Brand new PC (HP) won't connect via connector.
April 1, 2020 2:55 PM Subscribe
It was time, after working with this 7 year old lap top that now has black holes in the screen.
I turned it on, and...My PC (HP) laptop wanted me to connect to wireless, which I don't have. I purchased the adapter and connected everything, shut the Cox modem off, turned it back on, and nothing. I read some of the other similar posts, but the advice given there: I can't see adding a bunch of drivers to my brand new laptop, even if I knew what that meant.
This is awfully disappointing! Obviously you can talk to me like I'm five.
I turned it on, and...My PC (HP) laptop wanted me to connect to wireless, which I don't have. I purchased the adapter and connected everything, shut the Cox modem off, turned it back on, and nothing. I read some of the other similar posts, but the advice given there: I can't see adding a bunch of drivers to my brand new laptop, even if I knew what that meant.
This is awfully disappointing! Obviously you can talk to me like I'm five.
I somewhat disagree with doomsey, I don't know that you'll need to install drivers or what not, wifi should work right out of the box provided there's a hotspot. I suspect the problem in this case is that the hotspot not existing is the issue. But I do agree that we're going to need a little more information / clarity here to understand exactly what the issue is.
Questions:
1. When you say you don't have wireless, are you saying you don't have a Wifi router in your home? Or your new PC doesn't have Wifi (unlikely)?
2. What 'adapter' are you talking about? What connectors does it have, does it have a model number, etc.?
3. When you say Cox modem, I'm guessing you're referring to the little box that Cox Cable (again guessing, we don't have Cox in this area) provided when they set up access? How do you connect other devices to it / use it? Ethernet cable?
4. The PC wanted you to connect to Wifi, was this part of the setup process for the new laptop? Does it let you bypass that or is it a requirement? What happens / what does it show when it asks you, does it give you a list of WiFi hotspots?
With the above info it'll be much easier to understand and assist.
posted by SquidLips at 3:43 PM on April 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
Questions:
1. When you say you don't have wireless, are you saying you don't have a Wifi router in your home? Or your new PC doesn't have Wifi (unlikely)?
2. What 'adapter' are you talking about? What connectors does it have, does it have a model number, etc.?
3. When you say Cox modem, I'm guessing you're referring to the little box that Cox Cable (again guessing, we don't have Cox in this area) provided when they set up access? How do you connect other devices to it / use it? Ethernet cable?
4. The PC wanted you to connect to Wifi, was this part of the setup process for the new laptop? Does it let you bypass that or is it a requirement? What happens / what does it show when it asks you, does it give you a list of WiFi hotspots?
With the above info it'll be much easier to understand and assist.
posted by SquidLips at 3:43 PM on April 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
Are you sure you don't have wifi and maybe don't know it/haven't set it up? Every modem I've had in the last 5+ years had its own wifi built in. If you're able to enable wifi on your modem then you'll be able to connect to it. If you tell us what modem you have someone should be able to tell you if it has wifi.
If you're adding a new piece of hardware (ie the wired network adapter) to your computer then it is going to need drivers to know how to talk to it. Ideally the adapter would come with a driver disk/USB but they likely assume you'll be able to get it from the internet, and indeed if your computer was connected to the internet there'd be a decent chance it would be able to get the driver it needed itself.
For the time being you'll have the most success using the old laptop to either set up your modem to have wifi or download the drivers needed for your new laptop.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:52 PM on April 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you're adding a new piece of hardware (ie the wired network adapter) to your computer then it is going to need drivers to know how to talk to it. Ideally the adapter would come with a driver disk/USB but they likely assume you'll be able to get it from the internet, and indeed if your computer was connected to the internet there'd be a decent chance it would be able to get the driver it needed itself.
For the time being you'll have the most success using the old laptop to either set up your modem to have wifi or download the drivers needed for your new laptop.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:52 PM on April 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Questions:
1. When you say you don't have wireless, are you saying you don't have a Wifi router in your home? Correct. Or your new PC doesn't have Wifi (unlikely)? The computer only wants to connect to wifi, of which I have not.
