Maximum PC

I have two PCs cabled directly to a Netgear WNDR4500 router. This morning, my Windows 7 PC had no network connection when I turned it on. The Troubleshooter suggested I had a broken cable. I tried another cable, but it still would not work. I connected the Windows 7 machine to the same router connection my XP machine uses, but it still did not work. These computers don't get moved, I wasn't messing with the cables beforehand.

Device Manager reports the Network Adapter is working properly. The system tray network icon reports "Not connected/No connections are available." The Troubleshooter reports, "A network cable is not properly plugged in or may be broken"

Could an automatic update of some sort disabled networking? Could the physical connection at the back of the machine spontaneously break?

I suppose I could go buy a network card, which would be cheaper than replacing the motherboard.

Windows 7 Home 65 bit
Motherboard: EVGA 131-GT-E767-TR LGA 1366 SLI3
Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (on motherboard)

While a bad LAN connector could be to blame, here are some suggestions to narrow down the problem:

*Verify the cable is properly seated in the router
*Restart the router (it's possible there was a surge in power and that could have caused a problem)
*Move the cable on the router to a different LAN connection
*The router you have has 2 USB connectors - if you have a long enough cord, see if you can get a connection via USB
*Did you do a BIOS update? That would reset many options to default. You may want to check the BIOS to make sure everything is set correctly
*Try uninstalling the LAN device (in Device Manager) and then restarting the computer. The computer should automatically detect the LAN and re-install

Hope this helps.

The first thing I checked was the seating of the cable. It's in there. I tried another cable, but that didn't help. I tried connecting to the other ports on the router, to no avail. I can move the XP machine's connection to the other ports, and it works fine. Only the Windows 7 machine is having problems.

I uninstalled the adapter through Device Manager and rebooted, but that did not help.

I just finished cycling power to both the router and cable modem, but that did not help.

I did not update the computer's BIOS, if that's what you meant. I did update the router's BIOS, but that was a week or two ago.

My gut tells me I have a bad connector at the back of the PC. I'm going out to buy a PCIe NIC , and shall see if that doesn't fix things.

Wow.

No one in town sells a NIC. Not Staples, not Best Buy. I'd have to drive an hour to Fry's to get one today, so I ordered this from NewEgg:

Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI Desktop Adapter PRO/1000 GT - OEM

Hopefully, that will do it.

I did check my BIOS, to see if the network had been disabled some how, but it wasn't. I think this will be the last EVGA motherboard I ever buy. The one this replaced had a faulty BIOS circuit, and kept resetting CMOS whenever the power was turned off. Eight months later, this happens....

I had a Ethernet cable go bad on me just sitting there connected with no recent physical activity around it to explain its failure. And I too was dubious when a Cox Communications TS guy (god bless) had me replace it. And things sprang back to life.

Confirmed the bad wire later and not just connection/oxidation problem. And this was an old, but very high quality 5E cable. So it happens.

By no network connection, do you mean you have a red X in the adapter in system tray? Or you have no network connection when you open a browser? If it is the last option I think you may have a virus.

Did you look in device manager to see if you have a red X on the network card?

Nasty

Did you call the phone company and make sure there was no outage? You should connect one of the computers directly to the Modem and see if you get connection. If you don't it is either the modem or an outage; try the other computer to make sure it is not just one machine.

If it does work then your router is prob shot. This is a pretty easy fix and simple to diagnose. My 5 year old could do it. Although he does have a 160 IQ

Do you get the connection and activity lights on the LAN jack on the motherboard, with the cable plugged in? If there is now connection light, then its a bad jack or cable.

I have two computers at my desk, both connected to the router by Ethernet cable. One works fine; I'm using it to write this. The other has the red X over the network icon in the Windows 7 System Tray. The connectivity light at the back, where the Ethernet cable plugs in, is off. I tried another cable, but that didn't help.

I should have my replacement PCIe NIC tomorrow. Hoping that fixes everything.

I assume you checked to make sure it was turned on in BIOS?

I would turn it off in BIOS if it is defective. When things start to fail on the MB I get nervous.

Keep us informed if the new board did the trick. Are you installing windows from scratch? You should do it even with the same make and model board....they may have changed some chips on the the motherboard to improve performance or to make more profit from a cheaper part.

Nasty

Oh, I didn't replace the motherboard, Nasty--I simply won't buy another EVGA mobo in the future. Two faulty boards in a row is enough to dissuade me. In contrast, my old XP PC has been running the original ASUS mobo for ten years without fail.

I bought a PCIe NIC:
Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI Desktop Adapter PRO/1000 GT - OEM

I disabled the Realtec adapter, then installed the NIC. Windows 7 supplied the drivers (there are none for download). And now my newer Windows 7 PC is back online.

So, there you go: Spontaneous failure of the RL45 jack at the back of the motherboard. Condensation, perhaps?

On a side note, it took 6 days to get the NIC using NewEgg's free shipping. I've had things arrive one and two days after ordering; don't know why this had to take so long. Next time, I'll pay for the 3-day delivery!

That is exactly what they want you to do! LOL! Just be patient and save the money for something else.

Nasty

I should go into BIOS and disable the chepset from there; I forgot about that, so thanks.

This is the second bad EVGA motherboard in a row. The first had bad BIOS chipset runs; this one spontaneously loses LAN after just 8 months.