Windows 11 Internet connection problem

[Manuel1to01]

What’s been happening to me is that for a long time—first on Windows 10 and now on Windows 11—I started having an issue where my computer’s wired Ethernet connection suddenly loses internet access, and there’s no way to restore it unless I do one of three things:

1. Restart the computer
2. Restart the network drivers
3. Disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable (the method I use most often, since the issue still occurs)

At first it happened maybe once a month or every few months, so I didn’t see it as a real problem. But several months ago it started becoming much more frequent — sometimes a couple of times a day, sometimes once a day, sometimes once every three days — very random but much more repetitive, which makes using my computer extremely frustrating.


The solutions I’ve tried include changing network settings, updating drivers directly from my motherboard’s website, using Windows’ default drivers, and adjusting settings through Device Manager. I also tried resetting my PC to factory settings, but that didn’t help — the problem continued.


I replaced the Ethernet cable thinking that might be the issue, but that wasn’t the solution either.
My internet provider also replaced the modem, but that didn’t fix anything.


Additionally, I’ve changed the DNS settings from the Command Prompt on my computer, as well as the DNS settings on my ISP’s modem, but none of that resolved the problem.


The only clue I’ve found is that in Event Viewer, under Windows Logs → System, I almost always get a DNS CLIENT EVENT warning around the same time the connection drops. I haven’t yet tried installing a WiFi adapter to test a wireless connection, but I’m hoping someone can help me with this problem.

 

[ChatGPT]

Thanks — that’s a very helpful description and the screenshots confirm a recurring DNS Client Event 1014 (name resolution timed out). That’s an important clue, but it doesn’t yet tell us whether the problem is DNS-only or a full link/gateway loss. Let’s methodically narrow it down and try fixes that have a good chance of stopping the drops.
Quick summary of likely causes

• DNS server(s) not responding or DNS requests being blocked/interrupted (software firewall, router, or DNS proxy).
• NIC/kernel/driver bug or NIC offloading/power settings causing the adapter to stop responding until reset.
• Link/gateway loss (router/modem port, switch, auto‑negotiation) that looks like “internet gone”.
• Intermittent DHCP or network stack corruption.
• Less likely: ISP modem/router flakiness (you said modem was replaced) or cable (you replaced cable).

What I need from you

• NIC make/model or motherboard model (e.g., Intel I225‑V, Realtek RTL8125, etc..
• Are you connected directly to the ISP modem or to a separate router/switch? Do other wired devices on the same network ever lose connectivity at the same time?
• Windows 11 exact build (Settings → System → About → OS Build).
• When the problem happens, do the link/activity LEDs on the NIC and router port stay lit/blink or do they go dark?

First — tests to run when the problem next occurs
(These will tell us whether it’s DNS only or full network loss. Run them immediately after a drop.
1) Open an elevated Command Prompt (right‑click Start → Terminal (Admin) or CMD as admin), then run:

• ipconfig /all
  • Look at IPv4 address, Default Gateway, DHCP lease status, and DNS servers.
• ping -n 10 8.8.8.8
  • If this fails, the route to the internet is down (not only DNS).
• ping -n 10 1.1.1.1
  • Another raw IP test.
• ping -n 10 example.com
  • If ping to IPs works but hostnames fail, that’s DNS-only.
• nslookup example.com
  • If nslookup hangs/fails, note the “Server:” line (which DNS server it’s using) and any timeout text.
• tracert 8.8.8.8
  • If tracert fails immediately (destination unreachable) it indicates local gateway/link issue.

Copy the outputs or screenshots and paste here. That will immediately narrow the fault.
If ping to IPs works but DNS resolution fails

• It’s a DNS issue. Possible actions:
  1. Set your adapter to use two reliable DNS servers (Google/Cloudflare): IPv4 DNS = 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 (or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4). You said you changed DNS already — double‑check the adapter’s IPv4 DNS in ipconfig /all (or Settings → Network → adapter properties → IPv4 → Properties).
  2. Run these commands (Admin CMD) to clear/reset Windows DNS stack:
     • ipconfig /flushdns
     • net stop dnscache && net start dnscache
     • netsh winsock reset
     • netsh int ip reset
     • Reboot if asked.
  3. Temporarily disable any third‑party security suite or firewall to rule out blocking.
  4. If DNS server on your router/gateway is set to the ISP and the router is intermittently failing to forward DNS, set the router/modem to use the same public DNS or set your PC to use public DNS directly (above). Test for 24–48 hours.

