After a recent power outage during a storm, my internet and Wi-Fi were down for a while. Once things were back up, my main PC can no longer connect to the internet using a wired connection, even though my roommates' devices are working just fine. I've tried swapping out the cables and double-checked everything; there doesn't seem to be an issue there. I'm wondering if my PC's network card could have been damaged during the power surge, even though I used a surge protector. How can I confirm if the network card is the problem?
4 Answers
Have you had a look at your surge protector? Sometimes they can be the issue. If everything else seems to work fine, it might not be obvious that there's a problem on that end.
You should check if your router is assigning an IP address to your PC through DHCP. If you can ping the router, your network card is likely fine. Lightning can fry network cards, so it's good to check this out. If it’s damaged and your network card is built into the motherboard, consider picking up an add-on card if you have a free slot.
Try plugging the cable from your PC into another working device. If it works there, the issue is likely with your NIC. You could get a USB-to-Ethernet adapter for a quick fix or use a wireless adapter. If you’ve got a spare slot, a new NIC could also be a solid option.
It's possible your roommate might have unintentionally blocked your PC from connecting to the router. It happens, so it might be worth checking that out as a first step.
What should I be checking for? Everything else plugged into the surge protector seems to be running well; it's just my wired connection that's acting up.