Hi UniversalShockwave,  We have tried all the troubleshooting steps in this case. It appears to be an issue with the Ethernet port of your computer and motherboard needs replacement. Since the warranty of computer has expired, Ι will suggest you to get in touch with a local technician to get it fixed. You can also contact Dell Technical support for replacement by entering the service tag of your computer on the following link:  [URL]  Please reply in case you have further questions.
Whenever I plug in an ethernet cord into the integrated ethernet port in my laptop, I do not get a connection and the "Local Area Connection" icon doesn't show up in the Network and Sharing Center or the Device Manager. When I do plug it in, the "Local Area Connection" icon shows up for a second saying it's unplugged and disappears. I have tried different ethernet cables as well as an ethernet adapter (which does show up in the Network and Sharing Center, but I still don't get a connection). My laptop is a Dell Inspiron N2010, I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit, and my ethernet port "RealTek PCIe GBE Family Controller" if that helps. Any help would be appreciated.
Ethernet Adapter Icon Missing