Resetting your network adapter in Windows 7

Network shell (Netsh) is a tool an administrator can use to configure and monitor network devices on Windows based computers at a command prompt. A common use of Netsh, is to reset the TCP/IP stack back to default settings.

But not only will Netsh reset the TCP/IP stack, but it can also completely reset your network adapter(s). It will reset the Windows Firewall in Windows 7 too.

Using Netsh in Windows 7

To use Netsh, you will need to open a Command Prompt as an administrator. There are two ways to do this:

Click the Start button, then All Programs, then Accessories, then right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Click the Start button. In the search box, type Command Prompt, and then, in the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Netsh commands in Windows 7

The following is a list of the Netsh commands you can use to reset your Windows 7 network adapter:

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.netsh advfirewall reset

Resets the BranchCache service. Flushes the local cache. Every configuration parameter of BranchCache will be reset to its default value.netsh branchcache reset

Resets TCP/IP and related components to a clean state.netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt

Resets IPv6 configuration state.netsh int ipv6 reset

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.netsh winsock reset