Test the functionality of network related services in Windows
When your computer's Internet connection does not work, there are two major areas that can be causing connectivity issues you are facing.
Your Internet Service Provider may be the cause, for instance if there is an outage of sorts in your area, or the configuration of your computer may have changed that is preventing proper connection to networks or the Internet.
There is a lot that can go wrong if you are running Windows. From modifying network adapter settings to damage caused by malicious software.
Farbar Service Scanner is a free portable program for the Windows operating system that has been designed to test the functionality of network related services in Windows.
All you need to do is download the program from the official website and run it once it has been downloaded to the local system.
The application displays the services that it scans in its interface. Internet Services, RPCSs and Plug and Play are selected by default. You can add Windows Firewall, System Restore, Security Center / Action Center, Windows Update, Windows Defender and other services to the list.
It is not clear what the Other Services option does, as it does not seem to scan any service at the time of writing.
Once you have made your selection, a series of tests are run on the system:
- The program checks if Internet Services are running properly, and whether the PC can connect to Localhost, LAN, Google and Yahoo.
- It is furthermore checking various system files to make sure they are legit and not corrupt or manipulated.
As far as the services are concerned that are not selected by default: it appears that those are only checked whether they are enabled or disabled. If they are disabled, you are informed about that and given information why that is the case.
It displayed the Registry path of Windows Defender that was disabled on a test system.
The program won't fix any of the issues that it detects. While that is not a problem for disabled services, you may run into issues if one of the files that it checks are not legit.
Probably the best way to deal with that issue is to try and use the sfc /scannow command to restore any file that is not legitimate with a proper copy.
Closing Words
Farbar Service Scanner is a useful small tool that you can use to quickly check the state of Windows' connectivity. While it won't help you with the fixing, it may provide you with an explanation why you are experiencing connectivity issues.
I think “Complete Internet Repair” is a better alternative.