How to Fix Error 80072EFE Internet Connection Issue in Windows 10

How to Fix Error 80072EFE Internet Connection Issue in Windows 10

We can’t imagine Computers without Internet connectivity. In today’s technical world, internet connectivity is dominant and used on an extensively large scale. Read to know how to fix the error 80072EFE internet connection issue in Windows 10. You get annoyed when internet connectivity is interrupted. The connectivity issue might be from the client or server-side. Since we can’t access the server in this case. 

We can troubleshoot only from the client-side. The Error 80072EFE is majorly seen on Windows Vista and Windows 7 along with Windows 10. If it is from Server-side, you can restart your Router or Modem and re-assign your DNS settings. If problem occurred from the server-side, it must be fixed automatically. If you are sick of Error 80072EFE Internet connection issue then follow the troubleshooting explained below.

Error 80072EFE occurs not only due to the Connectivity issue but also Windows Update issues. We have added pictorial images to illustrate each steps in sequence manner. It will be very helpful to understand and follow. There are few unique troubleshooting methods given below.

Method 1: Turn Off the Firewall and Antivirus running on PC

Sometimes, a third-party Antivirus or Firewall acts differently and block connectivity process. It may be possible due to corruption of regular files of Antivirus or Firewall. There are lots of conflicts between Third-Party Security Agent and Windows Defender which results in Error 80072EFE. So, disable the Firewall or Antivirus temporarily and restart the PC. Check if problem is solved.

Step 1: Go to Search bar and type Firewall. Click on Firewall and Network Protection option. When Windows Defender Security Center is opened.

Step 2: Look at the right side of the Window. You will notice Domain, Public and Private network here. Turn-off all the three Network Firewall.

Step 3: After turning off all the three Firewall, try to connect to network. We hope it will work for you.

Method 2: Delete the CatRoot2 Folder

There are many built-in folders in our Windows Drive created by Operating System. Each one is very useful with its unique features. CatRoot2 is one among them. CatRoot2 is a Windows system folder responsible for storing signatures of the Windows Update packages. Whenever we update Windows, the CatRoot2 the folder will store the Signatures. 

So, removing the contents inside Catroot2 folder will fix connectivity issue 80072EFE automatically. You need to disable Cryptographic service first before deleting contents inside CatRoot2 folder. To disable and delete concerned services follow the procedure given below.

Step 1: Press Window Key + R to open Run Window. Type Services.msc and click on OK to open Service Window.

Step 2: Scroll down to Cryptographic Services and double click on it. As a result, Cryptographic Services Properties window will open. Click on General tab.

Step 3: Scroll down to Service Status and Click on Stop button. As a result, Cryptographic Services is off. Now its time to delete the contents inside CatRoot2 folder.

Step 4: Navigate to the Path C:\ Windows \ System 32 and find the CatRoot2 folder. Either open it and delete all content or right-click and select delete. Finally, the contents of CatRoot2 folder is deleted. All the operations are done with Administrator privileges.

Step 5: When contents of CatRoot2 folder is deleted. Return to Cryptographic Services Properties Window again and Click on the Start button to restart the Services. When all done, restart the computer and check if the problem is solved or not. Hope it will work for you.

Method 3: Reset Window’s Local Group Policy Settings

Sometimes, Custom settings of Windows Group policy might abrupt and behave abnormally preventing internet connectivity. So, we have to reset the local group policy settings again.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open Run Window. Type gpedit.msc and click on OK to open Local Group Policy Editor.

Step 2: When Group Policy Editor is opened. Navigate to the path: Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > All Settings. Click on All Settings.

Step 3: Look at the entries on the right side of the All Settings Window. Search for the entries having state either Disabled or Enabled.

Step 4: Double click on each of them and assign them to “Not Configured” and when all done, click on Apply to save the changes. Restart the PC and check if the problem is solved.

How to Fix Error 80072EFE Internet Connection Issue in Windows 10

Method 4: Remove RootKit Files using Kaspersky TDSSkiller.exe

It is found that 80072EFE error is linked with a family of rootkit malware belonging to the win.32 TDDS family. So, we need to remove the malicious rootkit files immediately. We have used Kaspersky TDSSKiller.exe to remove RootKit files.

Step 1: Download the application tdsskiller.exe from the link given here. Install the application. After installation, Click on Start Scan button at the middle of the application.

Step 2: Any malware found, will be automatically killed by TDSSKiller application. Once the process is complete, restart the computer. Check, if the problem is solved.