Laptop won't connect to wireless network after trying to install Chromecast with it

Question

I have a Windows 8.1 machine that was working perfectly fine up until tonight.

I went out and bought a Chromecast so I could be a bit more productive in my coding (cast the web page with the programming information I need up onto the TV and use my entire laptop screen for the IDE), and, well, that's gone to waste. Like you're supposed to, I went to Google's website and downloaded the program to connect to the Chromecast and set it up. I ran it, and when I got to the part of the setup where you have to connect to the network, I couldn't get it to work. I then switched over to my Android tablet and... ta-da... it worked. The Chromecast was able to connect to the network and I was able to cast tabs to it from my laptop.

I lost my internet connection on my laptop sometime thereafter. Now, no matter how many times I restart my computer, tell it to forget the network it was on, sign back in (password and all) to the network, "reset" the network adapter, or unplug/plug the router or modem... it won't connect. What's up here and how do I fix it? Other devices still connect fine.

Answer 1

Wow, I had a similar problem but my network adapter was enabled. For fun, I disabled it and then enabled it. Everything when back to normal.

Something must have gotten flushed out.

Answer 2

1. Go to Control Panel
2. Click on Network and Sharing Center
3. Click on "Change Adapter Settings" on the left side of the window.
4. If any network adapters are disabled, re-enable them.

It's a weird situation and while it works, it's specific to my machine (Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro) and I have no idea why a virtual network switch was disabled. Oh well, there you have it. Maybe this will help someone else someday.