Windows 11 win 11 upgrade no network

Thanks — this is a good, detailed report. Short summary of what’s likely happening and then exact steps to gather diagnostic info and (usually) fix it.
Likely cause

• DNS Client (Dnscache) and WinHTTP AutoProxy are disabled/blocked by a local policy or a leftover/third‑party network agent after the 24H2 upgrade. “Some settings are managed by your organization” + the DNS service showing as disabled strongly points to a policy/registry setting or a service Start value set to Disabled rather than a simple UI glitch. We’ll check service configs, reset the network stack, and look for policy keys or software that can force those settings.

Before you start

• You’ll need an Administrator Command Prompt (right‑click Start → Terminal (Admin) or search cmd, Run as administrator).
• Back up the registry before making changes (if we get to editing it I’ll remind you).

Step 1 — collect the obvious service info (paste the outputs here)
Run these commands (Admin CMD). Copy & paste the outputs into your reply so I can see exact states and errors:
1) sc qc dnscache
2) sc query dnscache
3) sc qc WinHttpAutoProxySvc
4) sc query WinHttpAutoProxySvc
5) sc qc wlansvc
6) sc query wlansvc
Also run:
7) systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"
8) winver (or tell me the exact Windows 11 build if you already know it)
Step 2 — try to set the services to automatic and start them
In Admin CMD run these (one at a time). Report any errors:

• sc config dnscache start= auto
• sc config WinHttpAutoProxySvc start= auto
• sc config wlansvc start= auto
  Then try:
• net start dnscache
• net start WinHttpAutoProxySvc
• net start wlansvc

If any command returns an error, copy the full error text here.
Step 3 — if the sc/config commands fail, change the Start value in the registry
(Only do this if sc/config fails and you’re comfortable; tell me if you want me to walk you through manual backup first.)
In Admin CMD:

• reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache" /v Start
• reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache" /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
• reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinHttpAutoProxySvc" /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
• reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wlansvc" /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
  Then reboot and check Services.msc and Event Viewer again.

Step 4 — reset the network stack & DNS caches
In Admin CMD:

• netsh winsock reset
• netsh int ip reset
• ipconfig /flushdns
  Reboot and test.

Step 5 — check for local policies or “managed” registry keys
Run (Admin CMD):

• gpresult /h "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\gpresult.html"
  Open the gpresult.html from your desktop and check for any applied Computer Configuration policies. If gpresult says no policies, also run:
• reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft" /s
• reg query "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft" /s
  Copy any keys that look like Network, Internet Settings, WinHTTP, or DNS entries. Don’t delete anything until I review it.

Step 6 — look for third‑party network agents
Do you have any of these installed? (answer yes/no)

• VPN clients (Cisco AnyConnect, GlobalProtect, OpenVPN, NordVPN, etc.)
• Security/antimalware with network filtering (ESET, Sophos, McAfee, SonicWall, Malwarebytes with web protection)
• Local management agents (SentinelOne, CrowdStrike, corporate MDM)
  If yes, uninstall or disable them temporarily and try the upgrade or start services again.

Step 7 — run Event Viewer details that you already saw
You mentioned Event ID 7001 and WinHttpAutoProxy error — open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System and find the 7001 event and the WinHttpAutoProxy entry. Copy the full text of the error message (it will show the exact dependency that failed) and paste it here.
If that dependency is a service group name (not a single service), paste the whole Event Details XML; that will tell us which group/service failed and why.
Quick recovery options if you want to try immediately

• Try the sc config / net start sequence above first — that fixes this in many cases.
• If that doesn’t work and you find policy keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft that reference network/dns, paste them and I’ll give exact safe delete commands.
• If you have VPN/AV installed, uninstall them, reboot, then retry the upgrade (do a clean boot: msconfig → Selective startup → disable non‑Microsoft services).

If none of the above fixes it

• I’ll walk you through an in‑place repair (Windows 11 ISO > Setup > Upgrade to repair) which preserves files/apps and fixes corrupted system service registrations. That is usually a last step but is reliable.

Next step for me

• Run Step 1 and Step 2 and paste the outputs + the exact Event Viewer text for the 7001 / WinHttpAutoProxy errors. Also tell me if you have any VPN/AV or network management agents installed. I’ll interpret the outputs and give the precise registry/repair commands.

cwdavi1 said:

I've searched the forum and couldn't find this.

I upgraded a win 10 pro with local account to win 11 24H2. Installation succeeded but no wifi shows under networking. I plugged in ethernet, the taskbar icon shows connected with internet access but apps report no connection. Latest event viewer shows DNS client service failed to start, event 7001. First event error shows winhttpautoproxy service failed to start because the dependency service group failed to start. Services.msc shows DNS client disabled, can't enable. I ran sfc and dism, no problems found. Followed one suggeston I found and attempted to set manual DNS server. Got message some of these settings are managed by your oganization, could not save changes.

This is my desktop,bought it new, no group polices have ever been set, never joined any domaine. I rolled back to win 10, everything ok. Ran the upgrade again, same problem. This is my 4th win 11 upgrade in 3 days, first 3 no problems.

I will greatly appreciate any help.

Click to expand...

Check for updated chipset drivers, but especially NIC drivers for your system for Windows 11. It's almost definitely a driver issue (run devmgmt.msc and look for issues under Network Adapters).

