Ethernet Stuck On Identifying (Causes, Fixes)

These days, most of us connect to the internet through a Wi-Fi connection, but a wired Ethernet connection still has its advantages.

Unlike Wi-Fi, an Ethernet connection is usually more reliable, more secure, and doesn’t experience interference by other devices.

Sometimes, you may have no other choice but to go with an Ethernet connection.

Maybe you use a desktop without a wireless adapter, or your laptop’s network card has just stopped working.

Maybe you’ve decided to go with an Ethernet connection for whatever reason, but when you plug in the cable, your system doesn’t seem to work.

It gets stuck on identifying, and you can’t browse the web.

Continue reading to learn why this happens, how to fix it, and whether you should continue using Ethernet or not.

Why Does Ethernet Get Stuck On Identifying?

Before discussing the potential causes, you need to know the purpose of the identifying stage.

Your computer needs a unique identifier known as an IP address to connect to the internet.

This IP address allows servers on the internet to communicate with your computer and send and receive data.

The identification stage is when your computer obtains an IP address from your router, which changes every time you unplug the cable and plug it back in.

If your computer can’t obtain that IP address, for some reason, Ethernet will get stuck.

A few factors can cause this issue:

Your internet connection might not work properly.
There might be a problem with your Ethernet cable or router.
Your PC might not have the correct IP configuration.
Your network settings might be wrong.
Other software, such as your antivirus or VPN client, may be blocking your connection.
Your network card drivers are preventing you from getting connected.

Now, let’s go over a few fixes you can try.

1. Check Your Ethernet Cable

A common issue with wired connections is that they use a physical medium (i.e., a cable), which can easily get damaged.

If your Ethernet cable is bent or damaged in any way, your device can’t establish a connection to the router, hence no IP.

Run your finger along the cable to see if the shield is broken or if you notice any other damage.

Then check the male plugs as they’re notoriously vulnerable to breaking.

Also, check the lights on your router.

Each port has a dedicated light to indicate it’s connected to a device.

If the corresponding light is off, you’re most likely dealing with a cable issue.

Use a different cable and see if the issue is resolved.

2. Reboot Your Router

Once you’ve made sure the cable is fine, it’s time to check your router.

First, unplug it.

Be careful not to press your router’s reset button.

Pushing that button can factory reset your router, forcing you to reconfigure the entire device.

Wait for at least 30 seconds so that all the devices connected to the router discover that it’s off.

Now plug it back in.

Wait a couple of minutes until it fully boots up and your devices connect to it.

Check and see if your PC can identify your network.

3. Run The Network Troubleshooter

Windows can solve some of its problems using the Network Troubleshooter.

To run the diagnostic tool in Windows 10, follow these steps:

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Go to Network and Internet.
Click Network Troubleshooter.
Wait for the diagnostics to run.

If the tool doesn’t detect any issues, try the next solution.

4. Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup helps your PC load settings from system memory or cache so that your system starts faster.

Disabling this feature might solve your connection problems because any misconfigured settings will be purged.

Follow these steps:

Right-click on the Windows icon.
Select Power Options.
On the left, click on Choose what the power buttons do/Choose what the power button does.
Select Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
Save the changes.
Restart your PC.

5. Fix TCP/IP

TCP is the protocol that defines how computers communicate over the internet.

Sometimes, misconfigurations or corrupt data can cause the protocol to act up.

Do the following steps to reset TCP/IP:

Type cmd in your start menu.
Right-click on Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
Type these commands:

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

Restart your PC to see whether this solution worked or not.

6. Disable Your Antivirus

Sometimes third-party software, like your antivirus, can prevent your system from accessing the internet.

In that case, turning off the software can do the trick.

Of course, if you manage to get the issue resolved using this fix, you need to check your settings.

Otherwise, your computer may be exposed to all sorts of threats since your antivirus is disabled.

Contact your antivirus customer service and ask them for a solution.

7. Disable Your VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) lets you browse the web without leaving a trace of your identity.

Although that may sound interesting, the connection will make a few modifications to your settings, which can mess up your regular usage settings.

If you find yourself struggling to connect to the internet soon after installing a VPN client, try disabling or removing it.

If you got your VPN from a reputable company, contact their support for assistance.

8. Turn Off Your Default Firewall

Microsoft provides users with Windows Defender Firewall to protect them from malware.

However, that firewall could be the cause of your issue because it may be inadvertently blocking your connection.

You will need to turn it off temporarily:

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Search for Windows Defender Firewall.
Select Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off on the left.
Check this box that you see below both settings: Turn off Windows Defender Firewall.
Restart your PC and check if your problem is gone.

9. Check The Network Adapter Settings

Remember that IP address we talked about earlier?

Your system automatically obtains one from your router.

You don’t have to do anything as long as the settings are configured properly.

To make sure the best settings are at work, follow these steps:

Press Windows Key + R.
In the new window, type ncpa.cpl and select OK.
The Network Connections window opens.
Right-click on Ethernet and choose Properties.
Click Internet Protocol Version 4.
These two options should be checked:

Obtain an IP Address Automatically

Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically

10. Manually Enter IP And DNS

On the flip side of the automatic IP retrieval, your router may not be configured to hand out IP addresses on its own.

In this case, you need to manually set an IP address that falls in the network range.

(Admittedly, this may require a bit of technical knowledge.)

From the Network Connection window, go and find your Ethernet.
Right-click on it and select Properties.
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 and click on Properties.
Click on Use the following IP address.

