If you’re installing a new network
adapter in your computer, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installing the product for Windows 8. If there are instructions for
Windows 7 or Vista, but not Windows 8, those instructions should work.
And if there are no instructions at all, just follow these steps:
1. If you have
purchased an internal card, shut down Windows, shut off the computer,
unplug it, open the case, and install the card in an empty slot. Close
the case and then restart Windows.
If you are adding a PCMCIA or USB
adapter, be sure you’re logged on with a Computer Administrator
account, plug it in while Windows is running, and skip ahead to step 3.
2. When you’re back at
the Windows login screen, log in using a Computer Administrator
account. Windows displays the New Hardware Detected dialog box when you
log in.
3. In most cases,
Windows should already have the software it needs to run your network
adapter. If Windows cannot find a suitable driver for your adapter, it
might ask you to insert the driver CD-ROM that your network card’s
manufacturer should have provided. It may also offer to get a driver
from Windows Update. If you have an Internet connection up at this
time, this online option is very useful.
If you are asked, insert the requested
disk and click OK. In the unlikely event that Windows says that it
cannot locate an appropriate device driver, try again, but this time
click the Browse button. Locate a folder named Windows 8, Windows 7, or
Windows Vista (or some reasonable approximation) and click OK. If both
32-bit and 64-bit folders are listed, be sure to choose the version
that matches your version of Windows.
Note
The exact name of the folders containing
device drivers varies from vendor to vendor. You might have to poke
around a little on the disk to find the right folder.
4. After
Windows has installed the card’s driver software, it automatically
configures and uses the card. Check the Device Manager, as described in
the next section, to see whether the card is installed and functioning.
Checking Existing Adapters
If your adapter was already installed when
you set up Windows 8, it should be ready to go. Follow these steps to
see whether the adapter is already set up:
1. Right-click the
very bottom-left corner of the screen and select Device Manager. Expand
the Network Adapters section by clicking the triangular arrow icon to
the left of its name.
2.
Look for an entry for your network card. If it appears and does not
have a yellow exclamation point (!) icon to the left of its name, the
card is installed and correctly configured.
If an entry appears but has a yellow exclamation point icon by its name, the card is not correctly configured.
3. If no
entry exists for the card, the adapter is not fully plugged into the
motherboard, it’s damaged, or it is not Plug and Play capable. Be sure
the card is installed correctly. If you can’t get it to appear, replace
it.
Installing Multiple Network Adapters
You might want to install multiple network adapters in your computer in the following situations:
• You simultaneously connect to two or
more different networks with different IP addresses or protocols. You’d
use a separate adapter to connect to each network.
• You want to share a broadband cable
or DSL Internet connection with your LAN without using a
hardware-sharing router. We strongly recommend using a hardware router, but you can also do this using one adapter to connect to your LAN and another to connect to your cable or DSL modem.
• You have two different network types,
such as phoneline and Ethernet, and you want the computers on both LAN
types to be able to communicate. You could use a hardware bridge or
access point, but you could also install both types of adapters in one
of your computers and use the Bridging feature to connect the networks.
We suggest you use the following procedure to install multiple adapters:
1. Install, configure,
and test the first adapter. (If you’re doing this to share an Internet
connection, install and configure the one you’ll use for the Internet
connection first. Be sure you can connect to the Internet before you
proceed.)
2. On the Start
screen, right-click the very bottom-left corner and select Control
Panel. Select Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center. Click
Change Adapter Settings on the left side of the window. Select the icon
for the network adapter—it will likely be named Ethernet—and choose
Rename This Connection in the ribbon bar. (Or right-click the icon and
select Rename.) Change the connection’s name to something that
indicates what it’s used for, such as “Connection to Cable Modem” or
“Office Ethernet Network.”
3. Write the name on a
piece of tape or a sticky label and apply it to the back of your
computer above the network adapter or to the edge plate of the network
card.
4. Install the second
adapter. Configure it and repeat steps 2 and 3 with the new connection
icon. Rename this connection appropriately—for example, “LAN” or
“Wireless Net”—and label the adapter socket.
If you follow
these steps, you’ll be able to easily distinguish the two connections
instead of needing to remember which connection icon is which.
