The laptop stopped seeing the network cable. The network card does not see the cable: instructions for solving the problem

After working for many months and even years on the Internet from one router, one day the user will notice that the connection via Wi-Fi or cable suddenly disappeared. But any problem, except, perhaps, breakdowns on the part of the provider, can be solved unilaterally, on our own.

A PC or laptop does not “see” the router - what is the reason

Physical reasons include the following.

1. Breakdown of the LAN interface by high voltage (for example, lightning over a twisted pair cable passing over the roofs of private houses). This also includes static electricity when servicing LAN/ONT equipment (accidental contact of electrified clothing with terminals and exposed wires of cables being repaired).
2. Router power failure (using an adapter with a significantly higher output voltage, for example, from a laptop). At best, this will cause a burnout of the voltage stabilizer, from which all other functional components of the router receive power. In the cheapest router models, the entire board may burn out - such a router is immediately replaced.
3. Failure of wireless communication in the router due to overheating of the Wi-Fi radio subsystem chip or the processor on the router monoboard.
4. Lack of power supply (“sag” in voltage when using a home-made or industrial redundant power supply system, for example, several PowerBank-type devices connected in series at the output voltage - until the required supply voltage is obtained). Lack of power (scheduled power outages, the adapter plug is not inserted into the socket, the adapter itself has failed).
5. Internal short circuits or wear due to operation in conditions of high humidity and extreme temperature fluctuations.
6. Damage to LAN cables (if a local network connection is used via cable), loose and bent pins of LAN sockets in the router and in the network card of the PC/laptop.

The software reasons are as follows.

1. The router freezes due to overheating caused by working in extremely hot conditions. The reason may also be natural wear and tear of the router’s flash memory and other microcircuits after intensive work over many years.
2. Ingress of malicious code via a LAN connection or via Wi-Fi from a PC changing settings. The only thing that will help here is reinstalling the version of Windows on the PC or tablet from which the virus entered the router’s firmware, and reflashing the router itself and reconfiguring it.
3. Viral activity in the PC/laptop/tablet/smartphone itself, which can seriously disrupt the operation of Windows/Android. In this case, the OS is reinstalled from scratch.
4. An abundance of programs used simultaneously that slow down the operation of the PC/gadget.

In the last two cases, due to performance problems, control of network settings is lost.

Checking the integrity and correct connection of LAN cables

Most routers, for example, TP-Link devices, have up to several LAN ports and one WAN port (“provider” input). There are two schemes for organizing a small local network with shared access to the Internet.

Whatever scheme you prefer, the network cables must be connected correctly. If something is mixed up, connect the cables according to one of these diagrams and configure the router to suit its features.

Also pay attention to the integrity of the cable crimps in the RJ-45 connectors.

Do not cut the sheath beyond the connector retainer

Perhaps one of the wires has fallen behind - this is fraught with Windows error messages (“Limited access”, endless “Identification” or “Unidentified network” - even if the settings are correct everywhere and the router with the modem/terminal is 100% working).

Restarting Windows and router

The router restarts using the Power button on the rear panel. But you can also turn the power adapter off and on.

Turn off and on the router by successively pressing the button

Using the web interface, TP-Link routers, for example, restart using the “System Tools - Reboot” command.

Restart from the web interface is available if there is a connection via LAN or Wi-Fi

Windows 10 restarts using the “Start - Restart” command.

PC restart command

Restarting equipment is the first thing that providers' call center operators like to recommend - but often the problem is not random malfunctions that can be solved by rebooting.

Checking the Wi-Fi connection on the router

In routers, apart from LAN and Wi-Fi, nothing new has yet been invented for local communication.

Other types - connection via infrared or Bluetooth - are primarily characteristic of mobile devices that implement USB modem mode and virtual access point.

If the Wi-Fi network is not visible on your PC or laptop, try connecting to it using an Android gadget. Solutions to the Wi-Fi problem are as follows.

Checking Ethernet ports and cables on PC and router

If the LAN connection does not occur on the PC, check whether the router is visible from other PCs and laptops (if any).

