Windows 7 Cannot Connect to Internet

Posted on November 16, 2009 at 5:10 am

Having problems connecting to the Internet on your new Windows 7 machine? Windows 7 is great and can automatically fix a lot of common problems related to connecting to the Internet, but not all!

The first thing you should try if you having Internet problems is to try and connect from both a wireless and wired connection. You first want to try and narrow down the problem to Windows 7, to your network setup, or to your Internet provider.

Here are some possible solutions you can try that will hopefully get your Internet connection up and running in Windows 7.

Method 1 – Turn Off Firewall/Anti-Virus Programs

One common reason why this problem occurs in new installations of Windows 7 is because of a third-party firewall or anti-virus program. Just to make sure it’s not that, go ahead and uninstall any of these types of programs.

You might be wondering why it would matter, especially if you have the same program running on another computer like XP or Vista. The problem could be that if the firewall or anti-virus program is not compatible with Windows 7, it can accidentally block connections to the Internet.

Method 2 – Install Drivers in Emulation Mode

So if you didn’t buy a new computer and are instead installing Windows 7 on a slightly older machine, you problem could be because of incompatible drivers.

You can fix this in two ways. First, try going to the computer manufactures website and download the latest drivers for your wireless card. Install it and see if the problem is fixed.

If not, it might mean you need to install the driver in compatible mode. You can do this by right-clicking on the executable file, choosing Properties, clicking on the Compatibility tab and checking the box that says “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” and then choose the OS.

Again, make sure to run the driver setup program in this compatible mode to see if that fixes the problem.

Method 3 – Disable Protected Mode

The other reason you may not be able to connect is because of IE 8, which now ships with Windows 7. Some people have reported that the security settings are set such that they cannot connect to any website at all!

You can test this by going to Tools, then Internet Options, and clicking on the Security tab. Click on Internet and move the slide bar all the way to the bottom (lowest security).

Once you move the slider all the way down, click OK. Then close IE 8 and open it again. Try connecting to the Internet. If it doesn’t work, try unchecking the Enable Protected Mode option. Make sure to restart IE again.

Method 4 – Try Network Troubleshooter

If nothing else is working, you may as well try the built-in Windows 7 Network Diagnostics tool also. To run it, right-click on the Network icon in your system tray and choose Troubleshoot Problems.

It will automatically try to detect what the problem is and give you a possible reason and a solution.

Method 5 – Toggle Automatically Detect Settings option

Another thing you can try is to check or uncheck the Automatically Detect Settings option in IE. You can get there by going to Tools, Internet Options, Connections, LAN Settings.

If it’s checked, uncheck it and vice versa. See if that solves your problem. Also, make sure that the “Use a proxy server” box is unchecked.

Method 6 – Uninstall Network Card

You can also try to uninstall the network card from Device Manager and let Windows 7 re-install it on reboot.

Go to the Control Panel, click on Hardware and Sound, and then open Device Manager. Right-click on your network card and choose Uninstall. If prompted to remove the driver, click Yes.

Then restart Windows and the default Windows 7 driver will be installed, which might get your connection working again.

Method 7 – Enable/Disable Network Card

A simpler solution before uninstalling the network card might be to simply disable and then re-enable the network card.

Go to the Network and Sharing Center and right-click on your network card and choose Disable. Then simply re-enable it and see if this fixes your problem.

Hopefully, one of these methods will get your Internet connection in Windows 7 working again! If not, post a comment here and we’ll try to help!

» Filed Under Windows 7

Comments

40 Responses to “Windows 7 Cannot Connect to Internet”

TroubledMeToo said on : November 23rd, 2009 at 10:05 pm

I can’t seem to connect to the internet even though I tried all your methods for Windows 7…

-I tried trouble shooting and it says “Doesn’t have a valid IP configuration”?
-I can connect to my network but it says no internet access…The laptop I’m using now could, so I wonder why?

