subject: Ethernet Network Troubleshooting [print this page] When your network isn't working properly there can be several reasons why. It could be the network hardware or your computer's software. Here we'll give some tips on how to get your network back on its feet.
The first item on your troubleshooting list is to check your network hardware. Most devices that you plug things into will have a status light. Check that your router, switch, hub, and/or network adapter's lights are on.
If any light is not on, try to find out why. Check to make sure those items are securely plugged in, such as the power cord to your router or the network cable is securely connected. If everything seems to be connected correctly and your status lights still aren't on you can try to swap known good parts with items that you suspect aren't working properly.
Try refreshing your IP address next. It could be that another computer has the same IP address as your computer. To refresh your IP address you can try to unplug (and plug back in) your router or restart your computer.
Next test your wireless and wired connections. Do you have a network cord plugged into your Ethernet port with your wireless card on at the same time? Turn off your wireless and see if that solves your problem.
Check to see if you have any conflicts in your operating system's device manager if you're still having issues. It could be that the network adapter wasn't fully installed or you could have a bad driver. Look under the hardware tab to find the network adapters.
If you find a yellow exclamation point or a red X next to the device listed then you're drivers are not working properly. Try reinstalling the drivers or updating the drivers and see if that solves the problem.
If you are not seeing anything amiss under network devices check "other devices." Are there any yellow question marks in that section? If there are then Windows did not identify those items correctly and you'll need to install those drivers as well.
