Tuesday 5 May 2020

Internet Connectivity Troubles [esp. Wi-Fi on laptop/tablet PCs] Post Windows 10 Update 1903

At the time of writing, we have experienced this issue on a small range of laptops. This includes the Dell XPS/Inspiron range and some Asus laptop laptops also and appears to occur following the Windows 10 1903 update. 

A quicker fix may be possible by carrying out a Network reset (option in Network Status page).

Symptoms: Loss of internet access via Wi-Fi specifically with very limited Ethernet access if connection option is available on your device.

The Network Status icon (in the Taskbar right-hand end) may indicate no connection, an incorrect connection or it may be missing altogether.

The first step is to check the status of the network: press the Windows Start key and type ‘network’; this should bring up ‘Network Status’ in the list displayed. Select this to open it and if it looks like the image below…
...read on.

Ensure you are logged on as an administrator or have access to the password. In reference back to the Network Status icon in the task bar and the above Network Status screenshot, select Change adapter settings so that the Network Connections window appears and, as you will see below, the Wi-Fi connection status appears to show that a connection exists despite our experience. Close this window and carry on to the next step.


Hold down the Windows Start key (between CTRL and ALT keys) and press the R key
  1. Type 'services.msc',the Services app icon appears, right click it and select 'Run as Administrator and select 'Yes' or enter the administrator credentials (as required) should a dialog box appear
  2. The Services app will open with services listed in Name order (apart from the 2 Microsoft Edge ones) and to ease readability, select the Standard tab at the bottom of the second viewing pane

  3. We need to view the status of the Network List Service therefore, select any of the services and press ‘N’ in order to bring you to the start of all those that start with ‘N’ and scroll down until you see this

  4. Select Network List Service, right-click it to open the sub menu and select Properties
  5. Find the Startup type selection halfway down and you will see that it's set to Disabled  and the Service status shows Stopped which, is the issue here
  6. Set the Startup type to Manual and then click Apply after which, move to Service status and select Manual

  7. Go back to Service status and click Start; a Service Control box appears and the service starts. Once the Service status hows Running, click OK and close the Network List Service properties box and the Services app

Return to Network Status window and you should see the full path between your device and the internet, problem solved hopefully!

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