Video: how to use a Wi-Fi access point if the WAN port is burned out

Replacing network cables

Depending on where and which cable is “broken,” appropriate repairs of the damaged line are needed.

In the event of a simple break, a “twisted pair” cable can be repaired by restoring the interweaving of the wires (for example, the pitch of the turn of the “orange” pair is different from the pitch of the “green” or “blue”) as accurately as possible, as if the cable had not been damaged.

Changing the pitch of turns of pairs at the break point will reduce the line speed

In this case, there is a chance that the speed of 100 Mbit/s will not turn into 10 Mbit/s - if it is very important for you, for example, you not only use the Internet, but also often send multi-gigabyte files between your PC and gadgets over your local network, print wide-format maps and high-resolution drawings, etc.

If the cable is so damaged that its use is impossible (the sheath is broken, the insulation of individual wires is worn out or cracked due to age and extreme temperatures, the interweaving of pairs is broken in many places) - a new cable is required. Or, if “forwarding” a new cable is impossible (there are no conditions, work is prohibited, etc.), and there are only one or two places of damage, special LAN adapters and simple switches for 3 LAN sockets are used.

LAN splitters will also help where the network cable is broken

Especially often, cables break and crack if the conductive medium is not pure copper, but copper-plated aluminum; the cable sheath and wire insulation are not polyethylene or PVC, but plastic compound with chalk.

The best Cat-5e cable is made entirely of copper wires, and each wire is a cable made of the finest “strands”, often with Mylar filler; The cable insulation and sheath are made of heat-resistant plastic. This cable is used for outdoor installation; it is resistant to repeated kinks, overheating and hypothermia, and will last for many years - but it also costs 2–3 times more. If you are used to investing in high-quality equipment and lines, creating a network for many years, use the best.

If it costs nothing to crimp LAN connectors and solder broken twisted pair cables, then entrust the repair/replacement of optical cables to the specialists of your provider. Fiber optics are not copper wires: the slightest mistake due to inexperience will turn your 300-megabit connection from Rostelecom or Dom.ru into a slow-speed connection, where even browser pages will barely open, like on 3G overloaded during peak hours -networks. Even if you have a special soldering iron for splicing optical cores of a fiber-optic line, you need skill.

Using other routers

If you have a router of a different brand (when you replaced it with the current one, which is now out of order) - connect it. Users who do part-time computer service most likely have equipment lying around that was once decommissioned, which they use to diagnose failed routers and network cards brought in for repair by their clients.

You can buy a used router or access point (a model that is several years outdated) if you do not want to spend money on a new device. It is connected and configured in the same way as your previous device. Quite outdated models may not have a WAN interface (and related settings), as well as bridge and repeater operating modes (a simple Wi-Fi access point with a LAN router without numerous settings), so it is used as a simple LAN switch. Connect your LAN cables in the same sequence, complete the settings available on the device and go online.

Resetting the router to factory settings

As an example - TP-Link routers. It's simple.

The router will restart. After a minute, the Wi-Fi network will be with default settings.

If you fail to reset the router (freezes, inaccessible settings), use the reset button (it is protected by a tiny hole from accidental pressing).

Video: how to configure a TP-Link router after resetting the settings

Any hardware or software problems in a home or office network, including failures in the router and on any of the internal lines, can be solved. Otherwise, the network equipment itself changes, right down to network cards and adapters. Excellent speed to you - and efficient work!

Sometimes situations arise when it seems that the network is configured, and the terminal is connected to a wired or wireless network, and the parameters are set correctly, but still the local computer does not see the computers on the network or even the currently active networks themselves. There can be quite a few reasons for this, as well as ways to eliminate such problems. Let's look at the most common ones.

Why can't my computer see the network?

Let's start with the fact that when establishing a connection using a wired connection, you should first check whether the cable is tightly inserted into the network card of the local terminal or into the distributing computer unit (laptop or router) in the case of Wi-Fi-based wireless networks.

