Fix 'This Site Can't Be Reached' When It's Actually a Malware Block

If you're seeing ERR_CONNECTION_RESET in Chrome or Firefox, don't immediately blame your internet provider. Nine times out of ten, this exact error pops up because some piece of adware or a browser hijacker quietly changed your proxy settings or your DNS to point to a dead-end server. The site loads fine on your phone, but on your PC it just won't connect. That's your first clue.

Below I'll walk through the three most common culprits, starting with the one I see most often in the field. Each fix is something you can do right now, no third-party tools needed.

Cause 1: Malware Altered Your Proxy Settings

The most common trigger: you installed a free PDF converter or a fake Flash updater, and it slipped in a proxy that routes all your traffic to a localhost port that no longer exists. The browser tries to connect, gets a reset, and shows you the dreaded error.

Fix: Reset Proxy to 'No Proxy' and Check for Rogue Entries

1. Press Windows key + R, type inetcpl.cpl, and hit Enter.
2. Go to the Connections tab, then click LAN settings.
3. If the checkbox for Use a proxy server for your LAN is ticked, uncheck it. Also check the box for Automatically detect settings — that's usually fine.
4. Click OK twice.
5. Now open a Command Prompt as administrator. Type netsh winhttp reset proxy and press Enter. You should see Current WinHTTP proxy settings: Direct access (no proxy server).

After that, close and reopen your browser. Try the site again. If it loads, you're done. If not, the proxy might be buried in the Windows registry. I've seen hijackers add entries under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings. Check there for ProxyServer or ProxyEnable values that look out of place. Delete them if you find them.

Cause 2: Your Hosts File Has Malicious Entries

Some malware redirects specific domains by editing your hosts file. This one's sneaky because the rest of your internet works fine — only certain sites fail with ERR_CONNECTION_RESET. You might notice it happens on banking sites or social media, which are prime targets for phishing redirects.

Fix: Clean Up the Hosts File

1. Open Notepad as administrator. Right-click Notepad and select Run as administrator.
2. Go to File > Open, then paste this path into the filename box: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
3. You'll see lines starting with # (those are comments) and maybe some actual entries. Legitimate ones usually only have localhost or nothing at all.
4. Look for lines like 0.0.0.0 facebook.com or 127.0.0.1 example.com. Those are red flags.
5. Delete every line that doesn't start with # or localhost. Save the file.

A good hosts file on a clean Windows 10 or 11 machine has just a few comment lines. If you see more than that, it's suspect. After saving, flush the DNS cache by opening Command Prompt and running ipconfig /flushdns. You'll see Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

Cause 3: Corrupted Winsock or TCP/IP Stack

Sometimes the malware didn't set up a redirect — it just broke your network stack while it was trying to hide. You might see ERR_CONNECTION_RESET on every site, even Google. This is the least common of the three, but it's the easiest to fix.

Fix: Reset Winsock and TCP/IP

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run netsh winsock reset. Wait for the message Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog.
3. Run netsh int ip reset. You'll see Resetting, OK! a few times.
4. Reboot your computer.

That resets all the low-level network protocols. After the reboot, your browser should connect normally. If it still doesn't, you might be dealing with a rootkit that reinfects itself — at that point, a full malware scan with Malwarebytes or Windows Defender Offline is worth the time.

Quick Reference Table

One last thing: if you found a suspicious proxy or hosts entry, don't just fix it and move on. Run a scan with Malwarebytes, because the same malware that caused this might be keylogging or mining crypto in the background. You want it gone for good, not just the symptom.