How Chrome kept throwing ERR_CONNECTION_RESET when loading secure sites and the TCP/IP stack reset that finally fixed intermittent disconnects

There’s nothing quite as jarring as trying to open your favorite website and being smacked with one of Chrome’s mysterious error codes. One minute you’re peacefully browsing, and the next—BAM!—you get hit with ERR_CONNECTION_RESET. Especially frustrating when it only happens on secure (HTTPS) sites. And worse? It seems random. Let’s dive into the painfully fun journey of discovering the root cause and the oddly simple fix: resetting the TCP/IP stack.

TLDR:

This is the story of how Chrome kept crashing when trying to load secure sites, showing the dreaded ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error. At first, nothing seemed wrong—except the internet would randomly drop for a second and return. The problem ended up being a corrupted or misconfigured TCP/IP stack on Windows. A quick reset using a simple command fixed everything. Phew!

One Day, Chrome Just Lost It

At first, everything was normal. Chrome worked fine. Secure sites loaded with the lovely little padlock in the corner. Life was good.

Then, slowly, problems began. Pages wouldn’t load. Sometimes, refreshing helped. Sometimes, not. And then Chrome started spitting this ugly message:

This site can’t be reached
The connection was reset.
ERR_CONNECTION_RESET

Groan. This wasn’t just annoying—it was baffling. Why was it only secure sites acting up? HTTP sites? No problem. HTTPS? Many would just die on load or halfway through.

The Randomness Was the Real Villain

The worst part? It didn’t happen every time. It was like roulette. Maybe the site would load. Maybe it’d crash. Sometimes streaming worked. Then it stopped.

So began the months-long diagnostics dance. Here’s a few things tried and failed along the way:

Flushed DNS using ipconfig /flushdns
Disabled all Chrome extensions
Tested in Incognito mode
Uninstalled and reinstalled Chrome
Checked firewall settings
Ran full virus/malware scans

Nothing worked. The error stayed. Mysterious and smug.

It Wasn’t Just Chrome

At first, all the rage went toward Chrome. “Typical Chrome,” we muttered. But then, Firefox showed similar behavior. Edge, too. Huh. When something breaks everywhere, it points to the system.

More digging revealed that the network connection itself kept briefly dropping. No full disconnect—just micro-outages of less than a second. Often enough to break a secure handshake handshake (which HTTPS relies on), but not enough to actually lose full internet.

The Culprit? The TCP/IP Stack

After far too much nerdy research, one suspect stood out: the TCP/IP stack. It’s basically how Windows “thinks” about network data. If the stack is corrupt or misconfigured, connections can fail in all sorts of interesting and hair-pulling ways.

Theories ranged from bad network drivers to junk settings left behind by old VPN software. Whatever the root cause, the answer was simple:

Reset the TCP/IP Stack.

Here’s the golden fix:

netsh int ip reset

Run that in Command Prompt (as Administrator), restart your PC, and boom—smooth, buttery HTTPS browsing once again.

Wait, What Does That Command Even Do?

Good question! It basically tells Windows to wipe all customizations or weirdness you may have done (knowingly or unknowingly) to your network stack. It resets network components like:

Winsock Catalog
IP Addressing
Routing tables
Any TCP parameters added by older software/drivers

It’s like hitting a network “reset to factory settings” button. And it turns out, sometimes your PC really does need that kind of reboot.

Bonus: Other Things That Might Help

Even though the stack reset did the trick here, other tricks might help you too, depending on your exact flavor of network madness. Here are a few worth trying:

Flush DNS: ipconfig /flushdns
Renew IP address:
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
Reset Winsock: netsh winsock reset
Run Network Troubleshooter: In Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network Troubleshooter.
Update Network Drivers: Through Device Manager.

How to Know If You Fixed It?

Once done, restart your PC. Open Chrome (or any browser). Head to a secure site like Google or GitHub. If all loads up fast and drama-free, congrats. You did it. No more angry red errors. No more guessing games. Just glorious internet.

The Weird Part?

This whole thing? Super common. Lots of people report sporadic ERR_CONNECTION_RESET issues, especially after:

Installing VPN software
Using third-party firewall tools
Upgrading Windows
Switching between Wi-Fi and Ethernet

Sometimes, processes tinker with your network settings and—oops!—never clean up. Thus, your browser cries out in pain.

Why Does This Error Show Only on Secure Sites?

HTTPS connections involve a secure “handshake.” If that handshake breaks mid-way—because the network paused or reset—the website bails out. Browsers don’t tolerate iffy connections when it comes to security.

That’s why you might happily browse simple, non-secure sites while having this issue and yet crash-and-burn on major platforms like Gmail, YouTube, or banking pages.

A Quick Recap

Let’s summarize the path to glory:

Noticed ERR_CONNECTION_RESET errors mostly on HTTPS pages
Blamed Chrome, then realized all browsers had the same issue
Identified odd, momentary network drops
Suspected a corrupted or bloated TCP/IP stack
Ran netsh int ip reset, rebooted
Fixed the problem—forever (hopefully)

Conclusion: Sometimes the Old Ways Still Work

We often imagine today’s network problems require fancy new tools and advanced debugging. But sometimes, the humble, dusty solutions from Windows 95 days still fix modern headaches.

If Chrome (or any browser) ever starts breaking on HTTPS sites and you’ve tried “everything,” remember the TCP/IP reset. It might be the one big red reset button your system needed all along.

So next time you see ERR_CONNECTION_RESET, don’t panic. Just hit the reset—network style—and bring sanity back to your browsing.