Constant "No Internet Access" Win10 Network Icon

[L&LD]

So I've had WFC uninstalled for a few days now and the icon is still there. Is there anything else anyone would recommend trying? Other than my Lenovo update software not working properly, everything else network related is fine.

When I would experiment with these and more 'dangerous' utilities to build a better 'Windows', I found that many times an uninstall wouldn't fix things to be back to how they were before I thrashed my os. The only thing that worked was a new, clean Windows install.

I hope you won't need to do that in your case, but be prepared to do so if you want an os that works as expected and also as everyone's else too.

 

[goonerm3]

What about what we said in posts 3 and 4?
This would seem to be the most obvious source of the problem. Have you tried disabling these "other scripts"?

Can you reach http://www.msftconnecttest.com/connecttest.txt from the effected PC?

I cannot reach the above mentioned link.
Yes to everything mentioned in post #3 and #4.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Yes to everything mentioned in post #3 and #4.

So have you tried disabling those things to determine if that is the cause?

 

[EmeraldDeer]

 

[Klueless]

There is an error in the latest version of Win 10 , I and several folk I know had the same issue with the internet connection. I had to reset the connection many times to get it to work.

I have no real help to offer but, as above, I'm having a similar issue with one laptop. My setup is a little different; I connect to a Netgear range extender which connects to my Asus. I ran well for a year then I had a month where I couldn't connect to the Netgear unless I rebooted. After a month it just fixed itself (presumably after a Windows update).

Then after a year or so I suddenly started getting the connected but no Internet message. Again, if I reboot the Netgear it works ... until the next time. I dunno, maybe it'll just fix itself again with the next Windows update?

 

[martinr]

.... Today, I rely upon Windows defaults and my selective browsing habits to keep me safe. This has worked well for the past few years....

Whilst reading about the Shadowhammer malware smuggled into the Asus auto-update software for laptops, I see that Netsarang software, back in 2017, was infected with Shadowpad malware, including XShell5 (Xshell 5 Build 1322 Jul 17 2017), a popular alternative to Putty, used by many on this forum.

Makes you wish for the simplicity and relative innocence of the pre-Internet days, even if it meant queuing for 15 minutes to ask a bank clerk to move money between accounts or spending Saturday mornings in a library finding the answer to a question that we can now have within seconds without leaving our beds.

 

[xtropodx]

So I've had WFC uninstalled for a few days now and the icon is still there. Is there anything else anyone would recommend trying? Other than my Lenovo update software not working properly, everything else network related is fine.

I have similar issue at random. Despite other devices connecting to the internet, 1-2 devices occasionally won't connect despite having a connection.
I've resulted in going into the router & toggling firewall on/off/on. Seems to work, until it happens randomly again.

 

[RMerlin]

Whilst reading about the Shadowhammer malware smuggled into the Asus auto-update software for laptops, I see that Netsarang software, back in 2017, was infected with Shadowpad malware, including XShell5 (Xshell 5 Build 1322 Jul 17 2017), a popular alternative to Putty, used by many on this forum.

Makes you wish for the simplicity and relative innocence of the pre-Internet days, even if it meant queuing for 15 minutes to ask a bank clerk to move money between accounts or spending Saturday mornings in a library finding the answer to a question that we can now have within seconds without leaving our beds.

That's why I'm not a fan of auto-updates. On all my mobile devices for instance, application updates are done manually. That way, if a malicious update is pushed, at least there are a few days during which they can be caught by the developers before ending up on my devices.

Also why I refuse to implement any kind of auto-update in Asuswrt-Merlin. If my update mechanism were to be compromised, it would be an instant attack vector into tens of thousands of devices. I certainly don't believe I can do a better job at security on my own than any dedicated team of professionals.

 

[V@no]

Also why I refuse to implement any kind of auto-update in Asuswrt-Merlin. If my update mechanism were to be compromised, it would be an instant attack vector into tens of thousands of devices. I certainly don't believe I can do a better job at security on my own than any dedicated team of professionals.

