So, several years ago I purchased a Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 notebook. Before I continue I will answer the question, “What does 2-in-1 mean?”
These models resemble a regular notebook that does something different with their keyboards. There are basically two different types of 2-in-1s; detachable and convertible. Mine is a convertible which means the keyboard flips back over to the back of the computer screen. It fundamentally becomes a tablet with the Windows 10 OS and a touchscreen. The other one’s name makes it self-explanatory as the keyboard detaches making it very tablet-like. The detachable is like a Microsoft Surface Pro.
Now the catastrophe really has nothing to do with the brand or type of computer but can happen to anyone. However, this was a first for me after many years of “computering.”
My computer functioned very well up until the start of a new day. That day I started my computer and I thought all was fine. It showed my network connected and looked good. But then I could not get to any site anywhere online. Then I noticed my email was not loading.
The investigation began. It turned out that my wi-fi showed connected to my computer but it was not online. I tried the “ping” command and still…nothing. I checked my phone and my wife’s computer and both were connected to wi-fi just fine. I played around with every fix I could think of and find online. They yielded no results.
I plugged directly into the network by cable. I rebooted and still, it said it was connected but I could not get online. Quite a head-scratcher.
I am a software guy. With hardware, I am outclassed by many. So I took it to one of my high-end hardware techs. After hours of them trying to resolve the issue, they had no ideas.
When I first started this, I had two thoughts. One, perform a system restore on my machine. This will set it back to an earlier time when all was well. I did so for over a month before and still no change. Number two, which scared me, was to reset my PC. It is easy to get to in Windows 10, you click the start button and type, “Reset this PC” then click the result.
If you have a major issue with your PC this is one of the final things to try, so I did it. The LAST one to try is to get your installation disks and reinstall Windows, wiping your hard drive clean. I had my fingers crossed I would not have to go there. Before any of this, I made sure to back up my documents in a safe place. I used Dropbox.com.
So, I hit, “Reset this PC” and then I got a choice of pain or agony. I chose pain or, “Keep my files: Removes apps and settings, but keeps your personal files.” The worst pain is, “Remove everything,” which sets your computer back to the day you purchased it. That is the same as reinstalling Windows with disks.
It took quite a while but afterward, I had the wi-fi and wired connections back. Success! I then spent a day or so reinstalling all the software. This is a good reason to keep all of your Software licenses and registration numbers after you set up your PC.
It was quite a big hassle but it saved the cost of a new PC. I hope you do not have to do what I did but if so I hope it works for you too.
