Weird wifi connection issue

[pscarbor]

So this is the weirdest issue I've even run into with a PC! My not-quite-a-year-old Spectre X360 suddenly decided it couldn't access any Microsoft or HP websites, and nothing related online either. Outlook couldn't load emails, HP Debug wouldn't connect, etc. Every other website worked fine (Amazon, Facebook, many others) just Microsoft and HP wouldn't load. Error was "no internet connection".

My wife has a couple years older PC, same model, similar configuration, no problem with the same sites or email.

Since Windows Update had just run the night before I immediately suspected an update bug (I've had these before on other PCs). So I uninstalled the updates: No help, same issue. I make regular disk images using Macrium and so I loaded last month's image. Still same issue: everything works fine EXCEPT anything Microsoft or HP related.

Next I completely reset Windows including shredding all files and redid the image. No help. HP support had me do a restore using their tool which formats and repartitions the drive. I didn't restore the disk image this time but again, same issue.

I then tried using a wired connection: This works, no problem. So it's just wifi and only Microsoft or HP sites.

Any suggestions? The only option I have left is to send it in for repair. Anyone else have this issue?

Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer!

[pscarbor · Accepted solution]

Ok the weirdness continues! Another almost identical laptop has no issue but this one does. The main difference: The "bad" PC has the Intel wifi chipset, the other one a different chip.

So after hours of online debugging with tech support I sent it in for warranty repair. It was returned in less than a week (good service!) but still the same issue - I can wifi to Facebook, Google, Amazon but not any Microsoft or HP sites.

I disconnected everything from the main router and was able to wifi to MSN, then started plugging stuff back in. The culprit, an Amcrest camera. I have four of these which have worked just fine for four years but when I plug the "bad" camera in I cannot connect to any MS or HP sites. I was able to log into the camera by connecting to my network using an Ethernet cable. I can find nothing wrong with the camera configuration. Just, when plugged into my network it blocks access to Microsoft and HP sites on one PC only.

The camera works fine on the NVR and using the PC and cell phone apps.

I decided I don't really need four cameras, three are fine and everything's working now.

Really weird!

[pscarbor]

So here's what was happening: The PC wifi is set up as DHCP and it has a "preferred" address the same as the camera which is a static address. I can change the PC from DHCP to static and give it an unused address but I can find no way to clear the preferred DHCP address. So unless someone knows how to clear the preferred address I suppose I'll stay on a static address.

Everything working for now.