Running an operating system like Windows 10 or 11 without allowing any system updates can be quite detrimental to your system’s security. As the update introduces new fixes to some of the operating system’s security loopholes with every subsequent update.
Plus, most Windows update also brings with them a set of new features that might improve the performance of the system.
However, updating Windows can have its own fair share of complications as well. The most common among them is the system not being able to connect to the internet or the wi-fi not working after installing an update.
Every problem though has its own fix, especially when it comes to computers. And in this article, we’ll be going through all the reasons why a Windows update could cause wi-fi issues in addition to providing you with fixes to all of them.
Each fix is explained step by step in great detail and will hopefully allow you to get back to doing your everyday work and return your system to its previous glory.
Table of Contents
How Windows Update causes Wi-Fi Issues
Wi-Fi Driver Compatibility Issue
One of the most common reasons for internet connectivity t start failing is driver issues. To be more exact, a Windows update could result in the new build of Windows not supporting the installed wireless driver.
This then results in your system not being able to connect to the WIFI at all as the operating system is not compatible with the wi-fi driver installed. Updating your wi-fi drivers is the only fix in this case.
Conflicts with Antivirus or Firewall
In more recent years, we’ve noticed that more and more people have started to opt for third-party antivirus software instead of relying on Windows’ own security system (Windows Security) and the firewall.
Now, even though we admit that this can provide your system with an additional layer of security, it does have its own set of cons. The biggest of them is that they can cause issues or conflicts when your Windows updates.
In most cases, these complications directly result in a disruption of your wi-fi settings. Which in turn can cause you to lose your connection to the internet until you temporarily disable the security software. In some extreme cases, an update can even clash with the firewall of the system itself.
Which again, could cause wi-fi connection issues. In this case, you’d have to temporarily disable the firewall itself to once again establish your wi-fi connection.
Reset Wi-Fi Settings Completely
Something that’s slightly less plausible when it comes to you experiencing wi-fi issues after a Windows update is the update changing or resetting your wireless connectivity settings completely.
However, it is still possible and thus deserves a mention on this list. To put it simply, a Windows update could change some of your device’s wi-fi settings, resulting in the system not being able to connect to the internet until those changes are reverted.
Wi-Fi Issue Errors and Prompts
No Internet, Secured
The first way to detect if your system is going through WIFI issues is to click on the wi-fi icon in the Quick Access menu on the taskbar and check if the system is still connected to the wireless router.
This is also when you may see the “No internet, secured” messages pop up in front of you.
The explanation for this message is pretty simple. It’s simply stating that your device is connected to a wireless router/access point, but cannot access the internet.
Limited Connectivity
In some extreme cases, you may get hit with the “limited connectivity” message when you open your wi-fi settings. This message also signifies that your system is experiencing issues connecting to the wi-fi.
To be more specific, it indicates that your device is only able to access a limited number of network resources.
Wi-FI Doesn’t Have a Valid IP Configuration
The rarest error message users might see when their system is experiencing issues with the wi-fi is the following one:
Wi-Fi doesn't have a valid IP configuration
We’ve seen plenty of users get led astray due to this message and start opting for experimental techniques to fix the issue instead of the regular fixes.
Thus, we thought it supremely important to include this error message in the list as well and tell you that it can be fixed through one of the solutions we’re about to explain in the sections below.
The message itself states that your device is unable to obtain an IP address from the Wi-Fi network.
Common Fixes for Wi-Fi Issues
Disable IPv6
Sometimes a Windows update can go ahead and change stuff on its own including checking the IPv6 box on your system. This can cause your system to start looking for IPv6 networks instead of the standard IPv4 networks.
Fortunately, disabling IPv6 is a pretty easy process and one we’re about to explain in the form of multiple easy-to-understand steps:
-
Open the Network Connection applet by typing in “ncpa.cpl” in the Run Command box.
Open Network Connections applet -
Right-click the wireless network adapter and click Properties.
Open wi-fi properties -
Uncheck the “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” option and click Ok.
Disable IPv6
Now check to see if you can connect to the wireless router. If not, continue to perform the next solutions below.