These are physical problems that you shouldn’t focus on. Let's consider cases when the computer does not see a network of any type and, accordingly, the terminals connected to them, associated with some parameters and settings of this type of connection.

I would immediately like to draw your attention to the fact that computers connected to a network of any type and currently in a low-power mode (hibernation or sleep) will also not be perceived by the local terminal, considering them to be disabled.

Problems with wireless networks

Let's start with wireless networks. If the local computer does not see the WiFi networks that are currently active, there are several reasons for this situation, of which the following are the most common:

• incorrect configuration of access to networks on a single computer;
• incorrect router parameters;
• disabled or faulty Wi-Fi module (or network adapter);
• missing or incorrectly installed driver;
• blocking the connection by an antivirus, the built-in Windows firewall or a third-party firewall.

Most of the points apply not only to cases when the computer does not see the WiFi network. This applies equally to wired connections (with the exception of

To fix the problem, you first need to turn on the Wi-Fi module (on laptops, there are function key combinations with the Fn button for this). On routers, you need to go into the advanced settings and check if the wireless connection is turned on. If this doesn't help, you may need to change the channel (the easiest way to do this is to use the automated Insider for Home utility.

Sometimes disabling encryption (authentication section) can help. To correct the situation, set the value to Open System. Finally, the problem may be the key length (WPA Pre-Shared Key section). If its length exceeds 20 characters, the router will not be able to work with such a key.

As for IP addresses and other settings, you need to set the properties of the default TCP/IP protocol to automatically obtain them. In the "Task Manager" you can try to reinstall the drivers and the corresponding controllers. You can also use special driver update programs, such as Driver Booster.

The computer does not see computers on the network: setting group names

However, even if the correct settings are installed, the situation may not change. Let's take an example when the computer does not see the local network. Most experts attribute this problem to incorrect setting of group names, because Windows (most often XP) when creating a new connection does not display a list of available local groups, but by default sets its own new group (WORKGROUP).

The method for eliminating the error is to rename the group and the name of the local computer in it. To do this, you need to go to the terminal name section in the “Control Panel” or in the computer properties menu, click the “Change” button and specify exactly the same name for the group and local computer as on the target terminal.

Using Static IP Addresses

Another problem that the local computer does not see computers on the network may be that a single terminal does not automatically receive IP address settings and server settings.

To change them, you need to enter the active network connection menu and select the TCP/IP protocol properties setting (v4 or v6). Here, for each terminal, you need to register IP addresses, gateway values, parameters of the preferred and alternative DNS server, and uncheck the box for using a proxy for local addresses.

After that, by clicking the “Advanced” button, go to the new settings window and in the WINS tab at the bottom, activate the line to enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.

Setting up system services

Another way to check the connection is to use the administration (control) section, where the “Services” item is selected. The easiest way to access it is through the Run console (Win + R), where you enter the services.msc command.

Here we use the line of services and applications, where in the additional section of services on the right we find the line of computer browser. You should make sure that the startup type is set to automatic. If another parameter is specified, change it to activate the component.

Solving firewall problems

Finally, the problem that the local computer does not see computers on any type of network may be due to a blocking independently installed by antivirus software that considers the connection to be unreliable, or by a firewall. This situation is very rare with antiviruses, but you can try to disable the firewall.

To deactivate the standard Windows firewall, use the Security Center section in the Control Panel, where the firewall is disabled. If there is third-party software installed on the system, it is also recommended to deactivate it.

If you do not plan to disable the firewall, you can try creating a new rule for TCP/IP and adding the corresponding connection or port to the exception list.

A few final words

That's it for basic network connection errors and how to resolve them. The problems of virus exposure and various types of malfunctions of individual “hardware” components or the lack of general access to individual terminals were not considered here. But in terms of correctly setting the basic settings, the above methods help in almost all cases.

There are often situations when, after connecting a computer or laptop to the Internet using a network cable, the error “Network cable is not connected” appears. This is most likely not even an error, but simply the status of the network adapter, which can be observed in network connections.

