Hello, firstly, I know there are common problems concerning the "network cable unplugged" message, however I haven't managed to find any help concerning mine.

I have been using the PC in question online for over 2 years now without problems. I had left the computer on overnight to finish a large download and sometime soon after I left it, the connection died. I don't recall touching any settings or changing anything at all.

I am currently using this laptop through the same ethernet cable as the one I use for the PC, and it works fine. I've done a complete system restore back to when I bought the computer and the problem persists. I've bought a new network interface card, as well as trying to connect through an ethernet-USB adapter. I have tried updating drivers for all of these and all still give me the same "Network cable unplugged." This leads me to think it's a hardware problem, something like a broken connection on the motherboard? It just wont detect the ethernet cable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers.

Hello and welcome to PC Help Forum.

Firstly what were you downloading and what software were you using to download it?

You say you did a system restore?Did you restup the windows network using the network setup wizard?

Sytem restore may of canceled all of your origonal settings for the internet reset them all up.

How far back did you go on a system restore?

Welcome to PC Help Forum

Is Windows fully up to date? - Microsoft Windows Update
Try turning off the power saving feature on your ethernet card by going into device manager > network card > properties > power management

Thanks for the replies.

I've turned off the power saving feature on all 3 connections (original, usb, and new ethernet card). I've also tried changing the media type setting on the advanced tab of all 3, to no success.

I was downloading world of warcraft patches through Deluge (peer to peer torrent program, all very legal). The download stopped halfway, sometime during the night, where i imagine the connection died, I don't think the download was directly the cause.

No windows disks came with my computer, so I restored it to 2004. It's clean at the moment, with my documents backed up on an external hard drive. I think it's fully updated, I can't of course access the internet. After the restore I tried setting the internet up with the wizard, I think the settings may have been there already. All 3 connections show the same as pre-restore, that the devices are working properly, they just don't seem to pick up the ethernet cable.

Sorry if I'm a little confused, I've tried a lot of solutions and some of the details escape me, I'll check up anything you feel is important.

You would be very unlucky to suffer a failing PCI slot and a failing USB socket at the same time, unless the fault is general to your mobo. I take it you tried the network card and the USB adapter in different slots?

If it's effecting both the USB and the NiC then the problem *should* be software related but if you're saying this is a clean, updated build....I'm stumped...

Without knowing the Motherboard make I would only hazard a guess that the chipset driver is corrupted. That is one possible for the PCI and USB communication failure. See if you can find the MB make and give us the PC stats. Also you did uninstall the old ethernet card? There is no onboard lan?

LC