First of all, yes, I'm putting it in the right place. I know which one is the modem socket and which one is for an ethernet cable. I've used this same socket (is that the best word?) for over a year, and it's been fine. Now, however, my ethernet cable keeps coming out of the socket. I can put it in, but it is extremely loose, and comes out every few seconds unless I continually push it in. I was actually content with this, but now it's gotten even worse, where even if I push it in, it often does not work. I especially have trouble accessing anything online where I have to press a button (a yahoo/google search, or submitting any information online such as on an e-mail website. I'm typing this from another computer by the way.

What should I do? Do I need a whole new computer, or is there some way to fix the ethernet cable socket? Alternatively, could I do something to press the cable in and keep it in the right way for good? Thanks a lot for all your help, as this is a very, very frustrating situation.

Take a close look at the end. Is it damaged or worn? Is there anything sticking out that might keep it from going all the way in? If you can't see a problem, try reversing the cable. Could be enough difference to fix the problem. Try a different cable. You can replace the end too. I think I had to buy a package of 50 ends when I wired my house for ethernet. They are a pain to crimp without the tool made for the job.

Its highly unlikely it's the jack. Did you try reversing the cable? Its most like the little tab which clicks into the jack is broken.

Thanks guys, but I've tried a few different cables, and the main cable I use works fine in my roommate's computer. The cables are all fine. It really is the jack, as far as I can tell. However, the problem is twofold, and you might be able to help me with either part.

First is what I said. The cable is very, very loose in the jack, and comes out all the time. As I said before, though, I can deal with this by pushing it in hard, which was annoying but effective... until now. Now, even when it is in, the internet works very infrequently. Again, I have trouble submitting any information, like on hotmail.com or other e-mail websites, or on search engines. I believe these two problems might be related, though, as the orange light next to the jack flashes on only about 10% of the time when the cable is in (I can get the green light on consistently, but the orange light is off most of the time). What should I do?

Thanks!

You shouldn't need a whole new computer. Is the socket on the ethernet card? They are not that expensive. If you are up to a little soldering, replacing the socket might not be too bad if you can find one. There is tape and a wedge. You could also look at the socket and see if a little prying or squeezing would take care of a mechanical problem.

Buy a new ethernet card, in the UK you can buy these for 3 quid. Just remove or disable the existing one (disable if onboard)

To combine what the others said. If the ethernet port is onboard (on the motherboard) then buy a new card and use that. You can have multiple Ethernet Adapters in a PC. You might want to remove the onboard adapter from your Network connections so you don't get them confused.

If its on a card, then just replace the card.