How to properly configure a network adapter. How to install a network adapter. Setting up a router, Wi-Fi and local network connection
The network adapter is one of the main components of a computer, because it is difficult to even imagine a PC that is not connected to the Internet. Microsoft is aware of this, so support for the vast majority of network cards is already included in the operating system distribution Windows systems 7. But time and progress do not stand still: almost eight years have passed since the release of Windows 7, new network controllers and even data transfer methods have appeared, and with them new network adapters. The use of such components requires additional settings both at the stage of OS installation and during its operation.
Why configure a network card in Windows 7
Change basic settings network adapter may be necessary to expand the range of tasks performed by a network client computer:
- thin Wi-Fi setup under operating conditions with big amount wireless devices(apartment building, office building);
- installing drivers for a network card that is not supported by the OS out of the box;
- some internet providers (VPN, pptp, wimax) require additional settings network parameters;
- installation and configuration of long wireless communication channels using RadioEthernet adapters.
How to find out what kind of network cards are installed in the system
You can find out the presence and number of active network adapters on your PC using one of the following methods: viewing the “Network adapters” branch in system utility"Device Manager" or analyze the contents of network connections in the control panel.
Or open Device Manager using the command line:
If you have installed software packages for working with a 3G modem, VPN clients or virtual machines, then both the “Device Manager” and “Network Connections” will additionally display software network cards created by these programs.
Forcibly turning off such adapters can lead to the most unpredictable consequences, including the inability to boot the PC.
Video: how to find out the model of your network card
How to enable or disable a network card (including using BIOS)
For laptops, turning network interfaces on and off is available using a key combination; for desktop PCs, using BIOS settings or "Control Panels".
When the operating system is reinstalled, the user may encounter the problem of missing network driver. Without this driver, it is impossible to start either a wireless or wired network. If you have the disk, there are no problems, just install the program. And if it is missing, you need to find, for example, a mobile phone/tablet with a connected network in order to download the driver. So that there is no similar problems, when reinstalling operating system it is necessary to adhere to the correct algorithm of actions.
The driver is the link between the operating system and the internal components of the computer, that is, this program connects the OS with the motherboard, video and network cards, and office equipment. These programs are developed by the same companies that produce PC equipment and electronic office equipment, with which they interact Personal Computer. When buying a computer, the user does not think about various drivers, since they are already preinstalled in the system. But, for example, after the first reinstallation of the OS or the purchase of a new computer, the user will be faced with their absence.
If there is no driver for the network on the computer, there is no way to go online and download from official sites, which automatic mode will scan the operating system and install all missing drivers. When might you encounter a problem installing a network device driver? In these three cases:
- Even a new computer, just from a store, may lack an operating system, and as a result, a driver.
- When the operating system is installed/reinstalled.
- When a system crash occurs and the driver stops working.
Since recently users are increasingly assembling computers themselves (choosing internal components), a DVD drive may be missing, and as a result it is not possible to possible installation any driver from the disk.
In this regard, it is advisable to keep the full set of drivers in a separate folder on your PC or download them to a flash card. In this case, you don't have to search mobile device to go to the official pages of the manufacturers' websites and from there download a program that will automatically install the missing drivers.
Installing the network driver
Before installing the driver, you must identify your computer. All makes and models internal equipment computers are encrypted with special “ciphers”. This is done so that during installation the driver can identify the computer model and its manufacturer. The network device driver code looks like this: PCI/TECH_xxxx&DEV_xxxx&SUBSYS_xxxxxx. TECH means that the computer hardware was manufactured by A4Tech, and DEV is the device ID.Step 1. Equipment identification
In order to find out the code, click Start and enter device manager in the search field. Next, a menu will open with which you can identify the equipment. Press " Network adapters» and select the name of the controller.
Once you do this, the Details section will open. Find their "Properties" and select "Model ID". The first line contains complete information about the device model.
Step 2. Install/update the network adapter driver
This will be the identifier of your equipment. Now you need to find it on the Internet by entering the name in any search engine, for example.The search engine will give official page driver and you need to download it to your PC. And then follows the installation procedure itself. If you need to update a network device driver, you do exactly the same thing: find the ID, enter it into the search, download and install.