It turns out that the computer does not respond to the connection in any way; the network cable is not connected, although it is connected to the computer and inserted into the network card connector. Icon on the notification panel with a red cross. Well, the Internet, of course, doesn’t work. This is what it looks like:

And most importantly, the cable is connected. From a router, modem, or directly from the provider’s equipment. This error can appear on both a PC and a laptop. It also doesn't matter which Windows is installed on your computer. Only in Windows 10 the message “Network cable not connected” will be next to the “Ethernet” adapter, and in Windows 7 – next to “Local Area Connection”. And in Windows XP, a pop-up window with this error still appears if you hover your mouse over the connection icon. The same thing often happens.

The same goes for the connection method. Some people have a network cable coming directly from their provider (for example, Rostelecom), while others use a modem, Wi-Fi router, or terminal.

What could be the problem?

There can be many reasons. We list the main ones:

• The network cable is incorrectly or not fully connected.
• The network cable is damaged. The contacts in the connector may have come loose (into which the network cable itself is crimped).
• Hardware problems with the router, modem, provider equipment. Or the network card itself in your laptop or PC has broken down.
• Problems with the network card settings. Most often, it cannot automatically determine the speed and duplex. I'll tell you about this in more detail.
• There are some problems with the network card driver.
• Viruses, firewalls, some programs. Yes, yes, they can also cause the “Network cable is not connected” error to appear.

How to find out the reason and what to do first?

• First, restart your computer, modem, router (if you have one).
• Disconnect the network cable and connect again. Also check the connection on the router (if the Internet is connected through it). Connect the cable to another LAN port. Pay attention to whether the LAN indicator on the router lights up after connecting the cable. You can see the instructions: .
• If possible, connect via a different cable.
• You can lightly move the network cable where it enters the connector. And at this moment look at the status of the network adapter on the computer. Perhaps the contacts are leaving there, and this way we can find out.
• If you have another PC or laptop, try connecting it. This way we can find out what's going on.
• If the Internet goes through a router, then try connecting the cable from the provider directly to the computer.

I would divide the solutions into software and hardware.

The network cable is not connected, although it is connected: solutions to the problem

Open the "network adapters" tab and find your network card. Depending on the manufacturer and driver, the name may be different. The name may contain "LAN". For example, on my laptop it is “Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller”. By the way, pay attention to whether there is a yellow icon next to it. Right-click on it and select “Remove device”.

Confirm the deletion and restart the computer. Perhaps after a reboot everything will work and the computer will see the connected network cable.

Next, go to the “Advanced” tab. In the list, find and select "Spread&Duplex". And in the drop-down menu on the left, set the value to "Auto Negotiation". But if you initially had this option installed there, then try setting a different value. For example: "100 Mbps Full Duplex". You can try different options. Don't forget to click Ok and restart your computer.

It just often happens that the network card cannot automatically detect speed and duplex.

Other reasons why the computer does not respond to the connection of the network cable

When the operating system is reinstalled, the user may encounter the problem of missing network driver. Without this driver, it is impossible to start either a wireless or wired network. If you have the disk, there are no problems, just install the program. And if it is missing, you need to find, for example, a mobile phone/tablet with a connected network in order to download the driver. To avoid such problems, when reinstalling the operating system, you must follow the correct algorithm of actions.

The driver is the link between the operating system and the internal components of the computer, that is, this program connects the OS with the motherboard, video and network cards, and office equipment. These programs are developed by the same companies that produce PC equipment and electronic office equipment, which is what a personal computer interacts with. When buying a computer, the user does not think about various drivers, since they are already preinstalled in the system. But, for example, after the first reinstallation of the OS or the purchase of a new computer, the user will be faced with their absence.

1. Even a new computer, just from a store, may lack an operating system, and as a result, a driver.
2. When the operating system is installed/reinstalled.
3. When a system crash occurs and the driver stops working.

In this regard, it is advisable to keep the full set of drivers in a separate folder on your PC or download them to a flash card. In this case, you don’t have to look for a mobile device to go to the official pages of the manufacturers’ websites and from there download a program that will automatically install the missing drivers.

