Has your Internet connection gotten slower over time? Maybe you had a virus, and now your Internet connection isn't running correctly? It may be time to clean up your network connection. Here's how to reset your network adapter(s) in Windows 10.

When it comes to restoring network connectivity in Windows 10, sometimes the best thing you can do is reset the network adapter(s). I have found that this is one of the most effective ways of getting a system back online. There are two (2) ways of resetting network adapter(s) in Windows 10, primary and advanced.

The one thing to keep in mind when resetting your network adapter(s) is you may have to reinstall networking software, like VPN software and virtual appliances. Resetting the network adapter(s) back to default will reset the Windows Firewall back to its default settings.

The primary way of resetting the network adapters in Windows 10.

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. Left-click on Settings (gear icon).
3. Left-click on Network & Internet.
4. In the left-hand column, left-click on Status.
5. In the right-hand column, left-click on Network reset.
6. On the Network reset page, left-click on Reset now.
7. A dialog box will appear, asking if you are sure about resetting the network setting. Left-click on Yes.
8. Your computer will automatically restart within five minutes.

The advanced way of resetting the network adapters in Windows 10.

Windows 10 has a command-line utility called Netsh (Network Shell) that allows you to display and modify your computer's network configuration. The most common use of Netsh is to reset the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) stack back to default. Since Netsh is a command-line tool, you will need to use a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges.

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10 (link will open in a separate window)

Netsh commands for resetting your network adapter in Windows 10

Netsh commands run in a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges

Note: This section is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, ask someone for help. Follow these steps to reset the Windows Firewall, TCP/IP stack, and Winsock manually. You will have to restart your system to complete the reset.

The following is a list of the Netsh commands with descriptions that you can use to reset your network adapter in Windows 10:

Restores the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security policy to the default policy. The current active policy can be optionally exported to a specified file. This command returns all settings to not configured and deletes all connection security and firewall rules in a Group Policy object.

Removes all user-configured IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) settings. Restarting the computer is required before the default settings will take effect.

Removes all user-configured IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) settings. Restarting the computer is required before the default settings will take effect.

Resets Winsock Catalog to a clean state. All Winsock Layered Service Providers, which were previously installed, must be reinstalled. This command does not affect Winsock Name Space Provider entries.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95 with a new way to navigate the GUI (Graphic User Interface) called the Start menu. To make it easy to use, they added a new key to the standard keyboard called the Windows logo key and added some useful shortcuts. Since then, Microsoft has integrated Windows logo key shortcuts into every version of Windows. Here's is a complete list of Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 10.

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 10

There are now almost fifty different Windows logo key shortcuts inside Windows 10 (all of them are listed below). For more keyboard shortcuts for Windows, see the links at the bottom of this article.

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 10

Press	To
	Start menu
+ A	Open action center
+ D	Show desktop
+ E	Open File Explorer
+ F	Open Feedback Hub
+ H	Share
+ I	Settings
+ K	Connect to devices
+ L	Switch users (Lock computer if on a domain)
+ M	Minimize all windows (desktop)
+ P	Project options
+ R	Run...
+ S	Opens Cortana with search box highlighted
+ T	Set focus on taskbar and cycle through pinned / running desktop apps
+ U	Ease of Access Center
+ V	Cycle through notifications (+Shift to go backward)
+ W	Opens the Start menu with the Search box highlighted
+ X	Quick link power user commands (Opens Windows Mobility Center if present)
+ 1-9	Go to the app at the given position on the taskbar
+ + (plus)	Zoom in (Magnifier)
+ - (minus)	Zoom out (Magnifier)
+ , (comma)	Peek at the desktop
+ Enter	Open Narrator
+ Spacebar	Switch input language and keyboard layout
+ Tab	Show all open apps and view additional desktops
+ Esc	Exit Magnifier
+ Home	Minimize non-active desktop windows
+ Pause/Break	System Properties
+ Left Arrow	Snap desktop window to the left (+Shift to move window to left monitor)
+ Right Arrow	Snap desktop window to the right (+Shift to move window to right monitor)
+ Up Arrow	Maximize desktop window (+Shift to keep width)
+ Down Arrow	Restore/minimize desktop window (+Shift to keep width)
+ F1	Windows Help and Support
+ Ctrl + D	Add a desktop
+ Ctrl + Right arrow	Switch between desktops you’ve created on the right
+ Ctrl + Left arrow	Switch between desktops you’ve created on the left
+ Ctrl + F4	Close the desktop you’re using
+ Shift + Right arrow	Move an app to a monitor on the right
+ Shift + Left arrow	Move an app to a monitor on the left
The following Windows logo key shortcuts were added in the Creators update (Version 1703).
+ G	Open the Game bar
+ Alt + G	Record the last few moments of gameplay (You can change the amount of time recorded in Game bar > Settings.)
+ Alt + R	Start/stop recording
+ Alt + Print Screen	Take a screenshot of your game
+ Alt + T	Show / hide the recording timer
+ Alt + M	Start / stop microphone recording
The following Windows logo key shortcuts were added in the Fall Creators update (Version 1709).
+ Period (.) or Semicolon (;)	Open the emoji, kaomoji and symbol panel
+ H	To open a dictation window
The following Windows logo key shortcut was added in the Windows 10 feature update (Version 1809).
+ Shift + S	Open the Snipping Bar
The following Windows logo key shortcut was modified in the Windows 10 feature update (Version 1809).
+ V	Displays clipboard history