To install a missing or recent version of the driver, use Device Manager. Perform the same actions in the last step " Update drivers».
Select “Search for drivers on this computer.”
Go to the folder where you saved the necessary drivers downloaded from the manufacturer’s official website, and install them using the “Next” button.
Many users, before installing new driver versions, remove old ones to avoid conflicts and inoperability, because even if you did everything correctly, the Internet may not appear on the computer. In this case, you still need to take the advice of users and remove old versions.
How to do it! In Device Manager you can remove old version network driver. Agree with the choice, and the system will remove the network device driver that was previously installed on your computer.
There are two steps left and your computer will work fully. Step one is to reboot and open Device Manager. In place of the removed driver, “ Network controller" In chapter " Other devices».
At the final stage, follow the steps from (updating/installing network device drivers).
One of the problems that a user may encounter after Windows reinstallation– lack of a driver for the network adapter (network driver) for a wired or wireless network.
And if you don’t have a driver disk at hand, you will have to look for the driver and download it using another device that has Internet access.
In this article we will look at an algorithm that will allow you to avoid troubles that may arise after installing the OS.
What is a driver? This is a program through which the computer's operating system communicates with the device's hardware ( motherboard, video card, network card, printer, scanner, MFP, etc.).
Drivers are developed by companies that produce computer components and peripherals that interact with PCs (for example, office equipment).
Often, modern operating systems (including Windows 7) already have a certain set of drivers that allow you to work with the main components of your computer; we will consider the case when such programs are missing.
The peculiarity of the situation when the network driver is not installed is the inability to use programs for automatic installation drivers, since they all use an Internet connection for their work, and since the network driver is not installed, there is no access to the Internet.
The user usually encounters installing network adapter drivers in the following cases:
1. After purchasing a new computer and not having an OS installed on it.
2. After installing the operating system.
3. After a network adapter driver failure.
To solve the problems that arise in the first case, you need to look for the disks that come with your computer. On the driver disk motherboard and what we need is found.
Over the past few years, a trend has clearly emerged that involves abandoning the use of drives optical disks not only among laptop manufacturers, but also desktop PCs.
Users who independently choose the components from which their computer will be assembled also refuse to install a DVD drive.
Advice! We recommend downloading all the necessary drivers (not just the network one) to a separate directory on your hard drive and/or flash drive. This will avoid situations where, after installing the operating system, you will need to look for a drive or PC (tablet, phone) to download drivers from disk or the Internet.
Installing the network driver
The driver installation procedure can be divided into 2 stages: hardware identification and driver installation.
For the purpose of identifying manufacturers and specific models equipment, a coding system for models and brands of computer components was developed.
Typically, the code for a network adapter has the following form: PCI/VEN_xxxx&DEV_xxxx&SUBSYS_xxxxxx, where VEN_xxxx is the equipment manufacturer identifier (Vendor ID), DEV_xxxx is the equipment model code (Device ID).
Step 1. Equipment identification
In order to find out the code, click Start, enter “Device Manager” in the search field and go to the corresponding menu.
Next, you need to find the submenu “Network adapters” or “Other devices” and click right click mouse on one of the submenu items, for example, in our case it will be “Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller”.
Step 2. Install/update the network adapter driver
After we have found out the equipment identifier, we should copy its name (right-click - copy) and enter it in the browser search field. Download the necessary program, you can start installing it.
Similar actions will occur if you update the network driver.
To install/update the network adapter driver, you need to go to “Device Manager” as described earlier. Select the required item and context menu, which is available by right-clicking and selecting “Update drivers...”.
Select “Search for drivers on this computer.”
We go to the directory into which we recently downloaded everything we need, using the “Browse” button, click “Next” and wait for the driver installation process to complete.
There is also an opinion that if you update (reinstall) a network driver, you must first remove the old one, after which you should install a new one.
Important! To delete already installed driver you need to go to “Device Manager”, select the network adapter, right-click and select “Delete” in the context menu. After this, the system will warn you that the device driver will be removed, we agree by clicking “OK”.
Driver Updater from Carambis
If you need to search universal programs, which are able to function on different operating systems: we mean utilities for creating group policies, programs for cleaning the system from viruses and, of course, software for working with OS drivers - the best solution would be to use Carambis programs Driver Updater.