2. What 'adapter' are you talking about? What connectors does it have, does it have a model number, etc.? Microdoft Model 1821 (lots of other cities and countries listed) So, none of the newer computers have a receptacle for the modem (the end looks like a phone jack) So the adapter is one end (to go in the puter) and the other end phone-jack-like (to go in the modem)
3. When you say Cox modem, I'm guessing you're referring to the little box that Cox Cable (again guessing, we don't have Cox in this area) provided when they set up access? How do you connect other devices to it / use it? I have no other devices. Ethernet cable? The one that looks like a phone jack? Yes
4. The PC wanted you to connect to Wifi, was this part of the setup process for the new laptop? Yes Does it let you bypass that or is it a requirement? It says I dont have to add the internet, but of course I want to. I haven't clicked on it to see what happens when I by-pass it. What happens / what does it show when it asks you, does it give you a list of WiFi hotspots? It lists all my neighbors (locked) wifis.
My phone is a cheap alcatel (droid). I have never been able to see spending $1000+ on a phone.
I told you I was a Luddite!
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 4:20 PM on April 1, 2020
1. When you say you don't have wireless, are you saying you don't have a Wifi router in your home? Correct. Or your new PC doesn't have Wifi (unlikely)? The computer only wants to connect to wifi, of which I have not.
2. What 'adapter' are you talking about? What connectors does it have, does it have a model number, etc.? Microdoft Model 1821 (lots of other cities and countries listed) So, none of the newer computers have a receptacle for the modem (the end looks like a phone jack) So the adapter is one end (to go in the puter) and the other end phone-jack-like (to go in the modem)
3. When you say Cox modem, I'm guessing you're referring to the little box that Cox Cable (again guessing, we don't have Cox in this area) provided when they set up access? How do you connect other devices to it / use it? I have no other devices. Ethernet cable? The one that looks like a phone jack? Yes
4. The PC wanted you to connect to Wifi, was this part of the setup process for the new laptop? Yes Does it let you bypass that or is it a requirement? It says I dont have to add the internet, but of course I want to. I haven't clicked on it to see what happens when I by-pass it. What happens / what does it show when it asks you, does it give you a list of WiFi hotspots? It lists all my neighbors (locked) wifis.
My phone is a cheap alcatel (droid). I have never been able to see spending $1000+ on a phone.
I told you I was a Luddite!
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 4:20 PM on April 1, 2020
Response by poster: any portmanteau in a storm The modem is a Cisco Q3212. Love your moniker!
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 4:28 PM on April 1, 2020
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 4:28 PM on April 1, 2020
Response by poster: doomsey my phone is also old and slow, but has internet and wireless capacity (although I don't know how to make my phone talk to my computer.) Please refer to my first note for a description of the "adapter." Thank you. To whoever asked, yes, still have the older computer (thank goodness) and it is wireless compatible, but I have been plugging it in to this modem, as I have no wireless.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 4:40 PM on April 1, 2020
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 4:40 PM on April 1, 2020
I think this is the situation: It looks like OP has a new laptop without an ethernet port, and no wifi router, only a cable modem. They want to plug their laptop into their cable modem. Thus they purchased a USB ethernet adapter that apparently lacks built-in drivers. It may be a Microsoft Surface USB-to-ethernet adapter. I'm not entirely sure. Most likely the laptop does not have an optical drive either.
Possibly the easiest way to get this all working is take your laptop with the USB-to-ethernet adapter to somewhere that has wifi, either a public hotspot or a friend who has wifi, connect your laptop to their WiFi, and let Windows search for updates.
If you have a techy friend, they could most likely knock this out for you really quickly. If you brought it to me I could probably get it working in less than 5 minutes, but that's because I have lots of tools. I have killer wifi, spare USB-to-ehternet adapters, spare computers to download stuff, spare usb drives to transfer drivers onto your laptop, and USB optical drives to run the driver disc that probably came with the adapter. You might know someone just like me who'd love to help you.
Another thing to consider is getting a wifi router to plug into your cable modem, then you could carry your laptop all over the house within range of the wifi, and have internet access. You could then also connect your phone to the same wifi and then you would be able to use you phone for lots of stuff without having to worry about getting billed for your mobile data when you're on wifi at home.
posted by glonous keming at 5:11 PM on April 1, 2020
Possibly the easiest way to get this all working is take your laptop with the USB-to-ethernet adapter to somewhere that has wifi, either a public hotspot or a friend who has wifi, connect your laptop to their WiFi, and let Windows search for updates.
