This article guides you restoring Wi-Fi connectivity when you are working on Campus or at home post loss of Wi-Fi connections on your device following the disruption to UoS provided laptops on Tuesday 18th April 2023. These instructions are for Windows users.

If you are struggling to follow these instructions, please come on Campus and connect with internet cable docking stations or visit our Tech Hubs in the Hartley Library or in Sir James Matthew (section "Visit the Hartley Library IT helpdesk"). 

If you need further help, please contact ServiceLine.

Working on site

Laptop on Site

Step-by-step instructions:

1. If you are working on site, please:

• connect your laptop to the wired network using an ethernet cable,
  or
• if you are using a dock, please ensure it has a network cable attached.  

 

2. Go to the icon tray in the bottom right-hand corner and check you are connected: by moving the pointer of your mouse on the network icon, it should appear a dialogue box saying "soton.ac.uk" and "Internet access"

 
 
3. Right-click on the Windows Start menu button and select the “Run” option
 

4. A new window will appear. Please copy and paste the wording gpupdate /force within the "Open:" field 

Please note: between "gpupdate" and the forward slash "/" there is blank space.

 

5. A new window will appear. It has a black background and says "Updating policy..."

 
 
6. After a couple of minutes you will be prompted to log off.

 

7. Now please:

1. Press “N”
2. Save any work
3. Close any open applications
4. Restart your PC.

---

Back to the top

 

Desktop on Site

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Ensure your desktop is connected to the network. 

 

2. Go to the icon tray in the bottom right-hand corner and check you are connected: by moving the pointer of your mouse on the network icon, it should appear a dialogue box saying "soton.ac.uk" and "Internet access"

 
 
3. Right-click on the Windows Start menu button and select the “Run” option
 

4. A new window will appear. Please copy and paste the wording gpupdate /force within the "Open:" field 

Please note: between "gpupdate" and the forward slash "/" there is blank space.

 

5. A new window will appear. It has a black background and says "Updating policy..."

 
 
6. After a couple of minutes you will be prompted to log off.

 

7. Now please:

1. Press “N”
2. Save any work
3. Close any open applications
4. Restart your PC.

---

Back to the top

 

Working off site

If you cannot connect to a wired network (ethernet cable plugged into the computer or dock) at home and are able to come on site, please do so.

Laptops

Step-by-step instructions:

1. If you are working at home please:

• connect your laptop to the wired network using an ethernet cable,
  or
• if you are using a dock, please ensure it has a network cable attached.  

The other end of the network cable should be connected to your router/hub. Once connected go to the icon tray in the bottom right-hand corner and check you are connected by moving the pointer of your mouse on the network icon .

 

2. Please connect to the Global Protect VPN

 

3. Right-click on the Windows Start menu button and select the “Run” option
 

4. A new window will appear. Please copy and paste the wording gpupdate /force within the "Open:" field 

Please note: between "gpupdate" and the forward slash "/" there is blank space.

 

5. A new window will appear. It has a black background and says "Updating policy..."

 
 
6. After a couple of minutes you will be prompted to log off.

 

7. Now please:

1. Press “N”
2. Save any work
3. Close any open applications
4. Restart your PC.

---

Back to the top

 

Laptop without wired (ethernet) connection

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Press the Windows + R key, this will bring up the “Run Prompt”

 

2. Type in services.msc, then select the button OK

If you are prompted for credentials (it might mean you are not an administrator), please contact ServiceLine.

Our technicians will give you an administrator password:

1. A dialogue box will appear asking for your user name and password. Please select the link More choices and then the button OK under the section "Use a different account"
   
   
   
2. Please use .\Administrator as the user and then enter the password you are provided:
   

 

3. A new window will appear

 

4. Scroll down to the Windows Connection Manager Service, it should be stopped (in the example below it is running)

 

5. Right-click on it and select Properties.

A new window will open,ensure the startup type is set to Automatic

 

6. Now select:

1. the “Log On” tab
2. the “Local System Account” option as shown below
3. the button Apply

 

7. Back in the Services Window, navigate to the WLAN AutoConfig service. Right-click and hit “Start”

The device should start seeing WiFi connections again.

 

8. Please connect to the Global Protect VPN

 

9. Right-click on the Windows Start menu button and select the “Run” option
 

10. A new window will appear. Please copy and paste the wording gpupdate /force within the "Open:" field 

Please note: between "gpupdate" and the forward slash "/" there is blank space.

 

11. A new window will appear. It has a black background and says "Updating policy..."

 
 
12. After a couple of minutes you will be prompted to log off.

 

13. Now please:

1. Press “N”
2. Save any work
3. Close any open applications
4. Restart your PC.

---

Back to the top

 

Related content

How to set up the Virtual Private Network (VPN) via GlobalProtect

How to connect your laptop to eduroam