Diagnose NIC Problems

The Network Interface Card must be functioning for your PC to be able to communicate on
a network. When network problems occur, the NIC is less likely to be the cause than
infrastructure such as cables, routers and hubs. All problems below assume that you are
experiencing a complete or intermittent failure of network connectivity.
Check

Symptom
The cable is connected but
there is no light on the NIC

The data collision light is

frequently or continuously lit

The lights on the NIC are

normal but I cannot connect to
the network

Unplug and replug the network connector into the

NIC and at the other end.
Check that the other end of the cable is
connected to a device that is powered on.
Try switching the cable to a different port if
available.
Try a different network cable.
Check the control panel in Windows to make sure
the card is recognized and working.

Check that the far end of the network cable is

connected to the proper port, or try a different
port.
Check that your PC is not using an IP address
that is already in use on your network.
Make certain that your PC is not using a name
that is already in use by another PC on the
network.

Make certain that other network devices are

powered on.
Make certain that your PC is configured with the
proper Workgroup or Domain name.
Check that your PC is not using an IP address
that is already in use on your network.
Make certain that your PC is not using a name
that is already in use by another PC on the
network.
Allow up to 20 minutes for network polling to
identify all available resources.
Check the network cable connections and use a
different port if available.
If Windows is configured for more than one NIC,
make certain that the correct one is being used
for this network.

Diagnosing network problems: IPCONFIG

First you have to determine whether your computer is connected to a network. Open a Command
window*.
At the prompt, type ipconfig /all and press Enter. If everything is working correctly, youll see a
list like this:
Heres a description of the relevant information:

Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . :
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . :
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . :
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . :

IPTest
Hybrid
No
No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
earthlink.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . :
Connection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
E9-6D-A8-33
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . :
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . :
192.168.0.109
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . :
255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . :
192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . :
207.69.188.185
207.69.188.186
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . :
February 08, 2005 2:04:55 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . :
March 22, 2005 6:04:55 AM

Network
00-07Yes
Yes

Host Name: The name of your computer

Connection-specific DNS Suffix: The network
youre connected to. At home, this is usually your
ISP; at work, your company. Sometimes it may be
blank.
Dhcp / Autoconfiguration Enabled: These are two
methods that your computer gets an address.
Physical Address: This is the serial number of
your network card and will never change.
IP Address: This is the address of your computer.
Default Gateway: This is the address of your router.
DNS Servers: These are the computers that interpret
internet names into their correct numeric address
(such as Yahoo.com=66.94.234.13). Their function is
provided by your ISP or contained in your router.
Lease Obtained / Expires: Obtained is when you
last connected to your router. Expires is a period
determined by your router settings and varies from an
hour to weeks.
Ethernet adapter ...: If you have more than one
network adapter such as a wireless card, you may
see some or all of this information for each adapter. If
it says Media disconnected, that means theres no
connection on the cable or no wireless network
available.

Tuesday,
Tuesday,

Fig 1

Likely problems
If you see all zeros for the IP addresses (Fig 2), you dont have a network connection. This is
means there is a bad cable between your computer and the router. It could also mean the
computer and router are still negotiating their communication. Check that your wires are
connected and wait up to several minutes to try ipconfig again (hit F3 to repeat the same
command).

If instead of IP Address, you see Autoconfiguration IP Address that would typically start
168.254; (Fig 3) you have an electrical connection with the router, but do not have access to the
network. If it is not cleared up after a reboot, there may be a failure in the network. For some
reason, your computer is not communicating with a DHCP server.
You may be connecting to a downstream switch that is not connected to the router. The router
may have its DHCP server turned off or the network may be expecting DHCP services from
another device such as another router or a server.
You also may not have permission to connect to that network This is very unlikely in a home
wired network, but might happen if you dont have the correct password for a wireless network.
You could also see it if you are trying to connect to a corporate network.
If you have a simple network and know you dont have any of these problems, the easiest
solution is probably to do a hardware reset of the router. This usually involves inserting a
straightened paper clip into a hole to press a recessed button. You may need to hold the button
several seconds, or hold it while powering up. Then you will need to restore the router
configurations or reconfigure it from scratch.
Ethernet adapter Local Area
Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix :
Description . . . . . . . . . . :
3C920
Physical Address. . . . . . . . :
06-5B-36-71-B5
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . :
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . :
0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . :
0.0.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . :
192.168.0.1

Fig 2

Ethernet adapter Local Area

Connection:
3Com Connection-specific DNS Suffix :
Description . . . . . . . . . . :
00- 3C920
Physical Address. . . . . . . . :
Yes 06-5B-36-71-B5
Yes Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . :
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . :
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . :
169.254.39.17
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . :
255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . :

Fig 3

3Com
00Yes
Yes