Network Adapters not visible in Windows 7

[Heather5]

Hello, I have a desktop computer which has Windows 7 installed on it. The computer has EVGA nForce 680i motherboard which has 2 network adapters. The network adapters where working fine in Windows Xp but now the Network adapters are not visible in Windows 7 due to which I am not able to access Internet on the computer. Is this because of some virus? or Can it be due to some hardware failure? Please help.

[Big Fish]

Check if the drivers for the network card are installed on the computer or not. For the devices to work properly on the computers, we have to install the drivers associated to the device. The drivers act as a mediator between the operating system and the device. If the appropriate drivers are not installed then the device will not work. Download the latest version of the drivers which are available for the model of the network adapter which you are using and which is supported by the operating system. Once the updated drivers are installed on the computer, the network adapter will be detected.

[Shen]

To check if the network adapter is working properly or not, go to device manager and then look for the network adapter. Once the network adapter is located, check if there are any caution signs against it. If there are any caution signs then right click on it and select troubleshoot. Now follow the onscreen instruction to perform troubleshooting. Check if you are able to access the internet after troubleshooting. If troubleshooting does not work, then right click on it and select properties. Check the status of the device and then click on update drivers. Updating the drivers will solve your problem.

[Steve123]

Every Network interface card has a built in software testing port. This port is known as the loop back address. By pinging the loop back address of the network card it is possible to test the Network card. All the network cards have default address as 127.0.0.0 which is same for all NIC's. Go to start and then select Run. Now in run tab, type "ping 127.0.0.0" and hit enter. Now command prompt window will open which will show errors in data sent and received. There should be no errors in the data sent and received. If there is any error then the NIC is faulty and needs to be replaced.

[Wguy2008]

Have you checked the BIOS of the sytsem? It is possible that the operating system is not able to see the network adapters as they may be disabled from the BIOS. If the network adapters are disabled from the BIOS then the system will not be able to detect them. While booting the computer, press delete to enter the BIOS setup. Now go to peripherals and check if both the network adapters are enabled. If they are disabled, then enable them and save and exit the BIOS setup. Now boot the system normally and see if the operating system detects the network adapter or not.

[Wyvern]

All the devices which are connected to the computer are connected to the motherboard. All the functions that the computer performs are controlled by the motherboard. If the motherboard of the computer itself is faulty then the some of the devices connected to the motherboard will not get detected. Hence get the motherboard checked by some technician and see if it is faulty. If the motherboard is faulty then replacing the motherboard is only option left for solving the problem.