Basic Internet Troubleshooting

Basic Internet Troubleshooting

So your computer won't connect to the internet. Here is some reference for you to determine how to get yourself back online. Note, this only covers the very basics as far as connecting to the network and assumes you have a home network already up and running.
  1. Are all the lights on your modem on?
    1. If yes, continue.
    2. If no. Unplug your modem (and router if you have both) and then plug them back in to allow them to reset. Give about 5 minutes for your modem to re-connect. If the lights still don't come on, contact your internet provider as there may be an issue with service. (Note, It's more commonly the top few lights we need. Power, Send, Receive, Internet. Since all modems are different, you will need to use common sense to figure which is which, they are usually labeled)
  2. Are you on wireless or wired?
    1. Wireless
      1. Are you connected to the network?
        1. Instructions for Windows 7
        2. Instructions for Windows Vista
        3. Instructions for Windows 8 and 8.1
        4. Wireless Not Connected - The staircase with a yellow icon over it (while the staircase isn't white) means you aren't connected to a wireless network.
      2. Is there an icon over your fully white wireless icon? Such as a Yellow Triangle? The yellow triangle means it can't pull an IP address, meaning that there may be a misconfiguration with your router and/or modem. 
      3. Yay, I'm connected.
        1. Wireless Connected - See the staircase icon? It's all white, that means it's connected and your computer detects a connection. If you're seeing this and you still have no internet (try opening Google.com and searching), Go back to the very first step, as it might be an issue with your internet connection.
    2. Wired
      1. If you're connected to the router/modem and you see a yellow triangle over the network icon, there's likely a misconfiguration with your modem or router. Try restarting it, see step 1.
      2.  Ethernet Connected When ethernet is connected properly, you should see this symbol.

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