Thanks to Driver Updater, you can not only get what you need software, but it’s also good to save money. After all, one subscription purchase allows you to connect two computers at once.
As for the work process, the utility copes well with the assigned tasks. Now you no longer need to fix errors in connected hardware components on each computer.
Settings automatic search and installing updates now automatically updates all devices.
But, if you need to speed up your computer, we recommend using another utility from the same manufacturer - Carambis Cleaner.
Its capabilities:
- Comprehensive optimization of the operating system;
- The ability to delete components and temporary files that are no longer used and are not needed for the operation of the OS;
- Delete all OS error reports;
- Quick registry cleaning;
- Ability to delete files that the user selects;
- Removal installed programs in the main program window with a few clicks.
Remember, files that have been deleted by the program cannot be restored (unlike the usual deletion procedure using built-in OS functions). Run diagnostics on your computer several times a month to keep your system in good working order.
How to Install Network Adapter Driver Without Internet Access
Driver for network adapter - detailed installation instructions
Below we will consider in detail the process of changing network parameters (IP parameters) in. In particular, we will tell you how to set up automatic acquisition of an IP address, or how to set the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server manually.
So, let’s set up a network connection in Windows 7. To do this, on the taskbar, click on the “ Start", then you select the item " Control Panel».
On home page system control panel, select " Network and Internet».
Then the item “ Network Control Center and shared access ».
Here, among other things, you can change the network security settings by clicking on the link for the current network settings in the “ View active networks", create a new connection, change the computer sharing settings, etc. Now let's move on to the " Change adapter settings", located in the action menu.
Here we will see all the network adapters (network cards) available in the system. If the list of adapters is empty, but you are sure that network cards are present in the computer configuration, you most likely need to install drivers for the network adapter. As a rule, drivers can be installed from the CD that came with the purchased device (motherboard, LAN card, Wi-Fi adapter).
After the network adapter appears in the system and, accordingly, in the network connections window, right-click on it and select “ Properties».
In the connection properties window, in the list of components, select the component “ Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and press the button located below " Properties" The properties of this protocol for this network connection will open. Here you can determine how to obtain an IP address, and, accordingly, parameters for accessing the network.
You can leave the IP address to be obtained automatically, or you can specify the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server manually. These settings can be obtained from the administrator of the network to which you are connected. this computer, or from your Internet provider. Having decided on the connection parameters, close all windows with the “ OK».
These changes are applied immediately. Restarting the computer or any other additional actions is not required.
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The network adapter is printed circuit board, which is inserted into a slot on the motherboard. It can also be integrated into the motherboard or connected to a computer via a USB connector. There are other options, but the ones listed are the most common. You can distinguish the adapter by the characteristic connector designed to connect the connector network cable. Adapters for network connection using or Wi-Fi technology. The latter are distinguished by the presence of a radio antenna. The purpose of any type of network adapter is the physical connection of the computer and the transmission medium, as well as the preparation and transmission of data from one device to another.
Installing and configuring the network adapter
Before installing the network adapter, pay attention to its brand; it will be required during the setup process. Physical connection requires access to the motherboard. To do this, you need to disconnect the cover from the system unit.
Next, find the slot on the motherboard for installing the card. Often, this requires removing the closing metal plates from the rear panel of the system unit in order to expose the external interface of the adapter. Install the module into the slot, make sure that the cable connector is accessible, and screw the board to secure it. Then put the cover back on system unit. Connect the network cable.
Turn on your PC. After the system boots, a message will appear that a new device has been found. For correct operation, you will need to install a driver that matches the system and brand of network adapter. It is better to download it from the manufacturer’s official website. After this, reboot the system. The network connection icon should appear on the taskbar.
Right-click on the icon and select “Network and Sharing Center.” This is where all network connection settings are made. In particular, go to the “Change adapter settings” menu, after which all available network connections will open.
To change properties, right-click on the icon of any of them and select “Properties” in the context menu. In addition, the status of each connection is visible here: “Enabled” or “Disabled”. Connections that are enabled but not working for some reason are crossed out with a red cross. Enable or disable connection ( software control adapter) can also be done through the context menu.