To install network hardware and drivers on your computer, follow these steps:
1. Insert the adapter into an available USB port on your computer. Make sure it is securely connected.
2. Right-click on the “Computer” icon on your desktop or in the Start menu, and then click on “Manage.” This will open the Computer Management window.
3. In the Computer Management window, click on “Device Manager” in the left-hand pane. This will display a list of all the devices connected to your computer.
4. Look for the category named “Network adapters” and click on the arrow next to it to expand the list. This will show all the network adapters installed on your computer.
5. Right-click on the network adapter you want to install drivers for, and then click on “Update Driver Software.” This will open the Update Driver Software wizard.
6. In the wizard, select the option “Browse my computer for driver software” and click on “Next.”
7. On the next screen, click on “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.”
8. Click on the “Have Disk” button. This will prompt you to locate the driver software.
9. Click on the “Browse” button and navigate to the folder where the driver software is located. Typically, the driver software will be provided on a CD or downloaded from the manufacturer’s website and saved on your computer.
10. Select the appropriate driver file (usually ending with the .inf extension) and click on “Open.”
11. Back in the Update Driver Software wizard, click on “Next” to start the installation of the driver.
12. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation process. Windows will install the driver software for the network adapter.
13. Once the installation is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer. If so, save any unsaved work and click on “Restart” to reboot your computer.
After restarting, your network adapter should be installed and ready to use. You can check its status in Device Manager to ensure it is working properly.
Remember to repeat these steps for any additional network hardware or adapters you need to install drivers for.
Note: The specific steps may vary slightly depending on your version of Windows and the manufacturer of your network adapter. However, the general process should be similar.