It seems that after some of the latest Microsoft updates we had several calls where after a Microsoft update the computer could not longer reach the local network or the internet.
After checking some of the usual places and then trying a network reset we knew this was no ordinary network problem. It seems that the network connection inside the Networking & Sharing center was still there but it just was not communicating with the Winows OS.
I searched a few of the Microsoft blogs and it seems that this problem is caused by the anti-virus and the Microsoft update having a conflict. I believe that after a recent update the anti-virus stopped allowing the NIC to communicate with the OS.
It seems that this problem occurs with several anti-virus programs. This client was using the Comodo Anti-virus client so we uninstalled the client using the uninstall in Programs and Features.
After a successful uninstall we did a reboot of the computer and just like magic, the internet and local network connectivity was working again.
We then completed all of the missed updates while the anti-virus program was not installed and they all successfully completed. After the updates completed we could then reinstall the anti-virus program.
In conclusion, before running a large number of updates I would highly recommend either disable or uninstall your antivirus program and then complete the updates. It might save you from a lot of problems down the road.