PC not Recognising Ethernet Cable and Router - Help

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 09:56

I have a Netgear router (sorry, dont remember the name, maybe DG834?) connected to an old pc downstairs. The pc is never usually turned on and it has been working fine in terms of connectivity, both ethernet and wireless with an Xbox 360, Netgear wireless USB adapter, PSP, SE P1i, etc.

However, in the last couple of days my Netgear WG111(?) wireless dongle cannot pick up a signal. So I connected the router to my pc upstairs with the ethernet cable, but my pc doesnt recognise it, as it shows no new networks.

I have made sure that LAN is enabled in my BIOS, but its still not picking up anything in network connections. Why is this happening? Surely the mobo should know when a new connection is plugged in. I have tried several different cables that I know work and none of them seem to have any effect.

At one point I managed to connect to the router again thro my wireless usb adapter but it could not renew the IP address so wouldnt connect properly.

Does anyone know why my pc is not recognising the ethernet cable? Its making me want to tear my hair out!

Gaz1988 · 9 Oct 2007 at 10:22

so your jsut trying to connect your pc via ethernet cable to a router? is the pc set to obtaining an ip address automatically? is there any lights on the router/back of the pc when you plug the cable in?

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 10:30

Gaz1988 said:
so your jsut trying to connect your pc via ethernet cable to a router? is the pc set to obtaining an ip address automatically? is there any lights on the router/back of the pc when you plug the cable in?

Yes, just trying to connect with an ethernet cable. I cant set it to obtaining the IP address wirelessly because theres no LAN network for me to select to change the properties.

All the lights on the router are correct and theres a light on/inside the ethernet port when I plug the cable in at both ends.

Gaz1988 · 9 Oct 2007 at 12:22

go into your network connections, make sure your LAN connection isnt disabled. disable your wireless one for mean time as you wont be using it.

go to start > run > cmd

ipconfig/release
ipconfig/new

should get a new ip address from the router, then hopefully work.

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:15

cheers for that, at work atm but will try it when I go home. Ive already done ipconfig/renew, is that the same thing?

Sp00n · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:19

panthro said:
Yes, tried several other cables, and other ports, all to the same effect. The LAN does not even show up, theres no icon.

Tried the cable in another port on the router? Tried another cable?

If you go in to your network connections, does the local area network show there? Is it disabled?

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:24

Sp00n said:
Tried the cable in another port on the router? Tried another cable?

If you go in to your network connections, does the local area network show there? Is it disabled?

Yes, tried several other cables, and other ports, all to the same effect. The LAN does not even show up, theres no icon.

errata · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:54

Only time something like this happened to me turned out the router needed to be turned off (factory reset if you can) and one of the ethernet cable connectors was making only occasional contact at the PC end. Worth double checking but your original wireless proplems suggest something more unusal. Possibly a restart of the PC in safe mode delte ethernet and other drivers and start again.

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:56

If the ip reset doesnt work Im expecting the router and/or usb adapter are knackered, as my phone can pick up the network perfectly (SE P1i) but it wont allow the phone to connect to it. I turned all security off too as it was running with WEP.

Sp00n · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:57

panthro said:
Yes, tried several other cables, and other ports, all to the same effect. The LAN does not even show up, theres no icon.

Does it come up in the Device manager? (right click my computer > properties > hardware> device manager)

Its either not installed properly or its disabled, but as you said you have enabled it in the bios so it should be fine.

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 14:01

Sp00n said:
Does it come up in the Device manager? (right click my computer > properties > hardware> device manager)

Its either not installed properly or its disabled, but as you said you have enabled it in the bios so it should be fine.

Nope, checked it and its not even in device manager. All I can see is the wireless network connection I had previously set up, which is disabled at the moment so it doesnt conflict with what Im trying to do.

Sp00n · 9 Oct 2007 at 14:14

What motherboard is it? Sounds like its not enabled properly in the BIOS, i'm not saying you did it wrong but maybe there is more than one option, i dunno.

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 14:18

Asus K8N-E. I went thro all options and made sure the relevant stuff was enabled, apart from LAN cable detection. Pretty sure I didnt but I Mmy have done it wrong. I hope so, could solve all my problems!

panthro · 9 Oct 2007 at 16:13

Spoken with Talktalk, our ISP, and apparently there has been a problem with their internet service....but it still doesnt explain why the router doesnt show on my pc, does it?

Sp00n · 9 Oct 2007 at 16:15

No it wont make a differece. Its either not enabled or broken, chances are you missed a setting.

csmager · 9 Oct 2007 at 17:05

There's likely nothing wrong with anything outside the PC - if the network card isn't showing in device manager, then as far as Windows is concerned, it's not there. No rebooting of routers is going to correct that.

It's either not enabled in the BIOS, or it's bust. A PCI NIC might be an option to try if you've got a spare one.