Ethernet Connection stopped working after Windows 11 Update

Winver Version 24H2 (OS Build 26100.4061)

Did the Windows 11 Update and after restart the Ethernet connection had disappeared. Device manager showed :-


Had to switch Wi-fi on to get any Internet Connection. Rebooting and restarting did not resolve the issue, not did rolling back the Windows Update.
I suspected some sort of hardware or cabling issue.

When I rebooted today, suddenly the Ethernet is back. Device manager shows :-


Anyone got any idea what might cause it and how did it resolve itself without me seeming to do anything?

Thanks for any ideas.

Try this:

Start by making sure that you have the driver available so that you can reinstall it.

Open Device Manager and then select the option to show hidden devices as shown here:



Hopefully you will now see the Ethernet adapter as shown below. Note in my screenshot that this Ethernet adapter is greyed out or ghosted out indicating that the system does not currently see the device...



Right-click on that device and delete it. If you are given a choice to uninstall the driver, select this option.

Reinstall the driver and reboot.

Does the system now see the Ethernet adapter?

Thanks for the reply. Yes I will make sure I have a copy of the network adapter driver available, but as you will see from the second image I sent, the driver suddenly reappeared after rebooting the following day. I did not need to reinstall or enable anything.
I was wondering how it disappeared and reappeared again without me taking any action.
The only difference between rebooting when the fault occurred and rebooting the following day is that the computer was switched off overnight and was cold. I don't know if overheating could stop Windows 11 finding the Ethernet controller. I doubt that is the case here though, as the computer is only running at about 40 degrees C.
Since this happened immediately after a Windows 11 update I suspect that is the culprit, but am at a loss to see what exactly happened.