The failure of a local or VPN network can often be due to the wrong choice of a network card driver, sometimes called an adapter. The problem is that with a wireless connection or when using an Ethernet connection, the connection may not work only because the necessary hardware has not been installed for the corresponding hardware, allowing you to initialize the device in the system and manage it. Read how to find out which network driver is needed in the material below. Let us leave aside the questions of searching and installing this software and figure out why such equipment is needed and what functions are assigned to it.
What is a network adapter and why is it needed?
To begin with, the network card as the equipment providing the appropriate connection can be used in two versions: either for connecting to a local network, or for direct access to the Internet (for example, via cable connection or wireless via VPN).
This, if I may say so, is a kind of adapter that allows you to access from some computer terminal or laptop other resources (computers on the network or sites on the Internet). Naturally, like for any other equipment, the network adapter needs some kind of software so that the system can recognize it and it can work. This software is called a driver. But how do you know which drivers are needed for the network card? You can offer some completely simple solutions, which will be discussed later.
How to find out which network driver is needed using the classical method?
Probably, there is no need to explain that all installed devices, whether they are at least hardware or virtual, can be viewed in the standard manager called the “Device Manager”.
You can call it through the same "Control Panel", the administration section or through the execution console by entering the devmgmt.msc command.
Here the question of how to find out which driver is needed for the network card comes down to finding the installed device and accessing the object properties through the PCM menu from the driver tab selections.
Usually, even during the first installation, the system initializes the equipment itself and installs drivers from its own database. But she does not know how to update the management software (this will be discussed somewhat later).
In this case, the question of which driver is needed for the network card is not worth it, since the operating system installs it on its own. Another thing is when the network card is non-standard equipment that is not supported by Windows systems. In this case, the operating system installs the most suitable, as it seems, driver, which may not even work, but may not even match the specified device.
How to find out which network adapter driver is needed in the Windows directory?
But let's look at what Windows systems offer users. How to find out which drivers are needed for a network card? Easy peasy!
In the same “Device Manager”, set the usual update through the corresponding PCM menu item or through the properties on the driver tab and see what the system offers you.
Since its actions will be hidden, search for drivers on the local computer, and then in the "Wizard" you can also see the type of device and the software proposed for installation. But it, as already understood, may not always correspond to the selected device (for example, for the Teredo and Tunngle virtual adapters, the installation of additional control utilities may be required).
Programs for installing control software
To simplify your actions, it is much better to use programs that contain directories that include almost all known devices (of course, with their drivers).
The most popular package is DriverPack Solution. Its database is much wider than a similar Windows directory. Therefore, the question here is how to find out which network card driver is needed in each specific case, not at all. When accessing it, the program installs the control software on its own, and even updates it to the latest version (of course, this requires an uninterrupted Internet connection).
Use of identifiers
But let's see how to choose a network driver if the above tools are not at hand. This is done in an absolutely elementary way, and in ways that ordinary users do not even know about.
To get started, use the same “Device Manager”. Apply RMB on the network card and go to the properties item. After that, use the details tab and select the equipment ID from the drop-down list below. The longest line containing the identifiers DEV and VEN, and will fully contain information about the device.
Further, in the question of how to find out which network driver is needed, it remains to apply one single solution - go to a specialized website with drivers, search on the specified line, download software and install it yourself.
Note: if the installation distribution has the format EXE, it must be run with administrator rights. In the case of the INF file through RMB, the installation is selected. And if it is impossible to complete the installation, when the system reports that installation in this way is not possible, you should indicate to the system the location of the file during the standard update.
Online driver installation for laptops
The question of how to find out which network driver is needed when using laptops can be solved even easier. Almost all manufacturers have their own pages on the Internet with online testing systems or links to contacting support.
Just go to the appropriate resource, start the test and look at the result. Further, it remains only to agree to the installation of the missing driver, and this is the end.
What to do if the driver is not installed?
But what if the driver is not installed, in none of the described cases? The reasons may be as many as you like. Most likely, the selected software does not match the device, the system was subjected to a virus attack. The equipment has physical problems.
To get started, at least test the system for viruses using portable scanners. If the problem is deeper, boot using Kaspersky Rescue Disk from removable media and check the system before starting. If this does not help, roll back to the independently selected status point.
Full automation
But these are all conventions. Since the key problem still lies precisely in the drivers, it is worth using automated means for updating them.
One of these can be called Driver Booster. After installation, the utility will start on its own and search for outdated drivers, and then offer to update them. Confirm the installation and subsequent reboot of the computer device. Missing or updated drivers will be installed for all devices without exception that are present in the system.
What is the result?
If you make some conclusions about making decisions on resolving problems with drivers, you can recommend immediately contacting the automated software for installing updates for drivers, since they refer exclusively to the websites of equipment manufacturers, install the latest versions and exclude viruses or spyware from entering the system.
But such software products are not always able to find the right software. In such a situation, you will have to use the identifiers described above. And this is precisely the very method that allows you to find the appropriate drivers for a particular individual device. It works in a hundred percent of cases out of a hundred.