Missing network adapter, but device manager OK

[Kalgan99]

Hi all. A very weird problem just happens to my desktop, I hope anyone could help me to avoid a complete reinstall.

It was working fine, I didn't install or change nothing (mostly is used as MediaCenter). It was working perfectly without any change for months. Then I shutdown one day as always, and when I reboot the next day no network is present.

The PC is an Acer Aspire X3900 desktop with an integrated intel NIC. This is what I have seen:

• In the W7 network configuration panel there isn't any NIC present.
• IPCONFIG shows nothing, no adapter is listed (is not like when you unplug the network cable and the adapter is listed buy without the IPs; now the command shows nothing at all).
• But, and that is the weird thing, in device manager all seems fine. The Intel NIC is listed without any warning mark. Looking the properties, all looks ok.

This is what I had already try:

• I reinstalled the NIC drivers. No changes.
• Reinstalled the chipset drivers. No changes.
• Uninstalled NIC drivers with an Intel utility. Then I rebooted and reinstalled the drivers when windows detected the new hw. No changes.
• Disabled the NIC adapter in device manager, reboot and re-enable. No changes.
• Uninstalled the NIC adapter in device manager. Reboot and re-install the drivers when windows detect the new hw. No changes.
• Disabled the NIC adapter in BIOS. Boot windows, shutdown, re-enable the adapter in BIOS, and reboot. Reinstall the drivers. No change.
• Recover the system from an old recover point, but no change.

I still have not any network adapter present in windows network configuration panel, or listed with IPCONFIG. I think some windows network component must be damaged, but that is beyond my W7 knoledge.

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[fafhrd]

Network adapters sometimes fail. It may be due to some electrical disturbance which induces a surge in the cable, which knocks out a component in the NIC, but the rest of the card thinks it is working properly. A diode or capacitor failure perhaps.

Google USB Ethernet adaptor. Prices start less than £10 UK.

Try a replacement for the card - it won't break the bank. I assume that you would need a USB connection? It doesn't even have to be an exact replacement - any recognized mainstream brand of the right specifications should do. Just take a note of the MAC address of the old card - ipconfig /all from the command prompt, and note the physical address. It may be important for your broadband connection. You may need to disable the onboard NIC in the bios.

 

[Kalgan99]

Sorry for not answering before. Last week I was reinstalling windows and all the applications. The problem was resolved reinstalling windows, so it wasn't an adapter problem.

 

[pricetech]

I was going to suggest an IP stack problem. Just guesswork now though.

Glad you got it fixed.