| Everything You Need to Know About Ethernet |
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What is “Ethernet?” Ethernet is a type of networking technology typically used for connecting computers to a cabled network. In a simple network, you’ll have two or more computers, each with a Network Interface Card (NIC) connected by a CAT5 cable. These connected computers use Ethernet technology to communicate with each other.
As you add more computers to the network, a hub or router becomes necessary. Each computer connects to the hub or router and is able to communicate with the others on the network. In addition to computers, other devices with Ethernet connections and cables can connect to the network such as printers and cable modems. Now, any computer on the network can print to a network printer or access the Internet using the cable modem.
Most computers have built-in NIC or Ethernet cards. The jack looks like a large telephone jack. Even home computers often need these network adapters thanks to the popularity of home networking and broadband Internet connections.
If you don’t have an Ethernet port on your computer, installing the network adapter cards is fairly simple. Desktop computers will need to be opened and have the card physically installed. You can do this yourself if you don’t mind opening up your computer and installing the card. Otherwise, your local computer shop can do it for you.
Once installed, your computer won’t necessarily be ready to connect with other computers or devices on the network. You’ll need to install device drivers so that your computer understands what you just installed and how to work with it. Some cards will be automatically detected by Windows and Windows will install the drivers automatically. Others need a little more work.
The device driver should have come with a disc which contains the device drivers specific for your Ethernet device. Insert the disc in your CD-ROM drive. If the disc loads automatically follow the prompts.
Occasionally, Ethernet cards stop functioning. You’ll know your Ethernet card is having trouble if you can no longer connect to the network when everything else is functioning properly. For example, if others can connect but you can’t, the problem normally lies with a faulty NIC card. Double check to be sure the cable is plugged in firmly. If your Ethernet card has a light, is it lit up?
If your Ethernet device is no longer working, it could be because of a faulty device driver. Device drivers go bad or become corrupt for a variety of reasons including new hardware installations, file corruption, or a computer error during an update.
Open Device Manager by first going into Control Panel and clicking Device Manager. Find the Network Adapters category and expand it. If your card is experiencing problems, you’ll see a yellow exclamation mark displayed on it. Double-click your Ethernet device. Click the Driver tab and select Update Driver to update the driver. Next click Search for updated drivers. This searches the Internet for updated drivers for your device. If you want to reinstall your driver from disk, choose Browse My Computer for Drivers instead and follow the prompts.
Top pick for the best Driver Update Software:
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