Dying computer: Updated

My computer is dying. The Ethernet port is slow burning to oblivion. Every couple minutes I get a warning on my screen saying the wired network has taken a powder. Then it comes back. I checked the wire and the other bits between me and the network. It is the Ethernet adapter on the motherboard.

The funny thing is, we have had several computers die at work recently with this same symptom. The ones at work just dropped off to nowhere it seems. That or no one noticed their decline.

What do I intend to do about it. Well, a new computer is something like $700. It is the self same computer we have at work. It is a piece of junk, but it is cheap and you can order it with no operating system. I'm not paying for Microsoft Windows if I am not going to use it. There is no point in buying a new motherboard. A PCI NIC (Network Interface Card) is still a bit pricey for what you are getting. I did find a couple USB Ethernet ports on Amazon for about $5. This might get me past the bad spot.

You know, we are about to have some really old really cruddy, but still better than the one sitting on my desk, computers coming lose at work here pretty soon. Maybe I'll hold out for one of those by getting the USB adapter. That adapter will be useful for other computers that end up cratering on me or need a network change over. Might be a handy tool in the box.

UPDATE

After further experimentation, and a comment from Nat, I think it is the $20 router I purchased several weeks ago. More wining to come.

After even further experimentation and further comments from Nat, I've narrowed it down to a switch that has gone bad. It appears to be blinking on and off every couple of seconds. This is precisely the sort of thing that brings down our network at work all the time. Switches are pieces of shit. What is the deal? is it possible to design an inexpensive switch that is not a slab of crap?