Network card problem

I have 2 network cards, an old acerlan aln-201, and a brand new surecom ep-320x-r1. When i install the acerlan in one computer, all is ok. But when i install the surecom card and run ipconfig, i get the message " media disconnected ". I have tried this new card in 2 computers with the same result. I suspect the new card is faulty, but what does the message mean.

graham weston

 

It means that the card is not reporting that there is anything connected to it (an ethernet cable connecting to another device).
This can be caused by not having anything connected (note you can tell windows not to tell you this any more, but that applies only to the card you have at that time. If you change cards it will again notify you if nothing is connected).
It could be a driver/ software issue. Some cards require that you install their software, they just do not like windows management software. Some require installing their drivers before physically connecting them, although the normal proceedure is to install them, and supply the drivers when you boot and windows discovers new hardware.

When replacing an old card, you should always boot to safe mode and go to device manager, and choose the view all devices option and remove (uninstall) any instances of the device and go to add/remove programs and uninstall its software before you physically remove it and proceed with installing the new one. Otherwise windows may think it is still the same old card and it is just malfunctioning.