Generally speaking, if Windows Network Diagnostic reports “website (www.microsoft.com) is online but isn’t responding to connection attempts”, it’s possible that your network adapter driver is outdated. To be able to access www.microsoft.com, you should update the driver of your network adapter. If the issue persists, you could run the Network Adapter troubleshooter, turn off proxy, disable add-ons on browsers, reset network, etc. Continue reading to learn what must be done to carry out the solutions on your own.
A List Of Possibilities
All in all, it’s not uncommon for Windows users to lose access to websites out of the blue. Still, once it comes to “website (www.microsoft.com) is online but isn’t responding to connection attempts”, you should keep these suspects in mind:
- Network adapter driver.
- Bugs.
- Proxy.
- Browser add-ons
- Network.
What You Could Do
Note: There is something you should do before resorting to complex fixes: turn off your router/modem then disconnect it from the power source. Next, wait for a minute, reconnect your router/modem and turn it on. Last but not least, launch your web browser, visit www.microsoft.com and see how things turn out.
Update Driver
- Step 1: Press Windows key, type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager.
- Step 2: Expand Network adapters, right-click your adapter and pick Update driver.
- Step 3: Follow on-screen instructions then restart your computer after the update finishes. When the screen comes back on, launch your web browser, visit www.microsoft.com and determine whether the issue persists.
Note: On occasions, it’s a good idea to uninstall and reinstall the network adapter driver.
- Step 1: Open Device Manager, right-click your adapter in Network adapters and pick Uninstall device.
- Step 2: Check the checkbox next to Delete the driver software for this device before hitting OK.
- Step 3: Restart your computer.
Run The Network Adapter Troubleshooter
- Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, select Update & Security then choose Troubleshoot.
- Step 2: Click Additional troubleshooters, pick Network Adapter and hit Run the troubleshooter.
- Step 3: Assuming that the troubleshooter manages to identify the root of the problem and offer a fix, hit Apply this fix.
- Step 4: Restart your computer.
- Step 5: Witness the result.
Turn Off Proxy
- Step 1: Open Settings, select Network & Internet then choose Proxy.
- Step 2: Toggle off the Automatically detect settings, Use setup script and Use a proxy server switches.
- Step 3: Launch your web browser then visit www.microsoft.com
Disable Add-Ons
Microsoft Edge
- Step 1: Launch Edge, click the three-dot icon on the top right and pick Extensions.
- Step 2: Hit Manage Extensions then toggle off the switches next to the extensions to disable them.
- Step 3: Close Edge, relaunch it and visit www.microsoft.com.
Google Chrome
- Step 1: Launch Chrome, click the three-dot icon on the top right, hover your mouse over More tools and pick Extensions.
- Step 2: Toggle off all extension switches.
- Step 3: Close Chrome, relaunch it and visit www.microsoft.com.
Mozilla Firefox
- Step 1: Launch Firefox, click the three-bar icon on the top right and pick Add-ons and themes.
- Step 2: Toggle off the switch beside each of the extensions.
- Step 3: Close Firefox, relaunch it and visit www.microsoft.com.
Reset Network
- Step 1: Open Settings, select Network & Internet then choose Network reset in Status.
- Step 2: Click hit Reset now then pick Yes to confirm.
- Step 3: Visit www.microsoft.com.
Questions And Answers
How come I keep running into unresponsive pages while using Google Chrome?
If unresponsive pages give you a hard time as you use Chrome, update Chrome. In the beginning, launch Chrome, click the three-dot icon on the top right and pick Help. Next, hit About chrome to initiate the update of Chrome. After the update finishes, hit Relaunch.
Aside from that, it won’t hurt to clear cached data:
- Step 1: Open Chrome, click the three-dot icon, hover your mouse over More Tools and click Clear browsing data… (Ctrl + Shift + Del).
- Step 2: Select Basic then choose All time in Time range.
- Step 3: Check the checkboxes next to Cookies and other website data as well as Images and files stored in cache then hit Clear data.
What should I do when my firewall is blocking my browser?
If your firewall is blocking your browser, allow the browser through the firewall. To do so, go through the step down below:
- Step 1: Press Windows key, type Allow an app through Windows Firewall and hit Enter.
- Step 2: Hit Change Settings. If prompted, provide the administrator password to confirm your identity and the intention to change firewall settings.
- Step 3: Locate your browser then check the checkboxes in Private and Public columns.
- Step 4: Hit OK.