If you have a techy friend, they could most likely knock this out for you really quickly. If you brought it to me I could probably get it working in less than 5 minutes, but that's because I have lots of tools. I have killer wifi, spare USB-to-ehternet adapters, spare computers to download stuff, spare usb drives to transfer drivers onto your laptop, and USB optical drives to run the driver disc that probably came with the adapter. You might know someone just like me who'd love to help you.
Another thing to consider is getting a wifi router to plug into your cable modem, then you could carry your laptop all over the house within range of the wifi, and have internet access. You could then also connect your phone to the same wifi and then you would be able to use you phone for lots of stuff without having to worry about getting billed for your mobile data when you're on wifi at home.
posted by glonous keming at 5:11 PM on April 1, 2020
Please, Rumi, specific model name and number of the HP?
posted by Chitownfats at 5:22 PM on April 1, 2020
posted by Chitownfats at 5:22 PM on April 1, 2020
OK, so that modem doesn't have wireless.
It looks like you have the Microsoft Surface USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (it is model 1821). And also that drivers for it are a bit hard to find.
Maybe we can get internet onto your computer another way for now. We can do this by sharing your old laptop's connection or your phone's connection. If you have Windows 10 on the old laptop then you can use the internet connection sharing feature in it. If you have Windows 8 then let's try to share from your phone instead.
In my version of Android I would go to my settings, then Network & Internet, then Hotspot & tethering. Then I would select Wi-Fi hotpot and turn it on. Pick something easy for the password. Once that is set up then you can go to the new laptop and when it asks you to choose a wifi network you select the hotspot you have just made on your phone.
Once your new laptop is on the internet you should be able to plug in the internet adapter and it will do its magic and download the drivers it needs.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2020
It looks like you have the Microsoft Surface USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (it is model 1821). And also that drivers for it are a bit hard to find.
Maybe we can get internet onto your computer another way for now. We can do this by sharing your old laptop's connection or your phone's connection. If you have Windows 10 on the old laptop then you can use the internet connection sharing feature in it. If you have Windows 8 then let's try to share from your phone instead.
In my version of Android I would go to my settings, then Network & Internet, then Hotspot & tethering. Then I would select Wi-Fi hotpot and turn it on. Pick something easy for the password. Once that is set up then you can go to the new laptop and when it asks you to choose a wifi network you select the hotspot you have just made on your phone.
Once your new laptop is on the internet you should be able to plug in the internet adapter and it will do its magic and download the drivers it needs.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2020
Another option would be contacting Cox to see about upgrading to a modem with WiFi, which would be one less plug than adding a router and potentially less configuration complications.
posted by sageleaf at 6:03 PM on April 1, 2020
posted by sageleaf at 6:03 PM on April 1, 2020
4. The PC wanted you to connect to Wifi, was this part of the setup process for the new laptop? Yes Does it let you bypass that or is it a requirement? It says I dont have to add the internet, but of course I want to. I haven't clicked on it to see what happens when I by-pass it. What happens / what does it show when it asks you, does it give you a list of WiFi hotspots? It lists all my neighbors (locked) wifis.Based on this, I think glonous keming is right, it's a new PC, without an ethernet port, but that the OP is actually still in the setup wizard.
Rumi, while it's simplest to set up your networking as part of the initial setup wizard, you will be able to set it up later if you bypass this screen for now. Based on what you've posted, I think that if you can't get online via wireless, and can't get to a place that has wireless, you should "Skip" that part of the wizard for now and move on.
That said, some options for getting wireless access:
Do any of the wifi networks you can see include the word "guest" in the name, and if so, can you work out from the rest of the name which neighbor owns it? Or are you in contact with a neighbor who is a bit tech savvy? You may find someone who will can help you get on their network temporarily to finish the setup, download updates, and get the drivers working. Then they change the password again, if they don't want to share with you long-term.
