Unique Problem Ethernet cable Not plugged in

Ok i recently installed from win xp home 32 bit, to win 7 proffessional 64 bit (i reformatted) and after installing all my drivers i notice that the internet is listed as disconnected, i try the troubleshoot option, and it tells me that my ethernet cable is not plugged in properly/broken. now the cable i am positive that it is fine, except the plastic clip is unattached, but the my internet worked fine before my install of win 7. the hardware manager states that my inter card is working properly. i have the win 7 64 bit drivers so i am not sure as to why my computer does not let me have internet on either of my cards. my Motherbboard is Intel DG35EC. This is frustrating because this is a unique problem as far as i can tell, and while my NICs may be a few years old, they worked on xp. any help would be greatly apprecieated, I have been to 2 forums already and both have drawn a blank.
thanks in advance, Ben

Hi - I have EXACTLY the same problem... see my topic "Help - crazy ethernet cable problem" - It is extremely frustrating.. and there must be an answer somewhere...

This started to happen to me two weeks ago. I have a Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller. The funny thing is it sometimes works i.e. after reboot of router and system, but also sometimes after I retry fifteen minutes later. In an y case, after ten-fifteen minutes Internet stops working and the card tells me in Network and Sharing Center that the cable is unplugged, and I didn't touch it! Fortunately I also have WiFi installed so am now using that, but I would like the wired link to work as well.

I downloaded the latest driver from Realtek 7.12.1218 but no improvement.

This sounds like a hardware compatibility issue with along with drivers. Did you run the windows upgrade advisor utility for any hardware and software issues before the upgrade? I would replace the NIC card with a new one and they are fairly cheap. If this is an onboard controller try replacing onboard with PCI or PCIe NIC card.

No didn't run the upgrade advisor. It's a new system that came with W7 Pro 32bit and all hardware included, so if it is a hardware compatibility problem I should get in touch with Dell for guarantee. Thanks anyway.