Eithernet Card thinks Cable isn't plugged in

Here's the situation:

I've always connected my cable modem to the cpu via USB. In trying to set up my new wireless network, i (at least for now) need to connect the modem to the cpu via eithernet. My eithernet card is keeps telling me that the cable is not plugged in. Tech support tell me that I need to reinstall the card. I think I did (ran the Drivers CD, sellected that driver to reinstall, etc.), yet the problem still exists. what should I do?

A) Should I try plugging the Eithernet card into a different port? if so, how complicated is that (I'm not that comfortable opening up the computer casing)?

B) Is it ok/not too much harder to set up a wireless network without having at least one computer hardwired into the network? if so, Should I buy a USB adapter so that the Computer can receive wireless signal through that same USB port that it currently look to for internet? (The computer with the eithernet card problems does not have wireless capabilities right now)

Are there wireless broadband routers out there that use USB instead of eithernet cables for the hardwiring?

thanks for any info, everyone.

 

You can try to get USB to Ethernet Adaptor. You plug it to the USB port and install the drivers; the other side of the adaptor is Ethernet.

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10344529&loc=101&sp=1

However pending on how your system is configured there might be other problems.

Your description is not detailed enough to understand how your new Wireless network should work.

What type of Internet connection is it?

What type of Wireless?

How are you going to Router the Connection?

 

Yea, the eithernet to USB Adaptor came to me yesterday.

I hooked that up and installed the driver for it, and still could not get a "PC Link" on my cable modem when I had the eithernet cable plugged into the adapter and the adapter plugged into a USB port. Turns out the Eithernet port on the cable modem itself isnt working, i guess.

I think I should have realized the modem's Eithernet jack wasn't working when I went to plug the eithernet cable from the modem to the WAN port on the wireless router and the WAN light never lit up.

Comcast is sending me another modem.


to answer your other questions:

its a cable connection

AT&T wirelss router (801..whatever, g&b compliant)

network set up (hypothetically) as follows:

cable from wall into modem
eithernet out of modem into router's WAN port
LAN1 port on router hardwired into Desktop's (with XP sp1) eithernet port
laptop (XP sp1), TIVO and PS2 all wireless

(potentially an old computer running Win98 hardwired into LAN2 for the sole purpose of using its extra 40gigs of space, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to work this one into the equation b/c this computer is all but fried as of now.)