Ethernet not working from modem

I went into Network Connections and it doesnt seem to recognize that there is a cable attached.  When I use troubleshoot it says that a cable is not connected or possibly broken.  It IS connected, and I did just replace to cable.  I suppose both cables could be faulty.  Is there a way to "enable" it? 

Windows?  You should be able to right-click and enable.

It says "Network Cable Unplugged," which is not the case.  I've checked the connection several times and it's both securely set in both the back of the modem and the back of my desktop.  Made no difference when I replaced the cable.  Could my modem just be faulty?  I've had it a long time.

Or a faulty port on the Zoom.  Connect the PC to 1 of the other 4 ports.

I've sadly tried all four ports and it doesn't seen to recognize the cable.  There's an orange light next to each one (new), and the one on the third port is flashing.  Same result no matter which port though.

It's just me in a small studio apartment, 300-400 square feet (welcome to SD).  And it's mostly just me using it, and all I need to connect physically is my desktop.  All other devices and printer are wireless.  No need for parental controls.  And spend as little as possible, ha!  Preferably less than $100.  I see three in that price range on your list - does "score" refer to your personal rating?

My list is a copy-and-paste from a Consumer Reports article, into a spreadsheet, then a text document.  It's Consumer Report's score.

Of course, the list only contains routers.  You'd have to buy an Internet modem.  The technology for Internet modems is DOCSIS.  Your current DOCSIS is 3.0...newer tech is 3.1...however, 3.0 is fine for most data plans.  I have a 3.0...and a g-router.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me on this - I really appreciate it!

Ok.  I added to my previous post about modems, so you won't be actually spending less than $100.

Ah, thank you for clarifying that.  I'll need either two devices or something like this: a combination modem/router.