Diagnose connection issues in Windows 10

1

CHECK NETWORK STATUS

Your first port of call should be the network icon in the Taskbar Notification area. A yellow exclamation mark confirms your connection but indicates a problem; a red cross indicates no connection. In either event, click the icon to see a more detailed diagnosis. 3

RUN NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTER

Click ‘Network & Internet settings’ to open Settings. The Status section should reveal if – and where – your connection has broken. If it’s broken between the connection and the internet, turn the page. If not, scroll down and click ‘Network troubleshooter’ to see if Windows can find a fix. 5

CHECK WI-FI DRIVERS

If your network stopped working after a recent hardware or Windows update, press Win-R, type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter to check Device Manager. Look under Network Adapters to see if there are any issues flagged – doubleclick your network adapter and check under the Drivers tab. 2

NETWORK MISSING

A globe icon indicates you’re disconnected, but that your adapter is working and other connections are available – if interference is an issue, you may find another of your own networks (say 5GHz instead of 2.4GHz) is available.

Try connecting through that. 4

FORGET KNOWN NETWORKS

If the troubleshooter fails to clear the problem, select WiFi in the left-hand pane and click ‘Manage known networks’. Select your non-functioning network from the list and click Forget. Once the settings have been removed, see if you can connect again from the Taskbar notification area icon. 6

RESOLVE DRIVER ISSUES

If the driver version indicates a recent update, try undoing it by clicking ‘Roll Back Driver’, then rebooting when done. Failing that, check your network adapter or PC manufacturer’s website on a working PC to see if an updated driver or other troubleshooting information is available.