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.
