If you cannot identify your adapter and have no second device, use a pre-made driver pack from a trusted PC:
From an installation perspective: No. Both are "network adapters." how to install driver for network adapter
However, Ethernet drivers (e.g., Intel I225-V, Realtek PCIe GbE) are usually simpler and more reliable. Wi-Fi drivers (e.g., Intel AX210, MediaTek MT7921) often require additional framework components like Microsoft .NET Framework or Visual C++ Redistributables. If you cannot identify your adapter and have
If your Wi-Fi driver won’t install, update your Windows first (via Ethernet or USB tethering), then retry the Wi-Fi driver. If you see eth0 or wlan0 , the driver is active
Open Terminal and type:
lspci | grep -i network (for PCIe adapters)
lsusb (for USB adapters)
ip a (shows network interfaces)
If you see eth0 or wlan0, the driver is active.
Success Rate: 99% (assuming you downloaded the correct driver for your OS version – 64-bit vs 32-bit).