A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network equipment by the manufacturer. If the computer is connected to a local network, the administrator can assign it an arbitrary MAC address that is not associated with the factory one.
Necessary
- - computer;
- - LAN card.
Instructions
Step 1
To find the MAC address, from the "Start" menu, select the "Run" option and enter cmd. Click OK to confirm. In the opened console, write the getmac command. The line "Physical address" displays the MAC address. You can call the management console in another way: from the "Start" menu, select the items "All programs", "Accessories" and "Command line".
Step 2
If you want to get complete information about the network connection, enter the ipconfig / all command.
In addition to the physical address, you will see the rest of the data about the network card and network properties. If the network cable is not connected, the “Network disconnected” message will appear in the “Network status” line. If your computer has multiple network cards installed, several blocks of text will be displayed with information about each of them.
Step 3
You can also find out the MAC address from the Control Panel. Double click on the "Network Connections" icon. To open the context menu, right-click on the "Local Area Connection" icon. Select the "Status" option and open the "Support" tab. Click the Details button. A new window displays information about the network and the MAC address of the network card.
Step 4
The command ipconfig / s comp_name, where comp_name is the name of any computer on the local network, displays its MAC address, provided that you have access rights. You can use the nbtstat [-a comp_name] or [-a IP] command for the same purpose.
Step 5
You can change the MAC address of the network equipment using Windows tools. Call the context menu by right-clicking on the "My Computer" icon. Select the "Properties" option and the "Hardware" tab. Click on "Device Manager". Right click on the name of the network card and select the "Properties" option. In the "Advanced" tab in the properties window, check the "Network address" item. Enter the MAC address in the box on the right.
