Ethernet disconnecting

[watercooled]

I've noticed a few times that when I turn on the PC, the Ethernet light on my router is off, as if the cable isn't connected to anything and the PC can't connect to the network. This can be resolved by unplugging and reconnecting the cable but it's annoying - what could cause this/how could I resolve it? I'm fairly sure it's not OS related as the same thing happens in both Ubuntu and Windows 7.
Thanks!

[aidanjt]

Router and NIC models?

[peterb]

If you leave it, does the connection eventually restart of its own accord? Could just be the initialisation process, and that completes in the time you take to unplu/plug the cable. Otherwise, have you tried checking it with a different cable?

[Funkstar]

If it happens in Ubuntu and W7 I would rule out driver issues.

Sounds like a hardware problem though. Have you tried changing the post you connect to? Might be a dodgy one. How about if you put a hub or switch in there, does that make any difference?

Putting a switch in there would let you see what was disconnecting as either the switch would drop off the router, or the PC would drop off the switch. As long as everything has status LEDs you should be able to figure out what is going wrong.

My gut feeling is the router is going on (permenant) vacation

[watercooled]

I've tried with two cables, and so far when it's happened it hasn't connected automatically. Router is a wired only Sitecom DC202v6 and the NIC is an integrated Realtek RTL8101E.
I've tried using the computer on different ports on the router with no success but there are other computers on the same one which are working fine (even in the same ports).

[Funkstar]

hmmm. ok. that would then make me think it was a problem with the integrated NIC.

[aidanjt]

It's the Realtek NIC crap. I don't know how they ever got selling those things to motherboard manufacturers at all. Anyway, just pop in another NIC and that problem should go away.

[watercooled]

Any recommendations? It must be a low-profile card BTW, to fit in an Antec Minuet.
Thanks

[aidanjt]

Intel NICs are full-on awesome. You can pick up the LP PCI(e) cards for dirt cheap.

http://www.afasystems.biz/Inu_produc...p?ref=27305190 for e.g.

[mycarsavw]

Have you checked to see whether the card is being "turned off" to save power.

I've just had 4 or 5 machines here do the same thing recently. Took ages to work out what was going on

[CrazyMonkey]

If it doesnt need to be gigabit something like this will suffice -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Network-Ethern...1|293:1|294:50

[aidanjt]

If it doesnt need to be gigabit something like this will suffice -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Network-Ethern...1|293:1|294:50

He already has a Realtek NIC, which is what he needs to get away from. There should be a crapload of 100Base-TX Intel NICs out there from old machines or machines who's LAN has been bumped up to gigabit which you can get for even less than that on fleabay.