Please help me, thanks!

problems said on : November 24th, 2009 at 9:07 am

I am also having the same problem in Windows 7 as troubledmetoo

J Downing said on : November 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am

Just installed windows 7 upgrade on my laptop. (from Vista) Seemed OK but on clicking to open internet explorer the computer crashes. Cannot get into tools on IE. Wireless connection is there as is access to Skype and Google earth direct.

Cannot get any free windows help as product key not registered. Any solutions would be welcome! Cannot see that this is common fault.

John

akishore said on : November 25th, 2009 at 10:01 am

@TroubledMeToo – Can you give more information about your setup? Is this a new Windows 7 installation or an upgrade? When did you lose the ability to connect to the Internet?

Also, if you can connect to the router and ping it, the problem may not be with your computer. Are you using a static IP address by chance? Can other computers on the network connect to the Internet?

J Downing said on : November 25th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

Thanks for reply akishore. This is home premium upgrade for vista on my laptop which is the only computer used by wireless. I have a desktop not connected to wireless hence I can access internet still.
I believe it has a static IP address. BT hub. Only failed to get internet on upgrade. Just clicking connect causes crash and return to emergency startup. Worked perfectly before upgrade.

Nate said on : December 1st, 2009 at 7:46 am

I did a clean install on a Dell CP640 2.4g processor. I was running XP SP3 and now i cannot connect to the internet wifi or hardline. Please help.

KG said on : December 1st, 2009 at 2:59 pm

If you’re running Eset anti-virus AND you did an upgrad rather than a clean install, you’ll need to re-install Eset. Otherwise, it will block your connection.

DD said on : December 1st, 2009 at 9:39 pm

I am having problems connecting to any network…I’m using an acer laptop running with window 7…when I tried to use the troubleshooter, it didn’t show anything…I thought it happened when I installed Internet Download Manager..but i already uninstalled it and deleted the registry entries. Is it not connecting to the Internet because of something in the registry?

help me please…thanks so much…

Nate said on : December 2nd, 2009 at 7:12 am

No anti virus yet i need to connect to re-download Norton. Please help the wife is getting grumpy.

Doug said on : December 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 pm

KG… thanks! Eset was the source of my problem. I am able to connect to the Internet.

Razze said on : December 3rd, 2009 at 1:32 am

Good topic! I had some Windows 7 machines at my office that were not connecting to the net properly.

Chris said on : December 5th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

I have to disable/enable my card everytime I start the computer in order to access the internet. I even installed a PCI net card I had laying around and the same thing goes for that. Any fixes for this?

Ravi said on : December 7th, 2009 at 8:30 pm

I just got a new Dell xps 16 with Windows 7 home premium pre-installed. My roommate has a dell laptop with XP installed on it.

We have a modem connected to a router. I am able to connect to the internet but after an hour or two, it suddenly goes off. It just shows no internet access.
The connection still shows packets being sent & received but no connectivity.

Restarting the modem gets back the connectivity but it goes off again after sometime. Please help!!!!

Haragorn said on : December 10th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

I am using Windows 7. I’m only able to connect to the internet through Internet Explorer or some other programs that are built-in with Windows 7, like Windows Updater, but not all. IE 8 64-bit works, but the 32-bit version can’t connect. Those programs work fine, but anything else (like Google Chrome, AVG Updater, iTunes, etc.) is unable to connect. I have not made any recent changes that I can think of.

I’ve only had the computer about a week. The problem started two nights ago. There are no available updates that I can find. I turned off Windows Firewall and uninstalled AVG Free, but still can’t connect. If there’s any other information you need, let me know.

Haragorn said on : December 12th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

The problemhas been resolved. I had to open Command Line in Administrator Mode and type in “netsh
winsock reset”.

Todd said on : December 16th, 2009 at 11:31 pm

thanks for info on Eset software -after lots of trouble shooting for internet connection issues with win 7 upgrade uninstall/install worked great

charlotte said on : December 22nd, 2009 at 10:26 am

Where can I find an AOL installation program that I can burn to CD to install on my new laptop with windows 7?