If ping to IPs also fails (no connectivity)

• It’s likely link/gateway/NIC issue. Try the following in order:

Quick, non-destructive changes to try now

1. Disable NIC power saving and energy features:
   • Device Manager → Network adapters → your adapter → Properties → Power Management: uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”.
   • Advanced tab (adapter properties) — disable: Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), Green Ethernet, Wake on Magic Packet (if set weirdly), Large Send Offload, IPv4/IPv6 checksum offload options (try disabling one at a time). Many Intel/Realtek adapters expose these names — if you tell me your adapter model I can point to exact properties.
   • After changing each property, test for a day.
2. Force speed/duplex instead of Auto‑Negotiate (temporary test):
   • Device Manager → adapter → Properties → Advanced → “Speed & Duplex” or “Link Speed” → set to 1.0 Gbps Full (or 100 Mbps Full if your network is 100 Mbps). Sometimes auto‑negotiation errors produce drops.
3. Try a different LAN port on the router/switch, or connect directly to the modem (bypass router) for a day to see if the problem follows the PC or stays with the port/router.
4. Temporarily disable IPv6 on the adapter (works around some driver/router bugs):
   • Control Panel → Network and Internet → Network Connections → Right‑click adapter → Properties → uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). (Undo: re‑enable by checking again.
5. Clean reinstall the NIC driver:
   • Device Manager → uninstall device (check “Delete the driver software for this device” if shown), then reboot. Let Windows install its default driver, or install the latest driver from the NIC vendor (Intel/Realtek) afterward. If your board uses an Intel I225/I219 NIC, sometimes older OS drivers have issues — a clean uninstall (and reboot) is better than an overwrite.
6. Disable Windows DNS client service as a test (not a permanent fix):
   • Services.msc → DNS Client → Stop. Test if that changes behavior (this makes DNS queries go straight to the DNS server and can sometimes avoid a hung cache). To undo: set to Automatic and start it.

Longer-term / deeper diagnostics

• Capture continuous pings to the gateway and to 8.8.8.8 so you have a log of exactly when connectivity drops:
  • Open admin CMD and run:
  • ping -t 192.168.1.1 > C:\Temp\ping_gw.txt
  • ping -t 8.8.8.8 > C:\Temp\ping_8888.txt
  • Let them run until a failure, then Ctrl+C and attach the files.
• Collect Event Viewer logs around the drop:
  • Filter System log for Event ID 1014 (DNS Client) and DHCP, and save to .evtx (Right‑click → Save Filtered Log File As... so I can inspect timestamps and correlated events.
• PowerShell NIC info (run and paste output):
  • Open PowerShell as admin and run:
  • Get-NetAdapter | Format-List Name, InterfaceDescription, Status, LinkSpeed
  • Get-NetIPConfiguration
  • Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "YOUR ADAPTER NAME"
• Try another OS or hardware to isolate:
  • Boot a Linux live USB and leave it connected for a few days (if comfortable) — if Linux stays connected, very likely a Windows driver/setting issue.
  • Or test with a USB Wi‑Fi adapter or smartphone hotspot. If wireless never drops, that implicates the wired NIC or wired path.

Safe immediate commands you can run now

• ipconfig /flushdns
• net stop dnscache && net start dnscache
• netsh winsock reset
• netsh int ip reset
  (You’ll need to reboot after netsh resets.

Important notes & risks

• Changing driver properties/power settings is low risk and reversible. Keep a note of original settings so you can revert.
• Uninstalling drivers is safe; Windows will reinstall a default driver. If you “delete driver software” you may need offline driver package if Windows doesn’t find a newer driver automatically — keep the vendor driver download ready.
• Stopping the DNS Client service will temporarily remove DNS caching — resolve may be slower but it’s reversible.

If you want, I can:

• Give an exact list of adapter Advanced properties to change if you post the NIC model (or the motherboard model).
• Walk you through collecting the ping logs and filtering Event Viewer and interpret the logs you collect.
• Provide a short PowerShell script to monitor connectivity and automatically log a snapshot when a drop occurs.

Next step recommendation (concise)

1. When next drop occurs, run the quick tests (ping to IPs and nslookup) and paste results here.
2. Meanwhile, disable NIC power saving + EEE and force a fixed speed/duplex, flush DNS, and clean‑reinstall the NIC driver as described.
3. If the issue continues, capture the ping logs and filtered System events and post them so I can analyse the timeline.

If you tell me your NIC (or paste output of Get-NetAdapter / ipconfig /all), I’ll give exact settings to change and the precise commands to collect the evidence.