Windows Smart Screen can't be reached in Windows 10?

I keep receiving the "Windows Smart Screen can't be reached right now" prompt when Installing software. I visited the Microsoft Community for support, but it only provides troubleshooting steps for connecting to the Internet.

My internet connection is working properly, so I don't know why the prompt is appearing.

Solution 1:

One possible cause is if a firewall is blocking Windows Explorer from accessing the internet.

Nothing in my applications list looked obviously related to Smart Screen, so when I had this error, I went through my firewall settings MS application by MS application. Windows Explorer is the one where it didn't work before I created an exemption allowing it to connect, and did work (or at least, didn't give this error) after.

(note: this is Windows 8.1, it might be different in Windows 10, but it's something to try)

Solution 2:

First off - check the date and time on your computer to make sure that it is accurate.

If that doesn't work then your TCP/IP or Winsock stack could be borked and will need to be rebuilt.

Open a command prompt as Administrator.

1. Type netsh i ip r all and press enter.

2. Type netsh winsock reset and press enter.

Note: If you have set your computer's IP address as static on your network, you will need to reapply those settings as the TCP/IP reset clears these settings. Most people should be fine if they are using DHCP at home to connect. I wouldn't run these on any type of work computer though, because you'll probably have to annoy your IT department to fix the IP address settings up again.