This was a real issue for me, and quite a sneaky problem to try and remedy...
The problem I had was that a module that was installed on my WiFi adapter was conflicting with the Microsoft Virtual Adapter (or whatever it's actually called).
To fix it:
R
ncpa.cpl
in to the box, and hit OK
.Properties
.The connection uses the following items:
. Look down the list for anything that seems out of the ordinary, and uncheck it. Hit OK
.netsh wlan start hostednetwork
command again.In my case my adapter was running a module called SoftEther Lightweight Network Protocol
, which I believe is used to help connect to VPN Gate VPN servers via the SoftEther software.
If literally nothing else works, then I'd suspect something similar to the problem I encountered, namely that a module on your network adapter is interfering with the hostednetwork aspect of your driver.