I recently started playing minecraft multiplayer on my laptop and had no problems with it at first, but suddenly one day last week it stopped letting me join servers. The servers i had already added are no longer in the server list, and when i add new servers to the list, the signal bars just flash blue. Also, when i try to connect to the servers I've re-added, or direct connect to a server, the connection times out. I've tried using a different WiFi, and I've also tried signing in on a different laptop, but the same result occurs, I've even deleted and re installed minecraft on my laptop.

The issue I face seems linked to my minecraft account,
when i run minecraft creating a ".minecraft" folder under my name all multiplayer servers will be unresponsive. the servers are up, and are running the same build as myself.
A friend gave me his ".minecraft" folder and the multiplayer features worked even when signed in in my name, I asked him to create a ".minecraft" folder by signing in as me, hoping the issue was just on this laptop, but whenhe created one on his laptop with my log in details, multiplayer also failed on his laptop.
ONLY when i have ".mincraft" folder produced by first signing in to another account besides my own, am I able to use minecraft online.
My friend has suggested that either the issue is to the account, or maybe the launcher is producing faulty folders, if so this would mean that if he creates a new folder under his name it would too fail, something he hasn't tested.
but no matter the PC, the internet, the minecraft version, or the server version, if i firstly use my log in to produce the folder, multiplayer features fail to operate.