Topic: Network card/OS help needed

[Vipre]

Does anyone have an idea what would make make my network card stop showing up in task manager's "Network" tab? When I click the tab it says "No active network adapter" or something close to that. There's nothing wrong with the card and all the diagnostics I've tried say it's working fine but it keeps saying there is no cable plugged in and the system hangs when trying to access it.

I've tried uninstallling the drivers and the adapter itself under hardware manager and reinstalling it but nothing is working. I need the card for internet access and unless I can get it working I have to move everything over to a backup drive which does work.

Is there any magic bullet?

[Dash Jones]

Loose cord or wrong drivers?  Driver conflict or device conflict?  There could be multiple reasons, but not certain without knowing more.

[Nemesis]

Its best when asking this sort of question to tell what hardware and Operating system you have.

[Vipre]

Loose cord or wrong drivers?  Driver conflict or device conflict?  There could be multiple reasons, but not certain without knowing more.

No to both, the card works fine with my backup drive (which I'm using now). If I take this harddrive out and put the original back in, it stops working. Driver is the same, settings are all the same. I've ruled out driver, device conflicts and hardware for certain. It has to be an issue with the OS but I have no experience with Network troubleshooting beyond the hardware.

I just got up the other day, turned on the computer and the problem began. Windows reports the card as perfectly fine but it won't show as active under task manager's "network" tab and won't recognize connections.

Its best when asking this sort of question to tell what hardware and Operating system you have.

Ouch, sorry. Windows XP SP2 and the card is a CNet Pro200WL PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter. The driver, on this hd is XP's generic Microsoft driver ver. 1.22.1.208 dated 7/1/2001 (because it's a fresh XP install) and it works fine. I'd have to swap drives to find the original hd's version but as I said I'm certain it's not a device driver, conflict or hardware issue.




I expect to hear that there's no way to figure it out through forum posts but it takes forever to reinstall everything on a fresh drive so I have to try. Thanks to you both for the responses.

[drb]

Hoi Viper,

 Have you tried "right clicking' on the network connection in the show all connection and "enabling?"  If you have other connections configured ensure they are disabled. Go to connections through the start menu. IF settings are correct there off to the device manager for network adapters, check properties for resource conflicts, IRQ, com ports, I/O ranges, or other errors. If nothing needs to be corrected, uninstall connection in connections, then uninstall drivers in device manager, reboot then re-install. If you can get the drivers and/or software from manufacture, as it will be most up to date, I would try that prior to windows' pre-loaded drivers and/or software.

 Just re-read you post, is the other HD set as slave?


Take care

drb

[Nemesis]

I don't use XP myself but I have had problems with Win2000 where I *thought* a driver was uninstalled but when booting into safe mode it would turn out to be still installed - sometimes multiple copies.  I eventually switched to uninstalling drivers in safe mode only as that was the only way to be sure that Windows actually did as it was told.   Have you tried to see if the card functions in safe mode (network enabled version of course)

Just a thought but have you checked to make sure the correct protocols are installed?  (in 2000 that is Control Panel - Network Connections - Local area connections - Properties). 

[Vipre]

Have you tried "right clicking' on the network connection in the show all connection and "enabling?"

Yes, making sure the connection was set to enabled was one of my fist steps. When enabled it says "a network cable is unplugged" or whatever that message is but I've confirmed everthing is connected and in working order.

If you have other connections configured ensure they are disabled. Go to connections through the start menu.

No other connections

IF settings are correct there off to the device manager for network adapters, check properties for resource conflicts, IRQ, com ports, I/O ranges, or other errors. If nothing needs to be corrected, uninstall connection in connections, then uninstall drivers in device manager, reboot then re-install.

Device manager says everthing is normal I did the driver uninstall but I don't recall if I deleted the connection or not before hand so I'll run through that process again just to be sure

If you can get the drivers and/or software from manufacture, as it will be most up to date, I would try that prior to windows' pre-loaded drivers and/or software.

I'll have to see what the installed driver on the other drive is because I'm pretty sure it was the latest driver I could find. As I mentioned though the card does work fine on this drive using the XP driver. I haven't had time yet to install anything but my vid driver.

Just re-read you post, is the other HD set as slave?

Right now yes, the original drive is set as a secondary drive on the system. So I can look up files on the original drive if that's why you were asking.

I don't use XP myself but I have had problems with Win2000 where I *thought* a driver was uninstalled but when booting into safe mode it would turn out to be still installed - sometimes multiple copies.  I eventually switched to uninstalling drivers in safe mode only as that was the only way to be sure that Windows actually did as it was told.   Have you tried to see if the card functions in safe mode (network enabled version of course)

No, but that is definitely something I'll look at.

Just a thought but have you checked to make sure the correct protocols are installed?  (in 2000 that is Control Panel - Network Connections - Local area connections - Properties).

Yes, and the connection is setup just like it has always been

[Dash Jones]

Sounds an awful lot like a driver conflict still.  It shows the right card in the Device Driver correct.  And which driver does it show for the original drive...

Also, what does the original drive show the driver as in the Registry?  Does it have more than one Driver showing as being utilized?

