How Can I Reset the Network Adapter In My Windows 7 PRO SP1 System?

[malletKATman]

Recently my OEM desktop running Windows 7 Pro Sp1 would not connect to my LAN router via its hard wire (the box is not WiFi capable). It acted as if there was no connection to the Ethernet jack on the computer. However, the shop that fixed the problem said it was in software: the network adapter was in an improper state. To reset it to its proper starting state they reinstalled the adapter driver and then reset the adapter, but the y didn’t tell me how. I would like to know how to do this in case this happens again.

Online articles show that both those steps are standard procedure if the network adapter won’t connect to a properly configure LAN router when the problem is judged to be in the software. The best article I could find on how to reset the adapter involved using the netsh Run command. netsh /? revealed a huge number of things that can be done with the netsh command, some of which are truly frightening. The following are the recommended netsh command options this article recommended.

The following is a list of the Netsh commands you can use to reset your Windows 7 network adapter:

Restores the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security policy to the default policy. The current active policy can be optionally exported to a specified file. In a Group Policy object, this command returns all settings to notconfigured and deletes all connection security and firewall rules.netsh advfirewall reset

Resets the BranchCache service. Flushes the local cache. Every configuration parameter of BranchCache will be reset to its default value.netsh branchcache reset

Resets TCP/IP and related components to a clean state.netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt

Resets IPv6 configuration state.netsh int ipv6 reset

Resets Winsock Catalog to a clean state. All Winsock Layered Service Providers which were previously installed must be reinstalled. This command does not affect Winsock Name Space Provider entries.netsh winsock reset"

Are these netsh command variations the proper things to do to reset a network adapter to its default state? Are they all safe to do? (The last sounds risky.) Are only some of these recommended steps appropriate, or should adapter reset be accomplished by a different (and perhaps safer) procedure?

Here are the answers to the pre-posting requirements for creating a new thread on this forum:

This is a wired issue.
My ISP is Comcast through an Xfinity cable modem.
LAN Router: ASUS RT-N66R whose wired output is connected to one of the four Ethernet jacks in the cable modem. This is only broadband connection to the modem because its WiFi is turned off. All WiFi wireless and wired LAN connections are to my router.
Security Software: Webroot SecureAnywhere

 

[Digerati]

To reset it to its proper starting state they reinstalled the adapter driver and then reset the adapter, but the y didn’t tell me how.

Typically, the easiest way to reset the adapter is to do a "cold" reboot. By “cold”, I mean shut down the computer and flip the master power switch on the back of the power supply (if your supply has one) to off (or “0”) or unplug the power supply from the wall for about 15 seconds. Then turn the master power switch to on (or “1”) or reconnect power and boot up and see what happens. By totally removing power, you disable the +5Vsb standby voltage all ATX Form Factor power supplies are required to supply whenever the power supply is plugged into the wall and (if applicable) the master power switch is set to on. This standby voltage is distributed throughout several points on the motherboard, including RAM for faster boots and USB ports to keep alive several features, including “wake on keyboard” and “wake on mouse”, and the network interface for “Wake on LAN” commands. A cold reboot ensures any device settings that may be held by the standby voltage are released.

When in the cold off state, you can switch Ethernet ports on the back of your router too. And if me, I would swap Ethernet cables since they are cheap but critical network devices that are easily damaged.

You might also look at the various ipconfig commands. From an elevated command prompt, enter ipconfig /? and press Enter to see your options and note, in particular, the /release, /flushdns, and /renew commands.

 

[plodr]

First make sure you have the correct adapter driver archived off the computer in case you need to reinstall it. Write down the date and version so you can tell if the driver changed.

This looks to be the easiest way to reset.
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-force-an-ethernet-reset

This article shows you how to check if it is disabled.
What to do when your ethernet won't connect

This article gives you the specific commands
Windows - Quick Fix for Networking Problems

Also make sure in Windows 7, if you have automatic updates turned on that you do not have driver updates on.

Way back in my Windows 2K days, MS "updated" my ethernet driver and I lost connectivity. That's when I stopped allowing MS to update my drivers.

 

[malletKATman]

I thank both Digerati and plodr for their useful information.

When in the cold off state, you can switch Ethernet ports on the back of your router too. And if me, I would swap Ethernet cables since they are cheap but critical network devices that are easily damaged.

You might also look at the various ipconfig commands. From an elevated command prompt, enter ipconfig /? and press Enter to see your options and note, in particular, the /release, /flushdns, and /renew commands.