If your LAN IP address is 192.168.1.1, you must enter a new address.

This new address should be 192.168.1.x.

X can be a number from 2 to 255.

You can check other devices connected to your network or contact your ISP and ask for their help to get the correct address.

Now choose Use the following DNS server address and enter the DNS address provided by your ISP.
You can use 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for your DNS addresses.
Select Apply and then OK.

11. Reset Your Network Settings

When there’s a problem with your IP address, you need to release the current one and obtain a new configuration.

Perform the following steps to see if your problem goes away:

Press Windows Key + X and select Command Prompt.
Type these commands, hitting enter after each one:

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /renew

nbtstat –R

nbtstat –RR

netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt

netsh winsock reset

Restart your PC.
Hold Windows Key + R and type control panel.
Choose Network and sharing center and select Change adapter settings.
Right-click on Ethernet and select disable.
Wait a few seconds, and then right-click and enable it.
Restart your system, and you might have solved your problem.

12. Disable IPv6

Your PC normally uses IPv4 to connect to the internet, which is the older version of the IP standard, but it’s still widely used.

Sometimes, though, your settings may automatically change to IPv6, which could cause a conflict and block your connection.

Disabling it may get you back online.

Follow these steps:

From the Network Connection window, go and find your Ethernet adapter.
Right-click on it and select Properties.
Find Internet Protocol Version 6 and uncheck it.
Click OK and restart your PC.

13. Disable IPv6 Using Registry Editor

Even by doing that, IPv6 might not be disabled.

In that case, you’ll need to disable it from the registry editor, which will require administrative access.

Remember that tweaking the Windows registry isn’t an easy task.

If you’re not an advanced computer user, don’t try this.

Follow these steps to disable IPV6:

Hold Windows Key + R and type regedit.
Go to this location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIP6\Parameters

After that, right-click on an empty space, select New, and DWORD (32-bit) value.
Name the new value Disabled Components and save it.
Double click on DisabledComponemts to see the properties.

Set the value to “ffffffff” and select OK.

Restart your PC to check if it works.

14. Disable Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter

When there’s another network adapter installed on your system, it can interrupt or prevent your connection.

Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter is one of those networks.

Here’s how you can disable it:

Right-click on the Windows icon (or press Windows + X).
Choose Device Manager from the list.
Select View on the Device Manager and choose Show hidden devices.
Now click on Network adapters and find Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter.
Right-click on it and select disable.
Choose Yes.

15. Reinstall Your Network Adapter Driver

As with most computer problems, an outdated or corrupt driver could be the culprit here, too.

Follow these steps to do a fresh install of your network drivers:

Press Windows Key + X and choose Device Manager.
Find Network adapters and expand the list.
Right-click on your network adapter and select Uninstall device.
When your PC uninstalls it, restart your system.

It installs it again.

See if your problem was fixed.

16. Update Network Adapter Driver

This one is a little tricky because you need internet access, and you’re doing all of this because you don’t have that.

Therefore, you need a wireless connection, and here are your instructions:

Open Device Manager.
Expand the Network adapters and find your network.
Right-click and choose Update driver.
You see two options here:

Search automatically for updated driver software, and

Browse my computer for driver software.

Choose the first one and wait for its installation if you don’t have the update on your device.

Restart your PC.

17. Set A MAC Address To The Network Card

Your PC needs a MAC Address assigned to the network card to establish a connection with the router.

When your system doesn’t have a valid MAC Address, your PC can’t connect to the internet.

Follow these steps to assign a MAC Address:

Hold Windows Key + R.
Enter cmd and press Enter.
Type this command and then press Enter:

ipconfig/all

Find a Physical Address and write it down.
Again, go to your Ethernet adapter, right-click on it, and choose Properties.
Click on Configure and go to the Advanced tab.
Select Network Address and check the Value box
Enter the Physical Address you wrote down and click OK.

18. Turn Off The Power Management Customization

Your PC tries to help you save power.

However, this can cause problems and interrupt your network adapter function.

To disable it, follow these instructions:

Go to your Ethernet adapter in Network and Sharing Center and disable it
Now right-click on it and select Properties.
Click on Configure.
Go to the Power Management tab and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
Click on OK.
Right-click on the Ethernet again and enable it.

Check and see if you’re connected to the internet.

19. Lower Your Network Power Usage

You’d think maximizing the value of your output value helps you have a good connection.

Well, this is not always the case.

To fix that, do the following:

Open Device Manager.
Expand Network Adapters, find your network adapter, right-click on it, and select Properties.
Go to the Advanced tab and find Power Output under Property.
Set the value from 100% to 75%.
Select OK and restart your PC.

20. Disable The Virtual Ethernet Devices

Like Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter, these virtual Ethernet devices can prevent your connection.

To fix it, do the following:

Go to your Network Connections window and look for any unfamiliar Ethernet connections.
Right-click on them and disable them.

If you’re not sure, search their name and read about them.

21. Uninstall PC Updates

Microsoft publishes Windows updates regularly, but those updates aren’t always without their bugs.

If you’re experiencing the issue after a recent Windows update, you’ll most likely fix it by rolling the update back.

To uninstall your system’s update, do the following:

Click on Windows and open settings.
In the new window, look for Update and Security.

Now choose the Windows Update option.

Click on View update history.
Choose Uninstall Updates, and you see all the recent installed updates.
Find the most recent update, right-click on it, and select Uninstall.
Once the uninstallation process is finished, your PC goes back to the previous build.