How to Determine Your Ethernet Card in Windows XP

An Ethernet card is a hardware device that is either integrated into the motherboard or added as a peripheral card in a PCI slot. The Ethernet card allows a computer to connect to a modem or other computers through an Ethernet cable to allow for Internet connectivity or local area networking. It can be useful to know what type of Ethernet card you have installed so that you can locate the best drivers for the card, or determine if your card is outdated.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Click "Start," then "Control Panel."

2. Double click "Administrative Tools" in the Control Panel, then double click "Computer Management."

3. On the left-hand side of the window, expand the list labeled "System Tools," if necessary. (System Tools is likely be expanded already.) Click "Device Manager" under the list.

4. Search the list for "Network Adapters." Click the plus sign in front of "Network Adapters" to expand a list of all installed network devices. This list contains your Ethernet card or cards and any other network devices, such as wireless networking cards. The name of your Ethernet card should contain the word "Ethernet" or "LAN adapter."
   You can double click any card shown to obtain more information, such as the driver, driver date and whether the device is enabled, functioning properly and set advanced options.

Tips & Warnings

• You may also be able to identify your Ethernet card by opening up the computer case and looking for identifying information on the card itself. If your card is not installed properly, it may not appear as a device on your Device Manager.

Resources

• Different ways to identify in Ethernet card