I am going to change the Ethernet cable from my computer to the router. It’s 50ft but needs to be about 60ft to really relieve all the stress at the connector ends. The only readily available longer option is 100ft, or 50ft coupled to a 10ft. IMO the 100ft, even with the slack coiled up in an 18in diameter circle, will perform better than the two-cables-coupled version.

BTW: when the problem occurred, ipconfig would not allow any state changing options, only informational options, saying something to the effect that there was no connectivity and IP status could not be changed.

First make sure you have the correct adapter driver archived off the computer in case you need to reinstall it. Write down the date and version so you can tell if the driver changed.

I use Perfect Updater to maintain my drivers. It has an option to backup (and restore) all or selected drivers in a timestamped series of backups. It always backs up any driver it replaces.

Also make sure in Windows 7, if you have automatic updates turned on that you do not have driver updates on.

I don’t see any option in the Control Panel->Windows Update->Change Settings path to opt out of driver updates, but I run W.U. with the Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them option, so I specifically accept only those updates I think are appropriate. (This was necessary when I was having a lot of trouble with W.U. to get any updates applied.) I'll now be extra not to let any identified driver updates through, for the reason explained in the last paragraphs.

Way back in my Windows 2K days, MS "updated" my ethernet driver and I lost connectivity. That's when I stopped allowing MS to update my drivers.

I think you just nailed what really happened. I have been directing Perfect Updater to update anything it found, and after running it today, guess what it found:



This flagged the Ethernet driver that the repair shop loaded, which I now believe fixed the problem – the adapter reset sequence being unnecessary unless required after a driver update. As I think back now, the LAN connection failed on a Sunday, the day after my Saturday weekly scheduled Perfect Updater run. This maybe a “recovered memory" but I think it updated the Ethernet driver that day. Next reboot on Sunday – no Ethernet connectivity. I have now marked that driver to be ignored in Perfect Updater runs. Not knowing the adapter-Ethernet architecture, I ignored the replaced driver which I could probably have fixed simply restoring the set of backed up network drivers. (Perfect Updater categorizes all the drivers nicely by function.)

I will save all this valuable information, including the recommended reading from plodr.

 

[Digerati]

I am going to change the Ethernet cable from my computer to the router. It’s 50ft but needs to be about 60ft to really relieve all the stress at the connector ends. The only readily available longer option is 100ft, or 50ft coupled to a 10ft. IMO the 100ft, even with the slack coiled up in an 18in diameter circle, will perform better than the two-cables-coupled version.

This is why I make my own. If I need a 53 foot cable, I make a 53 foot cable instead of buying a 100 foot cable and coiling up the slack. But that does require an "investment" in a quality crimper and a cable tester is a welcomed addition.

I have been directing Perfect Updater to update anything it found

I think using a 3rd party updater is just as, if not more dangerous than letting Windows Update update your drivers. It should be noted Windows Update suggests updates when the hardware maker submits them to Microsoft. So I would trust WU before 3rd party updaters.

That said, except for graphic's drivers, I go by the philosophy of, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". So I don't update drivers just because a new one is out there unless it addresses a security issue, or a problem I am experiencing.

 

[malletKATman]

I think using a 3rd party updater is just as, if not more dangerous than letting Windows Update update your drivers. It should be noted Windows Update suggests updates when the hardware maker submits them to Microsoft. So I would trust WU before 3rd party updaters.

The role of 3rd parties in Windows software is a worthy subject of debate, but I don't feel this thread is the right place. I know that a lot of Sysnative staff do believe particular problem solving threads are a proper place to discuss broader issues and I respect that. I'll just say that IMO the trustworthiness of 3rd parties versus Microsoft depends on the particular 3rd party. I have had to roll back MS updates from prior restore points to recover my system. I have a lot of confidence in Perfect Updater, and they get their drivers from the same hardware makers as MS. The difference might be that MS would test a new driver on all the various supported Windows versions before releasing it for each Windows version, but MS is way past that now for Windows 7.

 

[Digerati]

I have a lot of confidence in Perfect Updater, and they get their drivers from the same hardware makers as MS.

The point is, they have to go out to all those makers (potentially 1000s of them!) and get those drivers. That puts the onus on them to make sure their database is current and has the correct driver for that specific piece of hardware. With WU, the hardware makers themselves provide that driver for their hardware to MS and, it seems to me, the hardware maker is in the best position to make sure they have provided the right driver for the hardware. No middle man so IMO, that leaves much less room for error.

For the record, I am not really in favor of either. My preferred method is for me to visit the hardware maker's site and me doing the research to see if a new driver is out there. And then, if and only if that new driver affects me, do I update it. But if I had to choose an automatic method, I would have W10 WU do it for me.

but MS is way past that now for Windows 7.

MS is way past W7. It is time for W7 users to get current.