There are often situations when after connecting a computer or laptop to the Internet using a network cable, the error "Network cable is not connected" appears. This is more likely not even an error, but just the status of the network adapter, which can be observed in network connections.
It turns out that the computer does not respond to the connection in any way, the network cable is not connected, although it is connected to the computer, inserted into the connector of the network card. Icon on the notification panel with a red cross. And of course the internet doesn't work. This is how it looks:
Most importantly, the cable is connected. From a router, modem, or directly from the provider's equipment. This error can appear on both a PC and a laptop. It also doesn't matter which Windows is installed on your computer. Only in Windows 10 the inscription "Network cable is not connected" will be next to the "Ethernet" adapter, and in Windows 7 - next to "Local Area Connection". And in Windows XP, a pop-up window with this error still appears if you hover the mouse over the connection icon. Also, the "Unidentified network" error often occurs.
It's the same with the connection method. Someone has a network cable directly from the provider (for example, Rostelecom), and someone through a modem, Wi-Fi router, or terminal.
What could be the problem?
There can be many reasons. Let's list the main ones:
- The network cable is incorrectly or not fully connected.
- The network cable is damaged. Perhaps the contacts in the connector (into which the network cable itself is crimped) have come off.
- Hardware problems with the router, modem, provider equipment. Or the network card itself in your laptop or PC has broken.
- Problems in the settings of the network card. More often than not, it cannot automatically detect speed and duplex. I'll tell you about this in more detail.
- There are some problems with the network card driver.
- Viruses, firewalls, some programs. Yes, yes, they can also cause the "Network cable not connected" error.
How to find out the reason and what to do first?
- First, restart your computer, modem, router (if any).
- Unplug the network cable and plug it back in. Also check the connection on the router (if the Internet is connected through it). Connect the cable to another LAN port. Note if the LAN indicator on the router lights up after connecting the cable. You can see the instructions on how to connect the Internet from a router to a computer via a cable.
- If possible, connect using a different cable.
- You can gently move the network cable where it enters the connector. And look at this moment at the status of the network adapter on the computer. Perhaps contacts are leaving there, and in this way it will be possible to find out.
- If there is another PC or laptop, then try connecting it. So we can find out what the matter is.
- If the Internet goes through a router, then try connecting the cable from the provider directly to the computer.
I would divide the solutions into software and hardware.
The network cable is not connected even though it is connected: solutions to the problem
I would try removing the network card from the device manager. After rebooting, it should recover automatically. Go to the device manager (the easiest way to find it is through the search, or press the Win + R key combination and run the devmgmt.msc command).Open the "Network Adapters" tab to find the network card. Depending on the manufacturer and driver, the name may be different. The name may contain "LAN". For example, on my laptop this is "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller". By the way, notice if there is a yellow icon next to it. Click on it with the right mouse button and select "Delete device".
We confirm the deletion and restart the computer. Perhaps after restarting everything will work and the computer will see the connected network cable.
2Check the settings for determining the speed and duplex. In Device Manager, right-click on the network card (as I showed above) and select "Properties."
Next, go to the "Advanced" tab. Find and select in the list "Spped & Duplex"... And on the left in the dropdown menu, set the value to "Auto Negotiation". But if this option was originally installed there, then try to put a different value. For example: "100 Mbps Full Duplex". You can try different options. Don't forget to click Ok and restart your computer.
It just often happens that the network card cannot automatically detect the speed and duplex.
3 Network card driver. You need to try reinstalling it. Download the driver from the manufacturer's website for the card (LAN), laptop, or motherboard of your computer and start the installation. You can see an article on this topic: What driver is needed for a network card (Ethernet controller)? Download and install.
