40:15.4166667+00:00
Hi Gary Orr,

Thank you for the update.

The fact that the connection remains stable when using the Wi‑Fi extender, but not when connecting directly through the main router path, suggests that the issue may be related to the interaction between this PC and the network environment rather than a general Windows networking problem.

Since you have already performed a clean Windows installation, tested both Ethernet and Wi‑Fi adapters, reinstalled drivers, and confirmed that the behavior changes depending on the connection path, there is unfortunately no further troubleshooting I can confidently recommend through the forum without risking repetitive or speculative steps.

At this stage, I would suggest contacting Microsoft Support for further assistance so that they can perform more in‑depth network diagnostics with you:

Visit  Contact Us - Microsoft Support

Select the product or service you're having issue with.

Click  Get Home Support

Type a brief description of your issue in the search box.

Click Get Help  and select  Contact Support  below.

Go to the Products and services tab, and choose the appropriate product.

On the Category tab, choose the appropriate category or an alternative option.

Go to  Confirm.

Look for and select "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours) if available. Explain your situation clearly.

If you do reach a resolution, please feel free to post an update, as it may help other users experiencing similar symptoms.

Answer 2

Hi Gary Orr,

I understand how frustrating this must be, especially after spending several days dealing with the malware infection and then performing a clean Windows installation.

First, please let me know:

Is this a wired (Ethernet) or Wi-Fi connection?
Does the problem occur on all websites or only certain sites?
Do other devices connected to the same router continue working normally when your PC loses connectivity?
After the connection stops, what is the result of running ipconfig /all in Command Prompt?

In the meantime, please try the following:

Press Windows + X and select "Device Manager".
Expand "Network adapters".
Right-click your Ethernet adapter and select "Uninstall device".
Restart the PC and allow Windows to reinstall the driver automatically.

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