[drb]

Hoi Viper,

Not shore if you looked here yet. I Googled you card and found this support page. Driver dl and support links for your OS.

http://www.cnetusa.com/product/specs/nics_pro200wl.htm

The installation guide seems to have some content, as well they have contact info:     

2548 Zanker Road
San Jose, CA 95131
Phone: (408) 934-0800 / (800) 486-2638
Fax:     (408) 934-0900
Website: www.cnetusa.com
Sales: sales@hq.cnetusa.com
Tech Support: tech@hq.cnetusa.com
Webmaster: website@hq.cnetusa.com

TECH
SUPPORT

Tech support hours: Monday - Friday 7AM - 5PM PST
email: tech@hq.cnetusa.com
CONTACT
INFO
   toll free number: (800) 486-CNET or (800) 486-2638
  phone number: (408) 934-0800

RMA  ext. 306
TECH SUPPORT  ext. 305


*edit, found more contact info*
Sometimes the support staff know the exact setting, or step in the procedure that makes the difference.

WRT to the hard drives, I was just wondering if you had set one as master and the other as slave in the bios.

Take care

drb

[Vipre]

Thanks to everyone for the info.

I went through everything but came up dry and unfortunately ran out of time, well patience more accurately. Everything for with the card was perfect, it just wouldn't work. Going back to my belief it was something with the OS not the card or it's drivers I used XP's installation disc "repair my XP installation" option. After it copied what I assume are critical XP system files off the cd the system rebooted and the card activated just like it's supposed to.

I've no idea what system files were copied off the XP cd but whatever they are it worked. Thanks again to you all.

[drb]

Hoi Viper,

I was going to ask how it was going. Incomplete install of XP? I should have thought of that! hehe. Well I am glad it is working. Just wondering, did you contact support? I wonder if they would have caught that or if they would have referred you to Microsoft.

Take care

drb

[Vipre]

Hoi Viper,

I was going to ask how it was going. Incomplete install of XP? I should have thought of that! hehe. Well I am glad it is working. Just wondering, did you contact support? I wonder if they would have caught that or if they would have referred you to Microsoft.

Take care

drb

No, it wasn't an incomplete installation because the computer worked fine for a year before the problem happened. Best guess I have is...actually I don't have a best guess. I have no idea what caused whatever system file to corrupt. It may have been something I did without realizing it. I hadn't deleted any system files or uninstalled anything before the card stopped working which is a big reason I was lost to start with. It was also one of the reasons I decided to stick with the backup drive setup even after I'd gotten the card working again. I couldn't trust that install anymore and I'd already had most everthing set up on the new drive. Nothing new though, I used to have to reinstall Windows 95 every six months or so like clockwork because it would just stop working correctly. Spent more time staring at the blue screen of death than using the system if felt like.

I didn't go as far as contacting tech support, I had a good idea they'd refer me to Microsoft after going over the same ground I'd already covered. Knowing now what the cause was I probably would've been right in that guess.

[Nemesis]

 

Windows has a program that is run at the commandline.  It is called system file checker (SFC.exe) expressly for checking for corrupt system files.  Sometimes a program "updates" one of the Windows system files and the update may not be compatible with all the hardware that the original worked with.

[Vipre]

Windows has a program that is run at the commandline.  It is called system file checker (SFC.exe) expressly for checking for corrupt system files.  Sometimes a program "updates" one of the Windows system files and the update may not be compatible with all the hardware that the original worked with.

Thanks for the info, I've never heard of that program before. That would probably have saved me a lot of time.

Edit: Oh I see why I've never heard of it. It's specific to XP, 2000 and Server 2003 according to the MS Knowledge base. OS's aren't my thing. Good with 98 and earlier though.

[Nemesis]

Windows 98 does have it.  Thats where I originally learned of it.  The knowledge base must have an error there.

[Javora]

Windows has a program that is run at the commandline.  It is called system file checker (SFC.exe) expressly for checking for corrupt system files.  Sometimes a program "updates" one of the Windows system files and the update may not be compatible with all the hardware that the original worked with.

Thanks for the info, I've never heard of that program before. That would probably have saved me a lot of time.

Edit: Oh I see why I've never heard of it. It's specific to XP, 2000 and Server 2003 according to the MS Knowledge base. OS's aren't my thing. Good with 98 and earlier though.

Is that right?  I didn't think Win2000 had sfc.  I have all three OS's on disk, I thought sfc was spicific to Win98 and WinXP just as msconfig was.  I don't feel like duel booting Win2000 just to find out.

[Nemesis]

I didn't think Win2000 had sfc. 

I use Windows 2000 Pro and it has System File Checker on it.

[Vipre]

I did manage to find the 98 page, they didn't link it to the rest though which is why I didn't find it before.

The list so far:

98
2000
Server 2003
XP

Windows Millennium Edition uses the System File Protection (SFP) while 98 and 98 Second Edition use sfc.exe

[Javora]

I didn't think Win2000 had sfc. 

I use Windows 2000 Pro and it has System File Checker on it.

Cool thanks.