FIND YOUR NIC

Your computer MUST have an Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC) to utilize WOWACCESS service. The instructions below will help you determine whether or not you have a NIC installed. If you do not have a NIC, you will need to have one installed to connect to our service.

The NIC provides an Ethernet jack on the back of your computer. You can check to see if you have an Ethernet jack either one of two ways.

	1. Look to see if you have an Ethernet jack.
	2. Check the hardware profile of your computer.

Method 1: Look to see if you have an Ethernet jack.

• Generally, your Ethernet jack is found at the back of your computer where all of the other cables plug into your machine. As you can see from the pictures below, an Ethernet jack (or RJ 45 jack) is wider than a telephone jack (or RJ 11 jack).

		CORRECT CAT5 RJ45 - Connector 8 wires
		WRONG TELEPHONE RJ11 - Connector 6 wires
Shown above are:
(right) an Ethernet jack on the back of a computer (left) an Ethernet jack on a NIC that has not yet been installed in a computer.
If you are still not certain after looking at the jack, try the second method, which is to check the hardware profile of your computer.

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Method 2: Check the hardware profile of your computer.

• With Windows 95, 98 or Me computers:
  Step 1: Click on the Start button and under Settings select Control Panel.
  Step 2: Click on the System icon.
  Step 3: Click on the Device Manager tab.
  Step 4: Double click on Network Adapters.
  Step 5: If you have a line that has the word Ethernet under Network Adapters, you have a NIC installed that should have an Ethernet jack.

• With Windows 2000 computers:
  Step 1: Click on the Start button and under Settings choose Network and Dial Up Connections.
  Step 2: Click on Network Identification on the left side of the screen.
  Step 3: Click on the Hardware tab.
  Step 4: Click on Device Manager.
  Step 5: Double click on Network Adapters.
  Step 6: If you have a line that has the word Ethernet under Network Adapters, you have a NIC installed that should have an Ethernet jack.

• With Windows XP computers:
  Step 1: Click on the Start button and choose My Computer.
  Step 2: Click on View System Information.
  Step 3: Click on the Hardware tab.
  Step 4: Click Device Manager.
  Step 5: Double click on Network Adapters.
  Step 6: If you have a line that has the word Ethernet under Network Adapters, you have a NIC installed that should have an Ethernet jack.

• With Macintosh computers:
  Step 1: From the Apple Menu Items, access Control Panels.
  Step 2: From Control Panels dialog box, access the TCP/IP control panel.
  Step 3: With the TCP/IP control panel selected, go to the File menu and select Get Info (Ctrl-I).
  Step 4: The Get Info dialog box will list a Hardware Address, which is the MAC address. If a MAC address is listed, you have a NIC installed that should have an Ethernet jack.

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