Geeoorge said on : December 26th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

I too am having the Windows 7 Network (no internet) issues. I have a GYGABITE motherboard that uses the RealTeck Network Adapter. The problems starts when I install SOME programs only… if I uninstall the programs in question, the network and internet connection works just fine. If I re-install the programs, then when I re-boot, I have no internet again. I have to manually DISABLE the network adapter and then RE-ENABLE it and that seems to work but it is a pain in the ass to have to do this every time I re-boot. I created a shortcut on my desktop to make it easier but it still SUCKS!!

Eddie said on : December 26th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

My setup is as follows:

I get internet service from Verizon FIOS. It comes into my house through a broadband modem/router, and out the back of the router, I run a wired network throughout my house. From one of the house jacks, I have connected a Wireless access point.

I just bought a new laptop with Windows-7 preinstalled … it will connect through the wireless access point, and I can network with other (windows XP) computers in the house, but it says I have no connectivity to the internet. Physically, the connectivity is fine … my other (XP) laptop can get out just fine through the accesspoint but the Windows-7 laptop refuses.

The diagnostic says the access point has no connectivity to the broadband modem, which simply is not true. Also, if I wire-jack the laptop directly into one of the spare jacks on the router, the windows-7 laptop CAN get out … Any ideas?

Geeoorge said on : December 27th, 2009 at 3:37 pm

OKAY, after some more testing, it seems that turning off the Windows7 Firewall (at least just the PUBLIC Network setting off) seems to allow for rebooting with internet access. It looks like the program Suitcase Fusion and some others don’t play well with the firewall and something happens that disables the Internet upon re-boot.

Peter Zara said on : January 5th, 2010 at 5:32 am

It might not be your Windows 7. It might be your router/switch. By now most of you may of done so many changes to your Windows 7 computer, you may think about reinstalling. But before you do, check your router/network equipment and make sure the firewall/intrusion detection, etc is not blocking your computer’s IP address. You should either insert an exception or disable whatever it is that is blocking it. You might want to focus on UDP SNMP traffic.

daryl phillips said on : January 6th, 2010 at 7:20 am

I have tried all the suggestions found on this page with no luck at all. I have a pro-mac which workes just fine on the network and the internet, but my compaq laptop with windows xp pro and gateway desktop with windows 7 will not access the internet. they both will access my local network but not the internet. Do you have any more ideals to try. thanks, daryl phillips your local amateur radio guy in bakersfield, ca W6DGP

Sir Duke said on : January 6th, 2010 at 2:01 pm

Thanks very much! Method 2 really helped me out. Unfortunately the HP website doesn’t offer Windows 7 drivers so I downloaded the XP one’s and used the emulation mode.

Thanks again!

Geeoorge said on : January 6th, 2010 at 11:11 pm

Well I think one of these 2 things fixed my “no-internet” problem. RESET Internet Explorer under TOOLS/INTERNET OPTIONS / ADVANCED, RESET button;and also go to the START MENU RUN type msconfig, and in the general TAB checked the option for Normal Boot and then apply and reboot. (if it is already set to Normal Boot, click Diagnostic Startup, then back to Normal so that it lets you hit APPLY, and reboot. This somehow worked for me.

Geeoorge said on : January 6th, 2010 at 11:12 pm

By the way, I originally did re-install Windows 7 and that was just a HUGE waste of time as the problem came back… but it is working now after my comments above… msconfig and reset IE8.

SadCat said on : February 1st, 2010 at 5:42 pm

After I installed Windows 7, I haven’t been able to connect to my wireless internet. although it says there are connect avaliable 1 of two things then happen, it either says unable to connect or it connects and says no internet connection.