Installing the network driver

Step 1. Equipment identification

Step 2. Install/update the network adapter driver

To install a missing or recent version of the driver, use Device Manager. Perform the same actions in the last step " Update drivers».

How to do it! In Device Manager, you can uninstall the old version of the network driver. Agree with the choice, and the system will remove the network device driver that was previously installed on your computer.

Just yesterday everything was fine, you were enjoying high-speed Internet, but this morning you turn it on, but the computer does not see the network card. However, here you will think about it. The first thing that comes to mind is that it is out of order, you need to urgently run to the tech market for a new spare part.

That’s why it’s a good idea to always buy two completely identical system units at once. So that in case of problems, you can look for a fault by replacing suspicious modules with known good ones.

This is the path for advanced users and computer geeks. A mere mortal user most often cannot afford such excesses. In this case, one should remember the folk wisdom: “The strong and brave walk quickly and easily, but the weak and timid walk long and hard.”

Decoding - if there is nothing to check the equipment with, you will have to check all problem areas sequentially and methodically.

The computer does not see the network card - the main reasons

1. The board itself is faulty.
2. Operating system malfunctions.
3. Network drivers are corrupted.
4. Network connection settings have been changed.
5. Antivirus or Windows Firewall interference.

In fact, Chinese electronics do not spoil as often as Chinese shoes. Therefore, if you did not drop the system unit on the floor, did not climb inside and did not switch anything, the probability of failure of the network card itself is extremely small. Most likely the settings have changed.

Go to Control PanelAll Control Panel Items Network and Sharing Center and change settings

But the Windows operating system is not only smart and quick-witted, but also a rather fragile organization. A sudden power outage can easily cause serious damage to system files and connection settings.

Recovery options

1. Restore Windows to an earlier restore point. It is quite possible that after carrying out such an operation and rebooting the computer, everything will work for you. And not only will the network card appear, but also something else good will restore its functionality. Sometimes restoration needs to be done several times. All the same, it’s better and safer than starting to rearrange blocks and buses in the system unit. Moreover, there is no need to buy anything yet.
2. A more radical remedy is a complete reshuffle of the Windows operating system. This path may turn out to be the most rational, provided that your system has been installed for quite some time and recently you have begun to notice a general deterioration in the performance of your computer. Regular cleanings do not provide tangible improvements? It's time to update Windows. New RAMs, Seven and Eight are reinstalled within half an hour, so no problem.

Why is it useful to reinstall Windows? Because the distribution includes all the drivers necessary for operation. When installing the system in automatic mode, all the necessary settings are made for all devices, and the user does not need to do anything other than press the Enter button from time to time. Updating drivers separately is not an easy task. More suitable for advanced users.

In addition, to reinstall drivers you will need an Internet connection, which you don’t have. If there are backup Internet connections, you are sure that you are able to find exactly the driver for the network card that you need - then try this path.

You can download a whole package of drivers from the manufacturer’s official website and then let the computer itself determine the most suitable option automatically, using the Driver Installation Wizard.

If the problem really was with the driver, after the update the computer’s operation should return to normal.

The network card was not found by the computer and is not installed as a device

When you connect some new element to your computer, the operating system detects the connection and then tries to configure it as expected. Sometimes automatic connection does not occur and then you need to perform manual installation and configuration.

Go to the Control Panel and select the menu item Install New Hardware. The New Hardware Connection Wizard interface will open. There are two options to choose from:

1. The device is already connected to the computer.
2. The device is not yet connected.

Try the “connected” option and look for your lost device in the list that opens. If it is not in the list, it means that the computer has not yet detected it. Then click “not connected yet” and reboot the system. You can do this - turn off the computer, then open the system unit, disconnect and reconnect the network card, perhaps the contact has deteriorated.

After starting the system, repeat the procedures with the Found New Hardware Wizard. If the device appears in the list of connected ones, continue setting up all points in the Wizard.

Incompatible driver update

Sometimes the reason for the card not working may be a failed Windows update. Or, during the process of downloading an automatic update, there were interruptions in the Internet connection, some of the files were downloaded incorrectly. Then you need to reinstall the old driver.

