# Partial lost internet connection: how to restore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890 "2014-01-04T17:19:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890/1 "2014-01-04T17:19:41Z")
Last night my desktop PC stopped talking to the internet. Sort of: -I could receive email, but not send it. -Internet Explorer wouldn’t work. -A mailing label program (Dymo) could not access the internet to check mailing addresses. This morning I restarted my PC, and now all is well. But I’m wondering if there was something I could have done to restore net access without actually restarting. Any thoughts? My PC is connected to the internet through a router, along with another PC, an iPad, and a TiVo. These other devices never lost their connection to the internet, which means the problem was indeed within my PC. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890/2 "2014-01-04T18:29:03Z")
Unplug the router and plug it back in. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890/3 "2014-01-04T19:14:37Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > This morning I restarted my PC, and now all is well. But I’m wondering if there was something I could have done to restore net access without actually restarting. Any thoughts? In these sort of circumstances, restarting (either computer or router or both) is usually the easiest way by far to fix the problem. Sometimes a regular soft reboot, and you actually need to turn the things right off and wait a bit before turning back on. If that doesn’t work, then you have real problems that might take a lot of time and expertise (and pprobably help from your ISP, or even new equipment) to solve. But apparently the restart worked in your case, so be grateful. If you are in Windows 7 you could try right clicking the little icon in your tray that represents your connection, and select “Troubleshoot problems”, but, in my experience, that rarely helps. Save time and just restart. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890/4 "2014-01-04T20:33:09Z")
Sounds like it could be a DNS cache problem - if it happens again, you could try flushing the cache. > **[Clear Windows DNS Cache](https://www.tech-recipes.com/windows/clear_windows_dns_cache/)** > > Command to reset, flush or clear your DNS cache. Vista, Windows 7, and WIndows 8 These same directions work in versions of Windows after XP; however, you’ll need to gain admin privileges first: Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 directions for flushing... ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890/5 "2014-01-06T12:19:25Z")
Seems to me more likely that either the antivirus or the DNS service/process crashed. The solution was then restart the computer. For example, receiving mail worked, because the mail program kept the ip address for that, but when it came time to send, it didn’t have the ip address for the server to send to. or if antivirus caused it, the email receiving part of the antivirus remained working while the general internet part didn’t. But other crashes are possible, eg antivirus might have crashed, but for the part which was left running , the mail receiving part… if it was the antivirus, then that may have been due to antivirus updating itself, a one off. But if you keep having problems there may be some cause … Perhaps there is a windows update that solves DNS reliability issue. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partial-lost-internet-connection-how-to-restore/677890/6 "2014-01-06T12:58:54Z")
Looks like some IP, DNS error or a proxy; caused by either your firewall/network settings or some spyware/malware. If restarting your computer and modem/router didn’t do the trick, get [RogueKiller](http://tigzy.geekstogo.com/roguekiller.php), just run it, accept and then click scan - after the scan is finished click onto: delete , Fix Host, Fix Proxy, Fix DNS. You might want to run [Malwarebytes](https://www.malwarebytes.org/) aswelll - its never a bad idea.