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Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.

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Enable or disable a network adapter

You need a network adapter to connect a computer to a network. You can disconnect your computer from a network by disabling your network adapter, and you can sometimes solve connection problems by disabling and then re-enabling the adapter.

  1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network connections.

  2. Right-click the network adapter, and then do one of the following:

    • To disable the network adapter, click Disable. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

    • To enable the network adapter, click Enable. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

    If you disable the adapter, you have to enable it again to connect to a network.

Note

Note

Your computer might have more than one network adapter. Each adapter is listed next to the name of the network connection that uses it. Make sure that you select the correct adapter.

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