How to disable internet connection for Windows 7

You could change the setting through the systray so that it doesn't connect automatically. You would need to connect manually.

I have switched to linux on my windows 7 machine just in the last few days. It boots up faster and closes faster and most of what i need is available on linux (i'm using Ubuntu). Except for some software that is no longer supported due to windows dropping silverlight. The best part is that all software is downloaded from the Ubuntu site like Apples app store so it less likely to be infected by malware. It's all open source so many developers inspect the software for malware. The other good thing is that it doesn't have a life cycle like windows where you need to get a new computer due to your old one not being able to run a new version of the OS.

Edit: You can create a dual boot on your machine if you like one for windows 7 and one for linux. You can also download a Linux ISO to a usb stick and boot off that to try Linux ( it doesn't replace your windows )

Hi laverne,

The setting you want is in the WiFi adapter properties settings.

For Windows 7:

Click Start menu and type Network and Sharing Center. Usually shows above after Network is typed in.
Select Network and Sharing Center.
In the left pane select Change adapter settings. This will show your WiFi connection.
Click to open the Wireless Network Connection an this will open the Wireless Network Connection Status box to the General tab.
On the General tab click the Wireless Properties button to open that properties box.
On the Connection tab of the Wireless Network Properties box about mid way down is the statement Connect automatically when the network is in range. Uncheck this and Windows will not connect until you manually connect by Enabling the Wireless network adapter.
Be sure to click OK after making the changes to save those changes.

I hope this is what you want.

Hi laverne,



I glad that's what you wanted. Just how simple is it? If you desire I could show you how to set this up so one click turns the adapter on and one clicks turns it off. All from the Desktop.

Hi Laverne,

I will be happy to show you how. The process may show you how to streamline other tasks you do. It is really very simple to do, but will appear strange in how we accomplish it. This is how I come up with my tips and hacks to do things easier…how can I make a repetitive task easier or automatic.

This is a brief summary of what we are going to do. You can disable and enable the WiFi adapter with a command. We will create .bat files, one with the command to enable the adapter and one with the command to disable the adapter; and save these .bat files to your HD. We will create a new Task in Task Scheduler for each of these .bat files (I’ll explain why below). Next, we will create shortcut for each of these scheduled tasks. Clicking the shortcut for the task will cause the task to run which will run the .bat file and execute the command. One shortcut to disable the adapter and one shortcut to enable the adapter.

Why run the .bat file as a scheduled task? For the commands to work, they must run with administrative privileges. You can run the .bat files with administrative privileges using a shortcut to the .bat file or right clicking the .bat file and selecting Run as administrator, but this will cause the User Account Control box to open requiring authorization that you must respond to (click) to run the .bat file. That makes the process a two click process. If you create a new task of running the .bat file in Task Scheduler you can pre-authorized administrative privileges for the task. This means the .bat file will run with administrative privileges with no UAC box opening. Running the .bat as a scheduled task (without a schedule) will result in only one click on the shortcut to run the .bat file and cause the adapter to enable or disable.

The first part is the command needed. Since you had problems with the internal WiFi, we need to see how your system is set up with the USB WiFi adapter.

I need you to open a command prompt as administrator.
Win Key + R to open Run box
type in cmd
Ctrl+Shift+Enter and OK UAC box

Enter the following command

netsh_interface_show_interface

Replace _ with space

I need to know what it displays.

Next, enter the following command

wmic_nic_get_name,_index

Replace _ with space

This will list all adapters (virtual, miniports, etc.). Look for your USB WiFi Adapter (usually will have the name of the maker like Linksys). I need to know the Index number for that adapter.

Post back the info and I’ll make the commands for you. If the show interface has only one WiFi showing, then I can use the netsh commands. If I have to distinguish between two WiFi adapters then I need to use the wmic commands with index identifier.

Hi laverne,



If you don't get the UAC box when opening the command prompt with administrative privileges, then you are correct in not needing to use the Task Scheduler. Anyway, it is a neat (net) trick to know (sorry for the pun). This will be even easier. Since the netsh interface shows only one WiFi network named Wireless Network Connection, we will use the netsh command as it is easier to enter.

Open Notepad
Enter the following command on the first line of Notepad:

netsh_interface_set_interface_"Wireless_Network_Connection"_ enable

Replace the _ with a space.
Select File>Save as
In the Save as type: box select All Files (*.*), enter WiFiON.bat as the name, and select a location to save this bat file. This will be the .bat file that will turn the adapter on.

Return to the command in Notepad and change enable to disable.
Select the Save as option as before with All Files as file type and the name as WiFiOFF.bat.
This will be the .bat file that will turn the adapter off.