You may even find someone who will give/loan you an old wireless router that they don't need anymore. If you are anywhere near me, I have my old one in a box that I'd give you for free.
posted by yuwtze at 6:57 PM on April 1, 2020
I think it's deeply unlikely that any recent build of Windows doesn't ship with the drivers for a Microsoft USB network adapter built-in. Rumi'sLeftSock, you can confirm that your new adapter is working by clicking the Search in the Taskbar at the bottom of your screen and typing "network connections" ...this should bring up a Control Panel item called "View network connections., which you'll click on. If there are multiple items in there and one is labeled "Ethernet" that means your new adapter has drivers and is working (if there's only an item labeled Wi-Fi then you will need to install a driver somehow).
I suspect the issue here may be that the modem is being used without a router, and Cox has bound the connection to the MAC address on the old laptop's built-in network adapter. The simplest non-technical fix for this will be to call Cox support during business hours and tell them you've hooked up new equipment to the cable modem and it's not getting a connection; they'll be able to force the modem to re-bind to the new adapter's MAC address and everything will start working again.
That said, it's not a great idea to have a Windows machine connected directly to a cable modem, even in 2020... you're drastically increasing your odds of getting hacked by automated vulnerability scanning tools (back in the Windows 98/ME/XP days you'd have a few minutes tops before your computer was compromised). I strongly agree with the suggestion above that you should probably get a wireless router and plug that into your modem instead. It doesn't have to be anything fancy (I know that most routers advertised these days fall into the $75-$200 range, but something like this $30 TP-Link one would suit you just fine.
On preview: I didn't notice that it looks like you're still in the initial Windows setup wizard. As mentioned above, you can skip the network setup and move on; there's a possibility that the drivers will auto-install and things will just work once you get into actual Windows. That said, the advice about getting a wireless router still stands.
posted by drumcorpse at 7:09 PM on April 1, 2020
I suspect the issue here may be that the modem is being used without a router, and Cox has bound the connection to the MAC address on the old laptop's built-in network adapter. The simplest non-technical fix for this will be to call Cox support during business hours and tell them you've hooked up new equipment to the cable modem and it's not getting a connection; they'll be able to force the modem to re-bind to the new adapter's MAC address and everything will start working again.
That said, it's not a great idea to have a Windows machine connected directly to a cable modem, even in 2020... you're drastically increasing your odds of getting hacked by automated vulnerability scanning tools (back in the Windows 98/ME/XP days you'd have a few minutes tops before your computer was compromised). I strongly agree with the suggestion above that you should probably get a wireless router and plug that into your modem instead. It doesn't have to be anything fancy (I know that most routers advertised these days fall into the $75-$200 range, but something like this $30 TP-Link one would suit you just fine.
On preview: I didn't notice that it looks like you're still in the initial Windows setup wizard. As mentioned above, you can skip the network setup and move on; there's a possibility that the drivers will auto-install and things will just work once you get into actual Windows. That said, the advice about getting a wireless router still stands.
posted by drumcorpse at 7:09 PM on April 1, 2020
Response by poster: You guys are great, much obliged. Thanks you for the offers of equipment, the links, and the information. I don't know any computer people and I'm under 100% quarantine from people anyway (cause I'm a special snowflake) and one of the reasons I bought a new computer is because my other is so old and I thought this might be a long haul. I am, however, pretty friendly with my next door neighbor, so he might let me borrow his wireless, and I can also skip the wifi on the set up wizard, and move on, as was suggested. I'll be annoyed if I have to throw money after money, but I will call Cox (it was a 30 minute wait last time) after I try everything else. I just hope I can get my money back on this $40 adapter, money being tight and all that. I'll be annoyed if it means I need a new router, but it's sounding like it. I'll post an update, it might be a day or two.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 11:11 AM on April 2, 2020
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 11:11 AM on April 2, 2020
Before doing anything else, try this:
1) Plug the USB-to-Ethernet adapter into your new computer, and connect it via the ethernet cable to the modem.
2) Hit skip when it asks you to connect to a wireless network.
3) Finish going through the setup process.
4) When you finish setup and reach the Windows desktop, see if you are connected to the internet. It may just work without additional setup. On Windows 10 , in the taskbar (icons next to the time in the lower right) you'll see an icon that looks like the white outline of a computer monitor with a phone jack. Clicking on it will pop up a little box that says "Connected". You should be able to open a web browser and use the internet as expected.
