Quite often, many users of stationary computers and laptops when connecting to wireless Wi-Fi networks encounter an unpleasant problem when the Internet access system does not provide, and instead, when diagnosing, they display a message that the default gateway is not available. How to fix this situation? First you need to find out what factors can be associated with this failure, and only then make a decision. However, there are several universal methods that can help in any situation.
Why does the “Default Gateway Not Available” error occur?
So, why is there a problem with access to a wireless network on a laptop or a stationary PC while Internet access can be made from mobile devices? At the same time, on devices running Windows-based systems, the diagnostic tool reports that the default gateway is not available.
The main reasons are incorrect installation of power circuits, when the adapter the system has the right to turn off in order to save energy; incorrectly installed, outdated or missing network adapter drivers, incorrect parameters in the settings of network protocols, etc. For each of these cases, there is a solution of its own that any user can easily use. But first things first.
The impact of third-party programs
Please note that only the main reasons that cause the failure to occur when the default gateway is not available were mentioned above. How to fix this situation in Windows 7? First, pay attention to some programs that actively use the Internet connection.
As a rule, these are some updates, antiviruses, etc. In the simplest case, you should call the standard “Task Manager” and look at the currently active processes that use the network on the corresponding tab. Finishing them up may help fix the problem.
At least the same antivirus can be disabled for 5-10 minutes and look at the result.
It is even better to turn to the startup section and turn off everything unnecessary there. In the tenth version of the system, this section is located in the "Task Manager", in all the rest you can call it with the msconfig command, which is entered in the "Run" menu.
The default gateway is not available. How to fix (Windows 8, 7, 10)? Power scheme setup
But, as practice shows, usually the cause of the failure is not software components that use the network. Very often, diagnostics give a notification like “The default gateway is not available. Not fixed ”and after their early or forced completion. In this situation, you should pay attention to the installed power supply circuit and its settings (most often this applies to laptops).
To fix the problem, through the PCM menu, on the battery icon in the system tray, go to settings and go to options that are currently not available. Next, in the wireless adapter settings section for power saving mode, set the maximum performance value.
After performing these steps in the "Device Manager", called through the "Control Panel", the administration section or the devmgmt.msc command in the "Run" console, find the wireless adapter and go through the properties to the power tab. Here you need to uncheck the box to enable it to turn off in order to save energy. At the end of the procedure for changing the settings, you need to save them, after which it is advisable to reboot the device.
Driver rollback
Another method that resolves the problem that the default gateway is not available on Windows systems is by rolling back the network adapter driver.
This is done from the same “Device Manager”, where the desired adapter is selected, after which it switches to the properties and tab of the driver. Here, just click on the rollback button and wait for the operation to complete. In some cases, the button may be inactive, which indicates the impossibility of such an action, so you have to go to the next step.
Uninstalling and reinstalling the driver
Since rollback is not possible, and updating often does not give an effect (the system either writes that the most suitable driver is already installed, or reports that it cannot find a suitable driver), you just need to remove the existing driver or device completely by clicking the button in its section .
After that, a reboot is performed. It’s possible that the system installs the drivers on its own, but when accessing the Internet, it’s better to download the latest driver from the network equipment manufacturer’s website, then either install it manually or indicate to the system the location of the saved installer when it starts installation (in the “Device Manager” the equipment will be marked yellow or marked as an unknown device).
It is even easier to use specialized programs and packages like Driver Booster, which contain a huge database of drivers and can update by downloading new versions of software from the websites of equipment manufacturers with virtually no user involvement.
Manual gateway configuration
If the above methods do not help, and the system again displays a notification that the default gateway is not available, you can try to change the network protocol settings. As a rule, this is the IPv4 version, since the sixth modification is practically not used.
In network connections, select the network properties and go to the properties of the IP protocol of the fourth version. Typically, IP, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS addresses are set automatically. But you can register the gateway address manually (the one that is indicated on the label on the back of the router), and if you specify IP, change the last digit from 1 to 40 or 50.
If these settings do not work, in extreme cases, you can specify the preferred and alternative DNS in the form of free Google services (a combination of eights and fours). You can also set Yandex.address or any other free service as the values, although in most cases this is not required (manual entry of the gateway parameters and IP address is sufficient).
FIPS setup
Finally, the default gateway may not be available from the point of view of the operating system itself, also because of disabling the FIPS compatibility service. It can be activated very simply.
To do this, you need to click on the network icon with which there are problems, click on the status bar, and then on the properties button. Next, select security and additional options. Here you just need to check the box on the FIPS compatibility line.
Brief Summary
That's all the basic methods of eliminating such unpleasant situations. As you can already understand, basically such malfunctions are most often found on laptops, and it is not always possible to determine exactly what caused the errors. Therefore, it will be necessary to apply the methods described above, and it is absolutely not necessary to do this in the order in which they were presented. Perhaps someone will be helped by adjusting the power settings, someone will need to work with the drivers, and someone will be able to fix the problem by enabling compatibility. In any case, at least one of the above methods will help.
Some users, however, believe that the problem may also be in the settings of the router. This is not so, since the gateway is the address of the router. And if everything worked before, and then it stopped, the problem should not be looked for in it, but in computers and laptops that are trying to connect to a Wi-Fi network.