For more keyboard shortcuts for Windows, see the links below:

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

General keyboard shortcuts

Natural keyboard shortcuts

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

There may be a time when you need to bypass the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface) and enter commands directly into an Administrative Command Prompt. Quite a few of our favorite Geeks Tips require the use of it. So here's how to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10.

The Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10

Open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button.
2. Scroll down the program list and then left-click on the Windows System folder to expand.
3. Right-click on Command Prompt.
4. On the context menu that appears, hover your cursor over More and then left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. In the search box next to the Start button, type Command Prompt.
2. In the list of results, the Command Prompt should be highlighted.
3. In the right-hand column under Command Prompt, there is an options menu. Left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

With the Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703), the Command Prompt on the Power User menu was replaced with Windows PowerShell. But it can be changed back by changing the default setting for the Taskbar.

How to restore the Command Prompt option on the Power Users menu in Windows 10

1. Right-click on an empty space on the Taskbar.
2. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Taskbar settings.
3. In the right-hand column, find the setting labeled Replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell in the menu when I right-click the start button or press Windows key + X.
4. Move or left-click on the slider to the off position.

Using the Power User menu to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User command menu.
2. Left-click on Command Prompt (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Press the Windows logo key + X to bring up the Power User command menu.
2. Press the letter A to select Command Prompt (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

When it comes to finding something in the Control Panel in Windows 10, you have to know where to look. You could spend hours going through all of the categories. But what if you could see everything that was inside of the Control Panel in just one window. Here's how to list everything inside of the Windows 10 Control Panel.

This shortcut was initially nicknamed 'God Mode' when it was first discovered inside of Windows Vista. It is a registry key that, when rendered inside the File Explorer, displays the Control Panel's complete contains. No searching through categories and subcategories, everything is right there in one folder.

How to create an expanded Control Panel folder

1. Highlight the following code, right-click on it, and select Copy.

Note:
For this article, I am going to use the name Control Panel Expanded. You can use whatever name you like, just keep the GUID (Global Unique Identifier) extension (.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}) at the end.

2. Right-click on the Desktop background and select New > Folder.

3. Right-click on the new folder name and select Paste.

4. You now have a folder on your Desktop that has a Control Panel icon. Just double-click to open it.

Does it seem like your computer takes forever to boot up? Waiting for your Windows-based computer to boot can be quite frustrating. But there are a few things you can do. Here is how to speed up the boot time of your computer.

Check the drive for errors

If your computer has a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), this is the first thing you want to do. HDD's are notorious for not writing data back to the exact place where the data was read. Little known fact, but Microsoft didn't invent the Disk Operating System (DOS). It bought Quick and Dirty Operating System (QDOS) in the early '80s and renamed it MS-DOS. If you have a Solid State Drive (SSD), you can bypass this step, as SSD's don't have moving parts.

Check for hardware issues first with the software provided by the manufacturer of your HDD. The Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) has all of the significant drive manufacturer's diagnostics software built-in, so this is always the right place to start.