If you have a Windows OS distribution, it is best to take the file directly from the disk. Did everything work before? Or search for the previous version of the driver on the Internet.

Viral infection

Sometimes the reason a network card disappears from sight is a viral infection. Scan your computer with an antivirus. Try to disinfect the system using the Dr. utility. Web CureIt. If it's a virus thing, everything will work out.

One of the problems that a user may encounter after reinstalling Windows is the lack of a driver for the network adapter (network driver) for a wired or wireless network.

And if you don’t have a driver disk at hand, you will have to look for the driver and download it using another device that has Internet access.

In this article we will look at an algorithm that will allow you to avoid troubles that may arise after installing the OS.

What is a driver? This is a program through which the computer operating system interacts with the device hardware (motherboard, video card, network card, printer, scanner, MFP, etc.).

Drivers are developed by companies that produce computer components and peripherals that interact with PCs (for example, office equipment).

Often, modern operating systems (including Windows 7) already have a certain set of drivers that allow you to work with the main components of your computer; we will consider the case when such programs are missing.

The peculiarity of the situation when the network driver is not installed is that it is not possible to use programs to automatically install drivers, since they all use an Internet connection for their work, and since the network driver is not installed, there is no access to the Internet.

The user usually encounters installing network adapter drivers in the following cases:

1. After purchasing a new computer and not having an OS installed on it.

2. After installing the operating system.

3. After a network adapter driver failure.

To solve the problems that arise in the first case, you need to look for the disks that come with your computer. The driver disk for the motherboard contains what we need.

Over the past few years, a trend has clearly emerged that involves the abandonment of the use of optical disc drives not only among manufacturers of laptops, but also desktop PCs.

Users who independently choose the components from which their computer will be assembled also refuse to install a DVD drive.

Advice! We recommend downloading all the necessary drivers (not just the network one) to a separate directory on your hard drive and/or flash drive. This will avoid situations where, after installing the operating system, you will need to look for a drive or PC (tablet, phone) to download drivers from disk or the Internet.

Installing the network driver

The driver installation procedure can be divided into 2 stages: hardware identification and driver installation.

In order to identify manufacturers and specific models of equipment, a coding system for models and brands of computer components was developed.

As a rule, the code for a network adapter has the following form: PCI/VEN_xxxx&DEV_xxxx&SUBSYS_xxxxxx, where VEN_xxxx is the equipment manufacturer identifier (Vendor ID), DEV_xxxx is the equipment model code (Device ID).

Step 1. Equipment identification

In order to find out the code, click Start, enter “Device Manager” in the search field and go to the corresponding menu.

Next, you need to find the “Network adapters” or “Other devices” submenu and right-click on one of the submenu items, for example, in our case it will be “Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller”.

Step 2. Install/update the network adapter driver

After we have found out the equipment identifier, we should copy its name (right-click - copy) and enter it in the browser search field. After downloading the necessary program, you can begin installing it.

Similar actions will occur if you update the network driver.

To install/update the network adapter driver, you need to go to “Device Manager” as described earlier. Select the required item and in the context menu, which is accessible by right-clicking, select “Update drivers...”.

Select “Search for drivers on this computer.”

We go to the directory into which we recently downloaded everything we need, using the “Browse” button, click “Next” and wait for the driver installation process to complete.

There is also an opinion that if you update (reinstall) a network driver, you must first remove the old one, after which you should install a new one.

Important! To remove an already installed driver, you need to go to “Device Manager”, select the network adapter, right-click and select “Delete” in the context menu. After this, the system will warn you that the device driver will be removed, we agree by clicking “OK”.

Driver Updater from Carambis

If you have a need to search for universal programs that can function on different operating systems: I mean utilities for creating group policies, programs for cleaning the system from viruses and, of course, software for working with OS drivers - the best solution would be to use the Carambis program Driver Updater.

Thanks to Driver Updater, you can not only get the software you need, but also save big. After all, one subscription purchase allows you to connect two computers at once.