The AI advice of netsh int ip reset and netsh winsock reset in an elevated terminal is good guidance, but if its an underlying driver conflict, this could be the cause. There's also a small chance something was corrupted during the IPU.

Thank you very much.

Good — thanks for the clear report. Your symptoms match a known Windows 11 24H2 regression where disabling the WinHTTP Auto‑Proxy service (WPAD / WinHttpAutoProxySvc) or similar hardening causes Windows Connection Manager (WcmSvc) and DNS/WLAN services to fail to start, leaving the DNS Client disabled and the system “managed by your organization.” Microsoft and community posts describe this exact 24H2 behavior and the same registry/workaround that usually fixes it.
What I recommend (in this order)

• Step 0 — be safe: run these in an elevated (Admin) PowerShell or Command Prompt. If you want, paste outputs here before changing anything.
  • sc qc dnscache
  • sc query dnscache
  • sc qc WinHttpAutoProxySvc
  • sc query WinHttpAutoProxySvc
  • sc qc WcmSvc
  • sc query WcmSvc
• Step 1 — try to set and start services (quick, non‑destructive)
  • sc config dnscache start= auto
  • sc config WinHttpAutoProxySvc start= demand
  • sc config WcmSvc start= auto
  • net start dnscache
  • net start WcmSvc
  • net start WinHttpAutoProxySvc
    If those start/stop commands succeed, reboot and test.
• Step 2 — if WcmSvc or DNS client still will not start or the Start value is repeatedly disabled, apply the commonly used workaround: remove WinHttpAutoProxySvc from WcmSvc’s DependOnService so Connection Manager no longer requires WPAD. This is the registry edit the community has used successfully for the exact 24H2 regression you’re seeing.
  Safe edit steps (Admin PowerShell)
  1) BACKUP the key first:
  reg export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WcmSvc" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\WcmSvc-backup.reg"
  2) Run these PowerShell commands to remove the dependency (copy‑paste as a single block in Admin PowerShell):
  $k='HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WcmSvc'
  $deps = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $k -Name DependOnService -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).DependOnService
  if ($deps) {
  $new = $deps | Where-Object {$_ -ne 'WinHttpAutoProxySvc'}
  Set-ItemProperty -Path $k -Name DependOnService -Value $new
  "Removed WinHttpAutoProxySvc from DependOnService"
  } else { "No DependOnService found; nothing changed." }
  3) Then set starts and restart services:
  sc config WcmSvc start= auto
  sc config dnscache start= auto
  net start dnscache
  net start WcmSvc
  4) Reset network stack and reboot:
  netsh winsock reset
  netsh int ip reset
  ipconfig /flushdns
  Restart‑Computer
• Step 3 — check for managed/policy keys and 3rd‑party network agents
  • Run gpresult /h "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\gpresult.html" and open it (check Computer Configuration) — if it shows policies, paste the parts here.
  • Also check these registry paths for policies:
  • reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft" /s
  • reg query "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft" /s
  • Temporarily uninstall/disable VPN clients, enterprise AV or network filtering drivers (they commonly cause “managed” settings or interfere with WinHTTP/WPAD).
• If you’re uncomfortable editing the registry
  • The alternative is to roll back to 23H2 (you already confirmed rollback works) or wait for Microsoft patching; many users simply rolled back until an official fix was available. Community/analysis posts show Microsoft acknowledged multiple connectivity regressions in 24H2 related to DHCP/WPAD and offered mitigations while working fixes; rollback is the safest short‑term option if you don’t want registry edits.

What I need from you now

• Tell me the output of the sc / query commands above, or whether you want me to walk you through the registry workaround step‑by‑step. If you choose the registry route, I’ll stay with you through each command and how to restore the backup if anything looks wrong.

Thanks, I don't have time now but will look at this tomorrow.

No problem — that sounds good. When you have time tomorrow, run the quick checks below and paste the outputs or attach the files and I’ll walk you through the fix step‑by‑step.
What to collect (fast checklist)

• From an elevated (Admin) Command Prompt run and paste outputs:
  • sc qc dnscache && sc query dnscache
  • sc qc WinHttpAutoProxySvc && sc query WinHttpAutoProxySvc
  • sc qc WcmSvc && sc query WcmSvc
  • sc qc wlansvc && sc query wlansvc
• Try (one at a time) and report any error text:
  • sc config dnscache start= auto
  • sc config WinHttpAutoProxySvc start= demand
  • sc config WcmSvc start= auto
  • net start dnscache
  • net start WcmSvc
  • net start WinHttpAutoProxySvc
• If you prefer to grab files instead: run gpresult /h "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\gpresult.html" and attach that gpresult.html, and also export this registry key for review:
  • reg export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WcmSvc" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\WcmSvc.reg"

Quick notes

• The behavior you described matches a known 24H2 regression (WPAD / WinHttpAutoProxySvc dependency causing WcmSvc/DNS/WLAN problems). The detailed steps I posted earlier will help diagnose and, if necessary, remove WinHttpAutoProxySvc from WcmSvc’s dependency list as a safe workaround.
• Back up the registry before any edits. If you’d rather not edit the registry, rolling back to 23H2 is a safe short‑term option (you already saw rollback works).

When you’re ready

• Paste the command outputs here or attach gpresult.html and the WcmSvc export. Say whether you want the step‑by‑step registry walkthrough or prefer I guide you through a rollback/repair install. I’ll respond with exact commands and what to expect.