[QUOTE=spapakons;857788]You either run the setup as Administrator (right-click on the file) or you manually force the driver from Device Manager. You always select the last choice, do not let Windows search for the driver. When you see a button "Have Disk" click on that and browse to the driver folder to proceed. Select the first result and you should
2questions..."right-click on" what file? How do I "manually force the driver"?
In some LAN drivers there are some DLL files and an INF file (you see these if you unhide extensions). In that case only manual driver installation is possible, I'll explain. In other drivers there is also a setup.exe file that you can run to install the driver. If you have that file, then you can run it with Administrator privileges if you right-click on it and select Run as Administrator from the drop-down list. In the first case where there is no setup to run, click on the search icon on the taskbar and search for Device. You should see Device Manager as a result, click on it to open the Device Manager. Alternatively you can open the "traditional" desktop version Control Panel (search for control), change view to "Large Icons" from top right and then click on Device Manager. Once there expand Network Adapters and right-click on your Ethernet adapter, select Update driver software at the top of the list. The first option is to let Windows automatically install the driver. You don't want that, click the last option instead. Then click again the last option. In the next step you should see the "Have Disk" button. Click on that and browse to the folder where you expanded the driver files. The driver is usually a ZIP or RAR file. Use WinRAR or other utility to extract the files in a folder. This is the folder where you should browse from within Device Manager. Once you browse to that folder, select and open any INF file from the list to see all the available drivers. Select the first from the list (doesn't make much difference selecting another) and proceed to the next step. That's it.
[QUOTE=mathladyvj;858731][QUOTE=spapakons;857788]You either run the setup as Administrator (right-click on the file) or you manually force the driver from Device Manager. You always select the last choice, do not let Windows search for the driver. When you see a button "Have Disk" click on that and browse to the driver folder to proceed. Select the first result and
I've already done that many times. It doesn't force anything, Windows won't accept that driver, even if I delete the other one first. It just reinstalls it.
To accept it it has to be the same architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) and for 64-bit it must also be signed.
If you try to force the wrong driver (not appropriate for your hardware) Windows just ignores it and tells you the driver for your device is already installed. Use a utility such as Aida64 or Speccy to identify your device exactly. The first category is speed. It can be either 10/100 (Fast Ethernet) or 10/10/100 (Gigabit Ethernet). The second category is type of connection to the computer. This is PCI (for older motherboards), PCIe (for newer motherboards) or more rarely USB (for some laptops). For example, the correct driver for Realtek RLT8111F (see my specs) is in Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe section. Once you have verified the exact model of your network card, visit Realtek and navigate to the appropriate section to download the latest driver. On the top of the download page you should see your model on the list. If you don't you are probably at the wrong section.
I was able to install the updated driver, but still no valid IP. I found out I have WiFi capability, but that also lacks an IP address, and there's no Gateway address either. I can use my tablet to connect to the internet, so my provider offers no help. Do you have any other ideas?
Do you have a spare disk? If you have or can borrow one, try a clean Windows 10 installation and see if problem is solved. If it is, I'm afraid the time has come for that format we always postpone... Backup your data and do a clean installation. If you don't have a spare disk, you can shrink the existing Windows partition (assuming there is enough free space), create a second partition and dual boot with a new Windows 10 installation to check for issues.
I am bumping this thread as I am having similar problems. This is on a computer not used for 3-4 weeks and when switched on today I had the message about no valid IP configuration. After reading this thread, I have disabled and enabled the Realtek controller to no effect. I also uninstalled the card, and the driver, and then 'searched for new hardware' to get it back again. No change. So then off to Realtek, get the latest driver and install that directly, also to no effect. In every case, the card is reported to be working properly and the green/amber LEDs on the card indicate activity of some kind.
It is frustrating as all other computers sharing the modem work fine - as the one I used after a month or so did last time I used it. Any further thoughts on what is happening here? And how to clear the problem?
As a Computer Technician I have seen many cases when some spyware messes with the network or security settings and completely blocks any access to the network. This could also be the result of a corrupt Antivirus or Firewall that overprotect the computer by cutting off any network access! Try disabling the Antivirus and/or Firewall. Does this makes any change? If the answer is yes, uninstall and reinstall your Antivirus or Firewall. It is possible that you can send and receive network packages (data) but some spyware has messed with the security settings and blocked access through your broswer. Try restoring your browser settings to default including disabling all add-ons and plugins. If you can access the internet try enabling them one-by-one to identify the culprit and then remove/uninstall it. If you still cannot access the internet, try to restart in Safe Mode. To do this in Windows 10, hold the SHIFT key and restart your computer. This will load the Advanced Boot Menu, select Safe Mode with networking (so you have internet access). Once in Safe Mode, confirm that you can access the internet (and so this is not a driver problem). If you can, then download and install Malwarebytes Antimalware. Load it, wait to update (do it manually if it doesn't automatically) and then do a full scan. Remove anything detected and restart your PC. Other software to try is your Antivirus, update it and do a full scan. If you don't have one, update Windows Defender and scan with that. I also use Spyware Hunter. If you find too many malwares, you better backup your data, format your disk and do a clean installation of Windows 10, just to be on the safe side.
PS: Forgot to mention that your IP settings should be set to DHCP (auto), unless otherwise recommended by your Network Administrator. In a home PC, always use DHCP, unless you know what you are doing. I have seen cases that someone configured a static IP (manual settings) in a PC at work. The same PC taken home cannot obviously connect to the router as it requires different settings. So before trying anything else make sure you use automatic settings (DHCP).
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