Disable the Existing Network Connection

If you have an existing network adapter that's used for wireless access, you might want to disable this connection when it's not in use. You might never need to enable it again. For example, most laptops, like the one I'm using to pen this chapter, have an integrated 10/100 Ethernet port. But since I got the PCMCIA wireless card for network access, I never use the Ethernet port anymore. A lot of desktop motherboards today also have 10/100 Ethernet ports on-board.

If I left the laptop configured the way it was, with the wired connection enabled, I would get notifications every time the computer booted up that the wired connection's cable was unplugged. This can get aggravating over time.

However, disabling the wired connection takes only a couple of steps:

1.	Open the Network Connections applet in the Control Panel. (Remember that you can right-click on My Network Places and choose Properties.)
2.	Right-click the wired connection, and from the context menu, choose Disable.

The connection will now be grayed out, and its status will show up as Disabled, as shown in Figure 10-11. Now, you won't be reminded anymore about that the network cable is unplugged. Of course it's unpluggedyou've gone wireless, man!

Figure 10-11. Disabling the unused wired connection.