Hi guys! I just bought a new NIC card (TP-Link TX401) and installed it on my PC. However, LED lights at the LAN port remain off after plugging LAN cable in. Device Manager could not detect the NIC card as well. What could be the issue here?

P/S: Please help a desperate bro here before I get chewed out by my wife for buying a $80 junk!

Motherboard - ASROCK B550M SE WIFI

Stupid question, have you installed the drivers from TP Link's website for this card? Very occasionally, a device won't show up in Device Manager until the right drivers are installed (e.g. it may show in "Other devices" or only show a single entry where it should show three or four).

If you've installed the drivers, it may be worth checking you're on the latest drivers for the B550M chipset from AMD's site. If neither of those work, I'd check you're on the latest BIOS/UEFI for your motherboard. Still no luck, I'd try it in the other PCI-E slot if your graphics card isn't covering it (it'll work in any of the three slots on your board, but I'm assuming you've got a GPU in slot 1).

If it's still not showing any signs of life, it could be the product is DOA (dead on arrival). Unusual, with quality controls these days, but it can happen. Don't suppose you or a friend have another PC you could try it in before sending it back?

1/ Install the driver and try again

2/ Clean out the inside of the PCIE slot and clean the gold on the bottom of that device and try again

3/ Go through the MB manual to see if the use of something else is conflicting iwth the PCIE slot

Go to TP link. Latest version Is 2.60. Have the same card. but appears to be 2024

When all else fails, check the log files:

https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+pnp+log+files

I tried installing the drivers, however received an error saying that adapter could not be found. I’m suspecting that it could be DOA

Have you tried updating chipset drivers and BIOS, buddy?

How many of your PCI-E slots can you physically get to? Are all three free, or is your GPU using one? Or is it a extra large GPU and covering two of them?

I only have one slot remaining. Will try updating the drivers!

Long story short - you can put the network card into either of those PCI-E slots. 🙂 It'll work just as happily in the longer one as it will the shorter one. I'd try it in both, just in case the PCI-E x1 slot (the shorter one) is not working for some reason but the PCI-E x16 slot (the longer one) works.

Change your motherboard's PCIe slot setting in the BIOS from Auto to Gen 3, gracefully exit the BIOS saving your settings and power off at the wall.

On my Asus 850 board. It appeared to give me grief 2 times on the install. Pending what version card. There was a discussion on trouble shooting on /off issue. Can't remember forum

Thanks, I have already performed this step, but it’s still not detecting 🥹

It's likely failed. Particularly if you don't have another PC to test it with, return it.