Is my Network Adapter Busted?

[roger019]

Hi guys,
I have an Asus A8N-E nForce4 motherboard with the ethernet adapter built right in.  I built this machine about 7 months ago and it's been working like a charm until now.  It seems that nothing I can do can get this machine to connect to the internet.  I plug in an old machine and connection works just fine, so it's not the cable modem.  Drivers are new, tried system restore, tried opening the case and thumping the thing but no use.  I'm afraid I may just have to replace the motherboard but wanted to check with you guys first.  Is there something I'm missing?
Here are some specs if they're useful:
Motherboard - Asus A8N-E Socket 939 Nvidia nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 2.2GHz
Operating System - Windows XP Home

[ale52]

Need...more...info...gasp 

Antivirus & antispyware protection / scanned for viruses and spyware lately / service packs installed / when did it start happening / did it ever work right / installed any new software / checked Device Manager for status of the NIC?

If the NIC is built-in to the the motherboard, you can disable it in Device Manager and replace it with a PCI NIC instead of replacing the whole motherboard.

Alan <>< 

[roger019]

Thank you for the reply!
I ran Adaware but that's as far as I've gone.  It started happening about a week ago.  After it happened the first time, unplugged the machine and plugged in an older one...worked fine.  Plugged the new machine back in after a few days and connected fine for about 2 days until it stopped again.  Haven't installed any service packs and I'm embarrassed to say I don't have any antivirus software.  The Device manager says it's working properly as far as I can tell.
Thanks for the info on the PCI NIC...I beleive I have a slot available so I'll try that if nothing else works.

[soybean]

If the NIC is built-in to the the motherboard, you can disable it in Device Manager and replace it with a PCI NIC instead of replacing the whole motherboard.

I believe, with some motherboards, he should access the BIOS and disable onboard LAN if he adds a PCI card.  That's what I see in my motherboard manual.