Windows 7 Ethernet port suddenly stopped working - HP HDX 16 Laptop

[Microcron]

Hello Everyone, Please help with my problem!!

My ethernet port has stopped working. When I connect my ethernet cable to the port, I don't see the normal green and blinking orange lights. I don't see the orange light on my Belkin router that comes on when my cable is connected to the laptop port. Most importantly, it was working perfectly 12 hours ago, last night, when I was watching a number of videos. I currently don't have any internet on that laptop (I'm on another one now), due to a known wireless card problem (it's physically broken), but I'll worry about buying a new wireless card later...

This ethernet port problem has happened before, but I usually just had to restart my computer and it would work again. This might mean that this is a driver problem.

I have recently downloaded a windows update for my ethernet drivers, but the ethernet did work after the update so I don't think that could be the problem.

After a bit of sleuthing here's what I know:

Under device manager my network adapters:
-Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 AGN
-Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (**this one wasn't there when I restarted a minute ago, I'm guessing it's the one for the ethernet port? It has a yellow triangle on it with "!")
--Although I don't have internet I have run the "update drivers" process from my computer.
--Driver Version: 7.12.1218.2009

Under the "uninstall programs" list I found there was a realtek program listed
-Realtek 8169 8168 8101E 8102E Ethernet Driver (with the icon of a blue crab with a white letter R on it)

The recently installed windows update on 3/24 for my ethernet was (update history):
-Microsoft driver update for Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)

My system (from control panel):

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P7450 @ 2.13GHz 2.13GHz
RAM: 4 GB
64-bit Operating System
HP HDX 16 Premium Series Laptop

Router: belkin 2.4GHz 802.11g Wireless

I'm not a computer genius, so when you help me please give me clear instructions on what to do and why. Thanks!!!

 

[Saltgrass]

A yellow triangle in device manager usually means the device does not have a working driver. I checked the HP site, but you do not give the full model of the laptop. But you might look there and download and install the one from HP to see if it helps. What code is it showing for the device?

If it doesn't, you might use Device Manager to uninstall the device and let Windows Find it again. You may have an option to uninstall all versions of the driver, which you should do to hopefully get the best one.

If none of that works, you can turn off the Windows Hardware updates so it will not reload a driver, then try the one you think works. Use the System Control Panel-Advanced System Properties-Hardware tab and change Device Installations Settings to NO. Remember you did this so you can change it back later if you want.

If the wireless is broken, physically, have you thought about removing it?

 

[Microcron]

A yellow triangle in device manager usually means the device does not have a working driver. I checked the HP site, but you do not give the full model of the laptop. But you might look there and download and install the one from HP to see if it helps. What code is it showing for the device?

If it doesn't, you might use Device Manager to uninstall the device and let Windows Find it again. You may have an option to uninstall all versions of the driver, which you should do to hopefully get the best one.

If none of that works, you can turn off the Windows Hardware updates so it will not reload a driver, then try the one you think works. Use the System Control Panel-Advanced System Properties-Hardware tab and change Device Installations Settings to NO. Remember you did this so you can change it back later if you want.

If the wireless is broken, physically, have you thought about removing it?

I haven't done exactly what you said, but here's what happened.

-I uninstalled the Realtek drivers that I had installed on my system, successfully

-I went to the Hp website using the google "hp laptop drivers" and found a screen that had me enter my laptop product number.
I downloaded "sp41658.exe" which was the "Realtek PCI-E Fast Ethernet NIC Driver"
version 6.208.729.2008 A
released 2008-11-07
(this was released a while back, but it was the latest one HP had for me??)

-I tried to install the driver above, and it's giving me some type of error where it recognizes that the driver has been installed, but I don't see it on my Device Manager or my Uninstall Programs lists. (if you want I can go back and reread that error and type it down)

What do you guys think?
-will it help if I use a system restore and restore back to a point when I know my ethernet was working? will this solve my "I can't find my ethernet driver on my device manager" problem?
-where would my downloaded ethernet driver be loaded if I want to go looking for a physical location of it? (which folder)
-where can I get the latest ethernet driver compatible with my system, I went to the Realtek website and the download links they provide just have a version number?

Thanks for the help guys, keep it coming!

 

[Saltgrass]

Realtek seems to have a driver released in March of 2012 although it seems to say RTL8168D. All of the adapters are listed at the top of the page, so not sure if it will work with then all.

Since you still have not given your complete model number, I cannot check HP to make sure.

Realtek

 

[Microcron]

Alright a lot of things have just happened, and even though I'm a bit pressed for time I'll make this post so you guys can have something to think about.

I loaded my laptop and it TEMPORARILY had internet via the ethernet port. I knew this was a bit too good to be true so I instinctively went to check it out a bit. My ethernet is now back to its not working state.

Here's what I found out:
- Router had that orange light to indicate that connection for my ethernet port (now it doesn't)

-Device Manager > Network Adapters had...
--Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 AGN (this was here before as well)
--Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter (this wasn't there before, but even after my ethernet stopped working again it's still there)
--Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (this one previously had that yellow triangle with "!", now briefly while ethernet was working didn't have the triangle)

- I managed to quickly peek at the version number of the Realtek driver from Device Manager and found it was different (for example, this one had *.2011 at the end. In my previous post I noted that the version number ended with *.2009). I didn't write it down, since the ethernet disappeared just as suddenly it came...

After this:

-the internet connection disappeared and I checked back into device manager and the ethernet driver has disappeared as well after right clicking "Scan for hardware changes"

My thoughts:
-the ethernet driver has updated, but when the port is working my driver is visible from Device Manager otherwise it isn't. In my post above, it is likely that the yellow triangle appeared because the computer couldn't detect the driver. I'm willing to bet that if I had "scanned for hardware changes" that driver would have disappeared as well.

My laptop model is:HP HDX X16T-1200 CTO Premium Notebook PC (this is straight from HP website)

 

[Saltgrass]

The driver you downloaded from HP came out in 2008, even before Windows 7 was released.

The one being updated seems to be newer and will probably work better, if it is installed correctly. If you can't get it working, try the one from Realtek I linked to.

Again, I will suggest removing the Wireless card. Especially if it is physically damaged. It might be messing up your system.

Other than that, almost seems like a bad connection. I am assuming this laptop is several years old, so maybe something is actually broken as far as some connection.