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Windows 11 hyper-v loss of connection within vm after windows update

Neil Gallacher 20 Reputation points
2025-08-10T23:30:48.3066667+00:00

I have had problems with loss of network connection from within a number of VMs after performing recent windows 11 preview updates (latest version: 10.0.26200 Build 26200). These problems can mean an inability to login to the machine with the login failing message indicating an inability to connect to the internet.

My original workaround involved creating a new external virtual switch and then changing the virtual machine virtual switch of the VM whilst it was running to the newly created switch upon which, after a short delay, it would be possible to login and use the VM.

With the latest update and having a VM unable to connect to the internet the above workaround failed, after numerous other resolution attempts (reboots, network resets etc) I found another workaround was by creating an additional network adapter on the VM and assigning it to the external virtual switch thus giving the VM two network adapters. This resolved the connection issue and I then removed the original adapter. I suspect that removing the original adapter and adding a new one might also work but having lost some hours on this I will not experiment further.

I suspect that there can be some sort of identity crisis created on the Hyper-V network adapter occurring during windows updates but this is just a guess.

Hopefully this workaround will prove helpful for others who suffer this problem and who wish to avoid falling back to a backup.

Windows for business | Windows Server | Storage high availability | Virtualization and Hyper-V
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  1. Henry Mai 2,375 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-08-11T08:14:28.2033333+00:00

    Hello Neil, I am Henry and I want to share my insights about your issue

    Your findings are valuable, as this appears to be a specific bug introduced in the latest Windows 11 preview build (10.0.26200 Build 26200) that affects Hyper-V virtual network adapters.

    Your analysis that there is some sort of "identity crisis" or configuration issue with the existing virtual network adapter is likely correct. Windows updates can sometimes modify or corrupt low-level driver configurations, and it seems that this particular update is causing the existing virtual network adapter to become non-functional in a way that simple re-association (your first workaround) cannot fix.

    Your new workaround of replacing the adapter works because it forces the guest operating system and the Hyper-V host to create a fresh, clean configuration for the network connection, bypassing whatever corrupted state the old adapter was in.

    Here is a step-by-step guide based on your successful method, which will be very helpful for other users facing this problem:

    • Open Hyper-V Manager.
    • Select the affected virtual machine (VM) that has lost its network connection.
    • Right-click the VM and go to Settings....
    • In the VM settings window, click Add Hardware on the left-hand side.
    • Select Network Adapter and click Add.
    • A new network adapter will be created. In its settings, assign it to the External Virtual Switch that your original adapter was using.
    • Click Apply and then OK.
    • Start the VM and log in. The network connection should now be working via the new adapter.
    • Once you have confirmed that the network is functional, go back into the VM's Settings... in Hyper-V Manager.
    • Remove the old, non-functional network adapter by selecting it in the hardware list and clicking Remove.
    • Click Apply and OK.

    This process effectively "refreshes" the network connection for the VM without needing to roll back the entire system or reconfigure the virtual switch.

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