Windows allows all users on a particular computer to have different settings, Internet favorites, document folders and installed programs. While this helps you keep your own files separate from other users, it means that settings you change or programs you add may not be available to other users. If you configure Internet on one account, it may not be available to other accounts -- including your administrator account.
About Internet Connections and Users
Internet connections in Windows are controlled individually by each user in each account. When you log in to Windows, you’ll see the network connection options in the system tray beside the clock. Each user should be able to connect to any available networks through this interface when the computer is operating correctly. If your computer connects to the Internet through a specific program, however, as with 3G or 4G USB sticks or with certain ISP’s configurations, you may not be able to access the Internet from any account.
ISPs sometimes include a particular program to facilitate the Internet connection. When one user in Windows installs the Internet program for the first time, they’ll be prompted to choose between having the program accessible to all users on the computer or to only the user who installs the program. If the Internet program is installed in an account other than the administrator’s account, you will have to reinstall it while logged in as the administrator on the computer in order to access the program and, accordingly, the Internet.
If the Internet connection on your computer was, at one time, accessible to you in the administrator account, you can use a Windows feature called System Restore to revert your system settings to an earlier time to fix the problem. Log in as an administrator, click in the top right-hand corner of Windows and then click “Search.” Type “Restore Point,” and then click “Create a Restore Point” to launch “System Protection.” Click “System Restore,” choose a restore point from before the Internet connection wasn’t working and then click “Next.” Any programs you’ve installed between the restore point and now will be removed.
In rare instances, the hardware profiles on your computer may different from user to user. It’s possible that the hardware controllers that affect Internet connectivity -- the Ethernet or wireless adapters -- have been removed on the administrator account. System Restore (see above) will resolve these issues, but you can manually check Device Manager to ensure that the drivers for these devices are still present. Click in the top right-hand corner, click “Search” and then type “Device." Click “Device Manager” beneath “Control Panel.” Click the arrow beside “Network Adapters.” If any of the devices have a yellow exclamation point, right-click on the device, choose “Remove” and then reboot your computer. Windows will install a new device driver after rebooting.
- Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images