When files are intact, network misdirection is usually to blame. Outdated DNS caches route your connection through bad pathways, producing instant authentication dropouts. Clearing local network caches wipes these stale tables and forces fresh handshakes.
Run the Windows Command Prompt as an administrator. Type the following three commands in sequence, pressing Enter after each line:
ipconfig /flushdns
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /renew
Reboot your computer immediately after running these commands to apply socket resets. Switching to high-reliability public resolvers such as Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) also bypasses ISP routing snags that trigger handshake errors during peak traffic.
