Windows struggles to link with several online services.
Windows struggles to link with several online services.
I disabled my firewall before traveling, leaving only my Wi-Fi router, Pihole, and modem active. After returning after ten days, I reactivated the firewall, allowed it to initialize, and connected my devices. My phone works with websites, including my mini PC, but my laptop remains unreachable. Since I left it at home, it didn’t connect to any other networks. I followed these steps: reset IP addresses, renew and release networks, cleared browser caches, and directly linked my router to the modem while using 8.8.8.8 as a DNS server. My router and Pihole functioned correctly, yet my Windows setup kept failing to configure DNS properly. The event viewer reported timeouts when trying to connect to web services after DNS servers didn’t respond. It seems the issue lies with Windows not setting up DNS correctly. Ebay works sometimes, but new pages appear odd. Another site behaves similarly, and Facebook doesn’t connect at all. Any assistance would be very helpful.
Verify your network isn't interfering with your laptop. Also confirm it isn't configured to use a particular DNS server manually. A quick test is to link your laptop to your phone's hotspot. If everything functions properly, the issue likely lies in your network setup.
Firewall isn't stopping my laptop, DNS is pointing to your pihole's address on the router. Mobile hotspot didn't help either. I've used 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 as manual DNS in network cards, but websites still won't connect on the hotspot. I've also tried those IPs on my Wi-Fi, getting the same issue.
I'm able to reach 8.8.8.8 and www.google.com without issues. The connection remains current every second. Steam applications struggle with this setup, which explains why they can't connect properly. The Windows DNS settings have changed—now it fails to locate www.google.com after a ping, but 8.8.8.8 does. The troubleshooting steps I took didn't resolve the problem, and some network tools are rejecting connections. Facebook and Gmail still aren't responding, though I can reach them through Firefox. Pinging YouTube works, but Microsoft update servers time out. Logs show no blocking activity, suggesting it's not a virus. Pihole appears to be functioning correctly.
It seems there might be an issue with your DNS configuration. Consider using 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 as your DNS server and check if it resolves the problem.
I identified the problem. I installed portmaster, an open-source firewall, which received positive feedback. I tested it for a day but didn’t like the experience, so I disabled it. Windows quietly reactivated it afterward without warning. After an upgrade install fix, the icon appeared in the hidden icons section. I removed it completely and everything functioned properly. A scan with defender and Trend Micro found no issues, suggesting a Windows update may have altered a setting.