The most common causes of the “An Unexpected Error Occurred” error when opening Ethernet settings are a Windows update or a change in the configuration of the network adapter. Windows updates can cause some network driver problems, preventing the system from connecting to the Internet. However, if the problem is because you have changed the configuration of the network adapter, then resetting is quite easy.
How to fix “An Unexpected Error Occurred” problem in Windows
1. Reinstall the Ethernet driver
Press Win + R and type devmgmt.msc to launch Device Manager. Expand the list of Network adapters and search for your Ethernet adapter. In most cases, the word ethernet will appear in the name. Right click on the driver and select Uninstall device.
Select Uninstall when prompted for confirmation.
When your device disappears from the list, click Action from the top ribbon and select Scan for hardware changes. Windows will reinstall the device when scanning. You can also restart your PC and the driver will automatically reinstall.
Access the Network Connections window again and see if you can access the Ethernet adapter’s properties now. If you can’t but the Device Manager window is open, don’t close it.
2. Update Ethernet driver
Once in the Device Manager window, try updating the driver. Even if there is no problem, you should still update the driver. If the driver has compatibility issues with Windows, an update can fix the problem.
Right-click the Ethernet adapter and select Update driver. The update wizard will ask if you want Windows to automatically search for drivers or browse your computer for driver files.
When you’re done, restart your PC to see if the “An unexpected error occurred” error goes away.
3. Use the built-in debugger
Press Win + I to launch the Settings app. Navigate to Update & Security > Troubleshoot. Select Additional troubleshooters from the right pane and this will take you to the list of troubleshooters. Find the Network Adapter troubleshooter, click on it and select Run the troubleshooter.
After launching the troubleshooter, you will need to select the adapter with which you want to resolve the issue.
Click Next once you have selected the adapter and let the troubleshooter detect the problem. if it finds a problem, it will try to fix it automatically. If this built-in tool cannot be fixed automatically, you will at least find out what the problem is.
Good luck with your troubleshooting!
