Win 7: Internet connection disappeared

Had a call form a friend earlier.

He�s lost all internet connection today and telephone diagnosis makes me wonder whether the network card has died. The router is still being used successfully by his wife�s PC, and trying his PC in another router port didn�t help. The port light on the router is lit suggesting the router is seeing something connected to the port.

ipconfig times out.

I�m going over there Friday afternoon and wondered what the options are. I think the Ethernet controller is on the motherboard.

If it�s a motherboard network failure what are the options? Presumably fit a network card, assuming there�s a spare slot.

Any thoughts?

Wireless USB ?

Good thinking - or even a wireless card - I think have a spare...

The router is wireless though that's only used for his colour printer. Both PCs are connected by ethernet cable, I'll take a spare cable and router to do some elimination. I'll also take my laptop to see if that works via his cable into the router.

I also have a USB to Ethernet converter, originally used on an XP system many moons ago, though I've no idea if it'll work on Win 7.

A spare cable and a PCI NIC would be your best bet but you'll need to see the machine first. It may be something as simple as a disabled NIC or a duff cable.

Edited by Deadbeat (Wed 20-Mar-13 22:28:38)

Yep, that's why I'm going round there on Friday afternoon - the earliest mutually convenient time.

I did get him to disable and enable the NIC via the phone, made no difference. And, yes, the cable may have failed, unusual but not unknown.

I'll probably take my box of bits on a just in case basis.

An errant firewall config is another consideration.

I'd have thought it would have to be the Win 7 firewall; his wife's PC continues to use the router so unlikely - impossible? - to be the router's firewall.

An update.

Got home 30 minutes ago to find an email from him saying it is now working. Rang him and apparently first thing this morning it wasn't working. He closed down when he went out late morning. Switched back on in the afternoon and it's now all working.

I should add that he switches all off, including router, at night.

So, if hardware, it would appear to be an intermittent fault someone in the chain. If software then perhaps something has cleared or reset itself.

Is it possible that it could be an ISP issue - bearing in mind that his wife, using the same router, continued to use the internet while he couldn't?

Given the snow forecast in his area tomorrow we've postponed my visit, if the problem recurs then it'll need investigation.

Ah well, ain't computers wunnerful!

and a Zero cost fix