What about download and install updates by router itself with a press of a button as stock asus firmware has? In fact, this probably would be more secure since it's eliminates user error by downloading and installing correct official firmware...
Right now updating firmware process is...how can I put it delicately...pain in the butt...:

1. click on provided download link
2. click on download site link
3. get overwhelmed by number of available different router models in the list, go back to router page to write down the model number, select the correct model in the list and finally after 2 more clicks download the package
4. unpack the package
5. open the routers update page
6. at last upload the firmware

 

[ColinTaylor]

In fact, this probably would be more secure since it's eliminates user error by downloading and installing correct firmware...

The router will refuse to load an incorrect firmware image.

 

[RMerlin]

What about download and install updates by router itself with a press of a button as stock asus firmware has? In fact, this probably would be more secure since it's eliminates user error by downloading and installing correct official firmware...

No, it's not. If your router or your network is compromised and redirects the download to another site, you would never notice, and could end up downloading and isntalling malicious builds.

There's a Download button that leads you straight to the correct folder on Sourceforge. Downloading and unzipping is a trivial procedure.

 

[V@no]

No, it's not. If your router or your network is compromised and redirects the download to another site, you would never notice, and could end up downloading and isntalling malicious builds.

There's a Download button that leads you straight to the correct folder on Sourceforge. Downloading and unzipping is a trivial procedure.

But you just said if network compromised, no matter if you it's done manually or not, it might redirect the download to a malicious file, weather it's downloaded to a computer or straight by the router...so what's the difference?

 

[ColinTaylor]

But you just said if network compromised, no matter if you it's done manually or not, it might redirect the download to a malicious file, weather it's downloaded to a computer or straight by the router...so what's the difference?

The difference is what you're proposing is a process that is completely invisible to the user. They click a button and that's it. With the current method it's highly likely that you would notice if you were sent to a different website.

 

[V@no]

If network compromised it could be invisible to the user even when downloaded to the computer...and I bet 99% users don't check the SHA256 signature on downloaded files, most of them don't even know how to...paranoid people can do old fashion manual download anyway...
And regarding ShadowHammer type of attack (which triggered this discussion), it would be absolutely no difference if it was done via router downloading it or user, because that attack was done on the server the files were downloaded from.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Redirecting an invisible direct download request to a different server is relatively trivial. Setting up an entire fake website that accurately mimicked Sourceforge and was constantly kept up to date is a completely different thing.

 

[thelonelycoder]

What about download and install updates by router itself with a press of a button as stock asus firmware has? In fact, this probably would be more secure since it's eliminates user error by downloading and installing correct official firmware...
Right now updating firmware process is...how can I put it delicately...pain in the butt...:

1. click on provided download link
2. click on download site link
3. get overwhelmed by number of available different router models in the list, go back to router page to write down the model number, select the correct model in the list and finally after 2 more clicks download the package
4. unpack the package
5. open the routers update page
6. at last upload the firmware

You should appreciate what we coders already do for you instead of asking more and more of us when the task is trivial to accomplish with a few clicks.

 

[V@no]

You should appreciate what we coders already do for you instead of asking more and more of us when the task is trivial to accomplish with a few clicks.

Who said I don't appreciate it?
Isn't Asuswrt-Merlin based on official Asus firmware, which already has this feature, which means it was removed/disabled (I assume).

 

[RMerlin]

But you just said if network compromised, no matter if you it's done manually or not, it might redirect the download to a malicious file, weather it's downloaded to a computer or straight by the router...so what's the difference?

The differences are you have a pair of eyeballs then being able to tell if you are still on the Sourceforge website (including your browser warning you if the domain name and the SSL certificate don't match). And you also have the chance to go to a different website, note down the SHA256 hash, and manually confirm that the downloaded file is authentic.

Isn't Asuswrt-Merlin based on official Asus firmware, which already has this feature, which means it was removed/disabled (I assume).

Asus has the resources to manage the required infrastructure behind such a feature. I don't. Just because I reuse their code does not mean I also have access to their servers or their team of network engineers managing it.

 

[meeder]

If the current update method for Merlin is considered a "pain in the butt" then I wonder if the people thinking that it is are the target audience for the firmware...
It takes less then 5 minutes to find the correct file, download it and upload it to the router.
Are people forgetting that Merlin isn't getting payed to develop this firmware?

 

[thelonelycoder]

Who said I don't appreciate it?
Isn't Asuswrt-Merlin based on official Asus firmware, which already has this feature, which means it was removed/disabled (I assume).

Know that your avatar triggers a certain level of uneasyness and abhorrence in me.