If you go through setup and the adapter isn't working, there may be separate process for setting up the device, but try the above first.
posted by arcolz at 11:54 AM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
1) Plug the USB-to-Ethernet adapter into your new computer, and connect it via the ethernet cable to the modem.
2) Hit skip when it asks you to connect to a wireless network.
3) Finish going through the setup process.
4) When you finish setup and reach the Windows desktop, see if you are connected to the internet. It may just work without additional setup. On Windows 10 , in the taskbar (icons next to the time in the lower right) you'll see an icon that looks like the white outline of a computer monitor with a phone jack. Clicking on it will pop up a little box that says "Connected". You should be able to open a web browser and use the internet as expected.
If you go through setup and the adapter isn't working, there may be separate process for setting up the device, but try the above first.
posted by arcolz at 11:54 AM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
In addition to the steps given by arcolz (which I agree are a good first step), after you get the computer through the setup and to a desktop, you should reboot (turn off, then on) the cable modem after you switch the ethernet cable from the old computer to the new computer. It still may not work, as Cox might have linked your account to your old computer's MAC address, as suggested by drumcorpse, but I've also seen setups where the modem will work with only the first piece of equipment that is connected after it boots up. (For the same reason, if you find that after switching things around and then back, your old computer's internet stops working, you should reboot the modem again.)
posted by yuwtze at 12:32 PM on April 2, 2020
posted by yuwtze at 12:32 PM on April 2, 2020
Response by poster: Well, I couldn't get a hotspot on my phone (it was ghosted out when I found it) so I got online to Cox and let them scan my modem. Sure enough, mine is a non-wireless modem (really?!), and they'd be happy to rent me one for only $10 a month more (harumph) than I'm paying now and I get to set it up (double harumph.)
At least I won't have to peer through those back dots anymore....But I don't want to do anything until I find out how hard it is to setup the modem, the one drumcorpse suggested.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 1:37 PM on April 4, 2020
At least I won't have to peer through those back dots anymore....But I don't want to do anything until I find out how hard it is to setup the modem, the one drumcorpse suggested.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 1:37 PM on April 4, 2020
I'm not familiar with the TP-link router specifically, but it shouldn't be hard to set up. Per the manufacturer's quick installation guide, it looks like all you'll have to do is plug it in, and put the wifi details into your computer. You would then visit the setup page, and optionally change the network name/password.
You could even continue to use your computer wired, if you prefer, by plugging your existing ethernet cord into one of the blue network ports on the router.
And the manufacturer has anticipated the issue of your modem being set up for the MAC address of your old laptop, if that turns out to be the case, in the note under FAQ Q2. If you have issues connecting to the internet after getting connected to your new wifi, you could either call Cox to have them change it on their end, or use the procedure in Q2 (from the OLD computer) to let the new router clone the MAC address of your old computer, so Cox wouldn't even know anything's different.
posted by yuwtze at 8:54 AM on April 6, 2020
You could even continue to use your computer wired, if you prefer, by plugging your existing ethernet cord into one of the blue network ports on the router.
And the manufacturer has anticipated the issue of your modem being set up for the MAC address of your old laptop, if that turns out to be the case, in the note under FAQ Q2. If you have issues connecting to the internet after getting connected to your new wifi, you could either call Cox to have them change it on their end, or use the procedure in Q2 (from the OLD computer) to let the new router clone the MAC address of your old computer, so Cox wouldn't even know anything's different.
posted by yuwtze at 8:54 AM on April 6, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Can you enable the WiFi hotspot on your phone, and connect to that with the WiFi? That may let the computer get out to the Internet and “figure out” how to talk to your adapter. Most (but not all) modern phones and plans have this capability. We can probably help you enable it if you say what kind of phone you have.
Otherwise, to proceed you will need access to a computer that is connected to the Internet, and a USB memory stick. Hopefully you still have your old machine that you can use for this. You will also need to tell the community exactly what you bought that you are referring to as “the adapter.” Once you do that we should be able point to what you have to download on your Internet-connected computer and move to the memory stick, which you would then put in the new computer and run to get the drivers installed.
posted by doomsey at 3:21 PM on April 1, 2020