What is an Ethernet Controller Driver?

The ethernet controller driver is an important component of your computer, but you may not know what exactly it is or what it does. When using an ethernet controller driver, your operating system and network system can interact with greater ease and efficiency, allowing your computer to work more quickly. There are various types of Ethernet Controller Drivers, such as Network Controller Card Drivers and other Hardware Drivers.

How can I fix Ethernet Controller Driver problems?

If you’re having issues with any of your Drivers it can be relatively easy to figure out what the problem is through some troubleshooting. The first thing to do is make sure your Drivers are up=to-date and you can do so by checking on the manufacturers website, you can also download a driver update tool and run a free Drivers Scan for your Ethernet Controller Drivers. Outdated drivers won’t work as well if at all, so it’s important that you look for driver updates and regularly update them.

If your Drivers are updated and you’re still having issues, check the Windows 7 Device Manager. This can save you some time since you can figure out if your computer problems are due to your Ethernet Card or Drivers or something else entirely. To access your Device Manager, simply open up the Windows 7 Start Bar, find the start search area, and input “devmgmt.msc.”

From there, you can toggle to the Network Adapter area through the Device Manager Window. If your ethernet is the problem, then you will see a question mark or similar (can be an exclamation mark or yellow triangle) beside the Ethernet Card icon. Click the Ethernet Card icon, access the Properties, and then find the Details tab. Here you can see the age of your driver and if you need to update it.

Your Network Adapter may also be causing problems. If this is the case, Windows offers a Network Adapter troubleshooter to assist in Network-related problems. You can locate this by going to the Start Bar and searching for the term “troubleshooting.” From there, you should see the Network and Internet options. Click these and then Network Adapter. Here you can check how well the Adapter is functioning.

If the Network Adapter isn’t working, you can always reset it. If this doesn’t solve the problem though, you may need a new Adapter. However, before you replace it, make sure that you double-check that your Ethernet Controller Driver is updated, because this can affect the Network Adapter.

If you’re uncertain about where to start when updating your Windows 7 Ethernet Controller Driver, a driver update tool can take a lot of the guesswork out of finding the most recent Drivers.