The error, one or more protocols are missing from your computer is caused during troubleshooting the network. You should know that a network functions through sockets and these sockets have entries that help a computer to access files from a Server which is de facto another computer. When the socket entries get corrupted then you have the error occurring. Some other plausible reasons can be unintended corruption in network drivers or hardware failures like a faulty modem or a faulty fiber network. You will get to know all of this as I will help you not only understand this particular error but also share with you some of the best tips for fixing this.
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Causes of the error
IPV6 is enabled
If you look at results based on experiences by many users, some of them committed that they encountered this error when IPV6 is enabled. IPV6 is an advanced version of Internet Protocol Version 4. But, at times, it does throw this error.
Network Driver Plagued with Issues
Another possible reason for you to have this error can be an issue with your network driver. Network drivers can be outdated. The files within the driver can be corrupted. Either way, this can be a reason.
The Issue with Network Configuration
For any network to operate in your computer effectively, it has to remain sturdy and stable. This can only happen once you configure your network correctly. By chance, the network is not configured correctly or there is an altercation of configuration by a third-party application or a manual changing of processes. There is scope for the error to emerge.
Changing 802.11g Mode to wireless mode
When you use your computer for internet connections you usually access it through a modem and a router. There is a feature called WAP(Wireless Application Protocol) which is in play to provide stable connectivity to all the devices connected to the internet. If you change your wireless mode to 802.11g, there is a chance that the error will stop instead of ‘wireless mode‘.
How to Fix: “One or More Protocols Are Missing From Your Computer”
Perform Preliminary Checks
You have to make sure that you have done preliminary checks before moving into other specialized checks:
- Check your modem and router if they are having an issue. Check-in other devices whether the network is stable or not.
- Try resetting your router. Simply switch off the router and wait for 30 seconds and switch it back on. This process is called ‘resetting of the router’.
- Refresh your connection and test your internet speed.
- Once you do not find any other problem move on to the next fix.
Try Resetting Winsock
You can try other specialized fixes. Winsock is a programming application that keeps in check your other network applications in terms of accessing the network. The network API can get corrupted over time due to some interference over the network by some virus affliction. You need to reset your Winsock to resolve the affliction which can also potentially ward off the main error:
- In your bottom windows search bar type in cmd
- You will see a ‘cmd’ application, right click on the application
- Choose ‘run as administrator’
- As the window opens you will see a black interface, here you have to type in ‘netsh winsock reset’
- Now press enter.
- Restart your computer and see to it that the error is gone, if not then continue with another fix.
This process is also equivalent to restoring network protocols to default settings, there is one more way which is to alter the configuration to go back to the default settings of a network protocol which is discussed in the next fix.
Try Resetting the Network Configuration
You can face the error more so because of a misconfigured network. A misconfigured network is caused by faulty DNS and Proxy in network settings. You can solve the errors through CMD without having to face any problems, just make sure to follow the steps:
- Type ‘cmd’ in the windows search bar
- Right-click on the ‘cmd’ app and click run as an administrator.
- Now you need to press enter in each of these commands being entered individually
- ipconfig /flushdns
- ipconfig /registerdns
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /renew
- netsh winsock reset catalog
- netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log
- netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log
- Pause
- shutdown/r
- Once you have run all the commands. Restart your PC and check if the fix has worked or not.
I loved this fix. As it has been found that you can perform this error anytime the protocols cease to exist. Configurations are very easy to get misdirected when changing the DNS server. That’s why when there is some deliberate internet challenge because of DNS, people advise using the DNS servers of google in case the connection becomes misguided.
Reinstall TCP/IP
A computer within a network can only deliver data when the TCP/IP protocol can verify and locate the IP address. Some altercations can cause TCP/IP to not be able to locate addresses. You can reinstall these applications. TCP/IP oversees the transmission, packaging, and simultaneous interchanging of data in a network. These are a set of protocols that are checked and verified to access data within two devices in the same network.
- Go to the windows search bar and type in ‘control panel’
- You need to access the ‘view network and tasks’ option from the Network section.
- Now you will see on the left-hand side you have an option called, ‘control panel home’
- You will find another option ‘change adapter settings’, just below the ‘control panel home option’ select it.
- You will see a wifi connection, you have to right-click and select the properties
- In the window, there will be a section called “This connection uses the following items”, below that option there will be options with checkboxes. You have to mark all the boxes and then click on ‘install’
- You will see another window called ‘select network type feature’. From the window select ‘protocol’ and then click on ‘add’
- Now click on ‘reliable multicast protocol’ and then click ok.
- Now restart your PC and check for any change
As compared to other fixes, I can guarantee you, everything works when you reinstall the TCP/IP protocol components. The bad files within the protocol components when tried manually can be too complicated to be resolved. So, you can almost skip the hard part and just reinstall and start to use the default version. And it’s a bonus since the error that you are trying to solve occurs because of protocol problems.
Update your network driver
A network driver’s effectiveness impacts the health of the network and internet connectivity. You need to access these drivers and try updating them. An inefficient network driver can be a cause of many banes. Here is a step-by-step process om updation:
- Go to start, then right-click on the option. You need to click on the device manager
- You will see in the device manager an option called ‘network adapters’
- Click on the option and you will find many network adapter drivers there
- Click on the current network adapter that you have been using and then click ‘update driver’
- Now here you will be given two options, one option is to download the new driver via the internet, and the other option is to choose from your local files
- The best you can do is search it on the internet, so click on the ‘first option’
- Select the ‘driver’ from the window and then click on ‘next’
- Once downloading and updating is done, try rebooting your PC
- Check if the error persists.
From personal experience, I can testify that you have to make sure to always keep your network driver updated. It’s not just for software errors. But also for security reasons. It has become more than important to keep drivers updated. As the virus ecosystem outgrows its present self, new domains of effectiveness enhance with it. For people who are willing to fight an upgraded virus with an outdated driver chances are the PC will be mauled recklessly.
Try Disabling IPv6
IPv6 is the upgraded version of IPv4. You can disable it and check for the changes.
- Access your Wifi icon from the taskbar
- There will be a small upward-facing arrowhead click on it and you will be able to see the WiFi icon
- Right-click on the icon and select ‘open network and sharing center’
- You will see in the window your current connection in the WiFi.
- In the next window you have the properties option at the bottom, click on it.
- Among the list of options, just uncheck IPv6 from the list.
- Click ‘ok’ and do a reboot
- See if the changes can resolve your problem or not
FAQs
Q. Where Are the Newer Protocols Stored?
Some of the new age protocols include: Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI), Fibre Channel (FC), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), Network File System (NFS), and Server Message Block (SMB), and all these protocols are stored in Network Access Storage (NAS) or Storage Area Networks (SAN) storage architectures.
Q. Where Can You Locate the TCP/IP Protocol Driver?
The TCP/IP driver can be loathed in the following path C:\Windows\System32\drivers directory.
Q. What are the Different Kinds of Protocols That Exist?
There exist mainly three different types of network protocols and they are network management protocols, network communication protocols, and network security protocols.
Conclusion
This writeup helps you to understand the intricacies of the error, “one or more protocols are missing from your computer”. It also explores some deeper applications relative to the internet from DNS, Proxy to Internet Protocols, etc. This will help you in being better exposed to the issue.