Hafiq said on : February 1st, 2010 at 11:23 pm

Im using windows 7.i have a prblm during connected to the wireless router,but its sometimes happen.when i connect to the wifi and it shown “3com, internet access” and i can surf to the internet.but sometimes when i try to connect to the same wifi but it shown “3com, internet access” n 3com 2, internet access” means 2 times.seems like 2 connection and i cant go to the internet.what to do is switch off n on my laptop wireless untill i got “3com, internet access” then i can surf to the internet.and it also happen to windows vista.TQ

jess said on : February 4th, 2010 at 4:27 pm

I just bought a Windows 7 laptop. I got home, plugged in my ethernet connection (cable modem, works like a charm in XP) and “expected” Windows 7 to “just work” but of course it doesn’t. Can’t connect to Internet, cannot diagnose it’s own problems, can’t fix a damn thing. I have tried all the steps above but nothing has worked. There is no specific error msg, it just says “cannot connect to internet” and when I run diagnostics, it doesn’t produce any useful feedback or instructions.

Macboy said on : February 5th, 2010 at 2:36 pm

I just upgraded my three year old mac to the latest snow leopard. Upgrade cost $30. I don’t spend hours troubleshooting and fixing issues. It just works. My time is too precious. Windows 7 is better than vista but you can’t polish a turd.

Geeoorge said on : February 6th, 2010 at 10:32 pm

Macboy you are a piece of TURD… if you love your mac so much, WTF are you doing on a Windows Forum. It appears you really do like Windows so much that you actually need to spend time reading Windows ONLY forums. Get a life you douche-bag loser!!!

Macboy said on : February 7th, 2010 at 12:58 am

You win.

Kumar said on : February 11th, 2010 at 7:17 am

You can fix this problem by resetting the DNS cache

Type in the following command on your command prompt. You should be able to connect to the internet after that

netsh winsock reset catalog

Regards,
Kumar

Jim said on : February 12th, 2010 at 3:25 pm

You will need to download fixit at the MSN site. I tried everything listed here and more. It seems fixit is not well advertised?

NasherD said on : February 14th, 2010 at 3:58 pm

I had a similar problem with Windows 7 that I installed as an upgrade over Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium. I could not connect with either the wired or wireless connection. Though I was able to connect to my router. The only thing that worked to fix the problem was I bought a new DSL modem. Once I did that, problem solved, which was strange as all of my other computers, which run either Vista or XP connected with no trouble, just the Windows7 machine was a problem.

dave w said on : February 21st, 2010 at 9:09 am

Just upgraded my toshiba p300 laptop to windows 7 after installation unable to connect to internet via wireless connection, cabled connection perfect, can see wireless connection but every time I try just says no connections available………..please help

Camilla said on : February 23rd, 2010 at 8:49 am

bingo!!! anti-virus program (bullguard this time) was the source!!

thanks a lot!

marina said on : February 23rd, 2010 at 5:09 pm

Hi. I just got new Asus desktop and laptop with windows 7. My daughter did something to laptop and i decided to have it restored to factory settings. Again, thatns to her, i used wrong disk and installed decktop version instead. i want to fix it and am trying to use the correct disk now but nothing is working. don’t know what to do now

Angelo Matarazzo said on : February 26th, 2010 at 7:07 am

I have an Acer netbook with windows 7 on the network and open it the following message ‘Windows can not connect to this network’, if the network has a password and I know the password works fine (some open networks as well)

Marcelo said on : March 4th, 2010 at 9:02 am

I cannot access the internet at home from my Windows 7 PC…the following message (the device or remote resource does not accept the connection) … please help .. thank you.

Ashlee said on : March 14th, 2010 at 7:29 am

I, too am having the same issue of not being able to connect to the internet. I have tried all of the above and NONE has worked. I cannot connect via ether cable either. I have had the laptop for 2 months, and have been able to connect fine until now. I have the EXACT virus programs and windows 7 on my desktop, and it has no connection issues. I don’t understand why it had connections then will not allow me to go to the internet. No internet access although connected!