Diagnose computer hardware issues with the Ultimate Boot CD

Then check for software issues with Windows built-in CHKDSK.

Check your hard disk for errors in Windows Vista / Windows 7

Check your hard drive for errors in Windows 8

Check your hard drive for errors in Windows 10

How to check your drive for errors in Windows 11

Uninstall any unwanted programs

This one is a no-brainer. Allot of adware/junkware will load itself up at boot, causing an increase in boot time. It also takes away resources that could be used by programs you want to run. The first thing to do is to go to the Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. Then go through the list of programs to see which ones can be uninstalled. Remember that you can change the way the programs are listed just by clicking on the column name. I like to know when a program was installed because you can find many unwanted clutter installations that way.

Remove unwanted items from startup

MSCONFIG inside of Windows 11

You can temporarily disable programs and services that start up with Windows using MSCONFIG. MSCONFIG is a diagnostic tool built into Windows that allows you to troubleshoot boot issues. You can enable and disable various boot settings, including programs and services that startup with Windows. Just open an Administrator Command Prompt and type MSCONFIG.

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows Vista and Windows 7

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 8

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 11

Once you have your system fine-tuned with MSCONFIG, you could leave your system running in diagnostic mode by having MSCONFIG not displayed at startup. That's one of the first things I check for on systems I work on. It just too easy to let it go. But if you want to permanently remove the items you have disabled in MSCONFIG, here's how to do it.

The Everything tab inside of Autoruns

1. Download and extract the latest version of Autoruns from Microsoft.
2. Open MSCONFIG and make a note of each item you have disabled.
3. On the General tab of MSCONFIG, select Normal startup, then left-click Apply and OK. When prompted, close MSCONFIG and do not restart the computer. Yes, this will enable all of the items you have disabled, but we will delete them next.
4. Open the folder where you saved Autoruns.exe, right-click on it and select Run as Administrator.
5. Once it is done scanning, you need to find the items you had disabled with MSCONFIG. Check the Services and the Logon tabs first. Remember that you can check the logon items for each user with the User pull-down menu. Once you find your things, you can 1) disable it with the checkbox on the left or 2) you can right-click on it and select Delete.

Clean up the drive

It's time to clean up some of the clutter that seems to pile up. Using Windows built-in Disk Cleanup tool (cleanmgr.exe) will quickly clean out all sorts of crap, like user temp files and temporary Internet files. If you want to go a little further with cleaning your drive, download a copy of CCleaner.

Free up more disk space with Windows Vista / Windows 7 Disk Cleanup

Clean up your hard drive in Windows 8 with Disk Cleanup

Clean up Windows 10 with Disk Cleanup

Clean up your Windows 10 computer using the Storage feature

Clean up Windows 11 with Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup

Clean up and optimize your computer for free with CCleaner

Defragment your HDD

This is another step that only pertains to HDD's since SSD's don't get fragmented. If your HDD is fragmented, it takes it longer to find and load files. Optimizing the HDD structure will always give you a little more speed. You can use Windows built-in Optimize and Defragment drive tool or another disk utility like Defraggler from Piriform.

Geek Tip: If you use run the Disk Defragmenter from an Admin Command Prompt, you can use the /B switch to optimize the boot performance. For example, if you want to optimize booting on the C: drive, you would use the following:

Defrag C: /B

Using Disk Defragmenter in Windows Vista

Using Disk Defragmenter in Windows 7

Defragment and Optimize your hard drive in Windows 8

How to defragment and optimize your drive in Windows 10

How to defragment and optimize your drive in Windows 11

Perform advanced disk defragmentation with Defraggler from Piriform

If you want to go the extra mile with optimizing your HDD, remove the swap file before you defrag and restore it after you're done. And when you restore it, go ahead and use the following calculations.

The minimum pagefile size is one and a half (1.5) x the amount of memory. The maximum pagefile size is three (3) x the minimum pagefile size. Let's say you have 2 Gb (2,048 Mb) of memory. The minimum pagefile size would be 1.5 x 2,048 = 3,072 Mb and the maximum pagefile size would be 3 x 3,072 = 9,216 Mb.