Update Wi-Fi Drivers
We’ve previously mentioned how outdated wireless drivers are the most common reason for wi-fi issues. Well, in this section we’ll be presenting a fix for that issue by carefully explaining how you can update your drivers.
-
Open the Device Manager by typing in “devmgmt.msc” in the Run Command box.
Open the Device Manager -
Expand “Network Adapters.”
Expand Network Adapters -
Right-click the wireless network adapter and click “Update driver.”
Update network driver The update driver wizard will now launch.
-
Click “Search automatically for drivers.”
Automatically search for latest drivers The wizard will now search and install the latest driver available.
-
When installed, close the wizard.
If the wizard prompts that the latest driver is already installed, then try reinstalling it, or installing one manually.
Disable Third-Party Security Software
Third-party antivirus software and sometimes even Windows Security itself can cause your device to lose its connection to the internet.
In these cases, the easiest trick to get your connection back up and running is to temporarily disable the security software and then enable it once again. This step-by-step fix will entail how to temporarily turn off Windows Security.
-
Navigate to the following:
Settings app >> privacy & security >> Windows Security >> Virus and Threat Protection
-
Click on the “Manage settings” under the “Virus & threat protection” section.
Manage virus and threat protection settings -
Toggle the slider under “Real-time protection” to the Off position.
Disable real-time protection If prompted with a UAC, click Yes.
Once disabled, check to see if you can now connect to the wireless router.
Run the Internet Troubleshooter
The internet troubleshooter always comes in handy when you’re trying to diagnose and sometimes fix any Wi-Fi-related problems. Thus, it makes sense to opt for the troubleshooter once again when we’re faced with WIFI issues due to a Windows update.
-
Navigate to:
Settings app >> System >> Troubleshoot >> Other troubleshooters
-
Run Internet Connections troubleshooter.
Run Internet Connections troubleshooter Click Run in front of “Internet Connections.”
-
Select the issue to troubleshoot.
Select the issue to troubleshoot The troubleshooting wizard will then search and apply any possible fixes.
-
Close the wizard.
Restart Network Adapter
The network adapters can occasionally malfunction after running for several hours or having their configuration changed frequently. This can also cause them to not be able to function properly but is usually fixable with a simple restart.
Restart the wireless network adapter using these steps on a Windows PC:
-
Open the Network Connections applet.
Open Network Connections applet Type in ncpa.cpl in the Run Command box.
-
Disable the network adapter.
Disable network adapter Right-click on the wireless network adapter and then click Disable from the context menu.
-
Re-enable the network adapter.
Enable the network adapter Right-click the adapter and click Enable from the context menu.
Once the adapter restarts, check to see if you are now connected to the wireless router.
Disconnect and Reconnect to Router
Another way to fix the issue is by recreating the wi-fi profile. This essentially means that you need to “forget” the wireless SSID of the router, and then reconnect to it using fresh credentials.
-
Navigate to the following:
Settings app >> Network & internet >> Wi-Fi >> Manage known networks
-
Here, click “Forget” in front of the problematic wireless network SSID.
Forget the network -
Now click on the wi-fi network icon in the Quick Access menu in the taskbar and reconnect to the wireless network.
Reconnect to wireless network
Prevent Windows from Turning Off Network Adapter
Although your network adapter may not be turning off, it may have entered the low-power state not allowing it to function properly.
Perform the following steps to disallow the network adapter from entering the low-power state:
-
Open the Device Manager by typing in “devmgmt.msc” in the Run Command box.
Open the Device Manager -
Expand “Network Adapters.”
Expand Network Adapters -
Right-click on the adapter you are using and click “Properties” from the context menu.
Open network adapter properties -
Switch to the Power Management tab.
Open Power Management settings -
Uncheck the box next to “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” and click Ok.
Disallow the computer from turning off the network adapter
Closing Thoughts
This article has listed down all the possible solutions to fix wi-fi-related problems. Wi-fi connectivity problems are usually on the computer itself, and very less likely on the router. However, if none of the aforementioned solutions have worked for you, we also suggest that you restart your router to mitigate any router-related issues.