You can test these .bat files by clicking them and checking your connection. If they don't work, right click the files and select Run as administrator and see if they work then. If they work, then the .bat files will need to be ran with administrator's privileges.

Now make shortcuts for each of these files to keep on the Desktop. I would name them WiFi On and WiFi OFF.
If you found out that the .bat files have to be ran with administrative privileges, change the shortcut as follows:
Right click and select Properties
Select the Shortcut tab
Click the Advanced button to open the the Advanced Properties box
Place a check in box for Run as Administrator
Click OK...Apply...OK to save changes.

You can also change the icon for the shortcut making it easy to identify ON from OFF.

Let me know how it goes.

Hi laverne,

Glad all went well and you got what you want. Yes, you'll be safe for a while. Do you run any security suite such as Norton or McAfee? Not just Anti-virus, but a security suite. Such a security suite has multiple coverage such as firewall, e-mail, internet, etc. Such a security suite is better than Windows security even when Windows 7 had frequent security updates. I run 2 Windows 7 systems and 3 Windows 10 systems on my home network. I cover all with a total security suite that allows 10 devices for my one yearly subscription. My cost comes to $0.06 per PC per day.

Even with Windows 7 no longer getting security updates, I will be using my Windows 7 systems for a long time. The all in one security suite will keep it safe.

Hi laverne,

Selecting security for your PCs is a multi-facet topic and what's perfect for one user is unacceptable to another. It comes down to what you have to protect, how much protection you feel comfortable with, and the different kind of protection from different types of threats. So let's look at these topics and you decide what will work for you.

The most important items to protect are those connected to your finances and credit standing. The ultimate goal of the bad guys is to get money from their malware attacks. These type attacks come in many different forms….viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, phishing, drive by downloads, ransomware, stack overflow of a port, etc. Basically, every kind of threat out there. You need security software that provides protection for every one of these kinds of attacks IF the PC has files that have information to allow the bad guys access to these sites or allow obtaining credit. If you have more than one PC I suggest this type of information be used only with on one of the PCs and decrease your chances of becoming a victim. Just remember to remove all that data when moving from one PC to another which includes the saved passwords in that browser on that PC. I take this a step further by keeping all such data on a separate external HD that is connected to the PC only when in use. Thus, this data is not on my PC if the bad guys get past my security. The best solution is to limit the exposure of this type of information AND protect yourself against all these kinds of attacks.

Anti-virus software will stop viruses, but virus attacks only represented 10% of all malware attacks in 2018. You need to stop Trojans and many anti-virus software will also protect from Trojans which makes up another 10% of malware attacks. So Anti-virus software alone will protect you against 20% of all attacks out there. Anti-keylogger software is different from anti-virus software and the same for many of the different kinds of attacks such that protection requires a different type of anti-malware application for each of these different kinds of attacks . You need Internet security thru browser addons to stop drive-by’s, phishing attacks, and bot redirects.

You need all these different kinds of anti-malware applications, but anti-malware applications are very controlling and have to be so in order to provide the protection. Different anti-malware applications may desire the same level of control and fight each other for it. This conflict usually interferes with the protection the applications provide. This doesn’t happen all the time, but routinely happens enough to be concerned when using two different anti-malware applications. One way to avoid this possible conflict is to get a security suite application that has all these different anti-malware applications working under a central control console resulting in no conflicts in control.

I avoid recommending any specific security software, as what is the best for me may be the worst for you because it does depend on your setup. That being said, I will explain what I have and why.

I have 5 PCs on a home network where each of the PCs can access each other over the home network. I have increased security on my router to protect the home network. I keep all personal data on a separate external HD with an on/off switch and only turn it on when using that data. I have Norton 360 installed on all PCs (allows 10 PCs with my yearly subscription). Norton 360 is a security suite that provides all the kinds of malware protection including a VPN. I don’t use the Lifelock services. I chose Norton mostly because it was compatible with the servers where I used to work to allow remote desktop connection. I’ve used Norton for a couple years and like it so much that I renewed it after I retired and no longer needed remote connection. I have only one caution about Norton and that is it is a complex program that uses a lot of resources that will cause no problems on a robust system; however, on a system with a slower processor and minimal RAM could cause a lot of conflict for limited resources. This is why I avoid recommending security software. I use Google’s anti-spam functions to filter my emails before downloading into Outlook and fine tune Outlook to remove spam that gets thru Google’s filters. All those emails are kept on that separate external HD. I also have scheduled system backups (images) on a routine basis…best defense against ransomware and numerous other infections.

I personally feel the annual subscription fee ($99 – on my setup that’s $20 per PC per year) is worth what I get.