BleepingComputer.com: Ethernet controller out?

Sunday evening, my computer hung-up when I tried to wake it. Rebooted, logged into Windows and got the Found New Hardware window. Killed it, and attempted to open my browser - no connection. Daughter's computer still worked, so figured the issue was on my machine. Went to Device Manager, and noted a yellow question mark under the Ethernet Controller entry. Under the Properties tab, it indicated "This device is not configured correctly. (Code 1)". A check of the driver tab indicated no drivers are installed.

Went to Intel's website on another computer and dl'd the most recent LAN drivers for my MB (Intel® PRO Network Connections Driver for XP, v 15.3, 5/14/2010). Ran the driver installer and... no change. No connectivity, device manager still shows the ethernet controller isn't "configured correctly", and the device properties gives the same error code and indicates no driver is installed. A check of the LAN indicator lights by the RJ45 port indicates normal function and connectivity

A friend suggested that the registry entry for the device may have become corrupted and a reinstall of Windows might do the trick. I was thinking a hardware failure may be the culprit. Any suggestions on how I can obtain a definitive diagnosis of the problem??? System has worked flawlessly since assembled (3 years ago) - first issue I've had. Thinks I'd rather go with a new dedicated NIC card rather than reinstall Windows - if that's an option. Would like to diagnose the issue regardless...

System info:

MB: Intel DP35DP w/ on-board LAN;
Bios version: DPP3510J.86A.0517.2009.0107.2203
Proc: Core 2 Duo E-6750 @2.66GHz;
Win XP Pro w/ SP-3 and all patches;
No recent hardware or software additions or deletions.

Thanks in advance for your input and thoughts!

Regards,

Mike T

Bring up a Command Prompt via Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt and type in the following: ping 127.0.0.1 and tell us the result here.

Sounds like a failing hardware issue to me as well. Indicated by the Found New Hardware notification you got on start-up.

Have you tried going in to Device Manager, right clicking and uninstalling the device marked with the ?. Reboot the machine and see if it is detected and reinstalled.

cryptodan & ThunderZ:

Ping results:
-----------------
Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Replay from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Replay from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Replay from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Replay from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 <0% loss>
Approximate round trip time is milliseconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
-----------------------------------
I uninstalled the device Sunday, and on re-boot I got the "Found New Hardware" notification. Just did it again and got the same results. Device keeps showing up with the yellow question mark - like a bad penny.

Mike T

Cryptodan`s idea worked. Those results seem to indicate that it is working.

So hardware is good? It just wont load the driver - corrupted registry?

Mike T

Did you download the correct driver for your version of windows ie 32bit or 64bit?

cryptodan: Running 32 bit version of the OS, and dl'd 32 bit XP version of the drivers. Note that I tried the original version that came with the mobo first. When I tried the newer version indicated previously (v 15.3) it asked me if I wanted to uninstall the older version first (I did). Same negative results both times.

Software/drivers appear to be loading properly, they just don't appear to be recognized by XP.

Mike T

Mike T this would be the link to your motherboard's on-board LAN, this page has both the Windows XP 32 Bit and 64 Bit drivers.

I am NOT sure if this is the web site you obtained your drivers from, sometimes hardware owners use drivers through driver finder programs or other web sites that do not always have the best or stable versions of a driver.

Here is the link at Intel http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19057&lang=eng

Hope this helps.

Bruce.

Bruce: I did in fact download the 32 bit driver from Intel's site - version 15.3 as you noted previously. As I said in prior posts, it *appears* to install just fine, but for some reason the driver isn't recognized as being installed/present.

Looking for a next step. Was considering going into the BIOS to disable onboard LAN, then re-enabling it and attempting reinstalling the drivers. Was hoping I could get some guidance from someone in the know. I'm moderately computer savvy (ordered the parts and built the computer), but am not real spry when it comes to programming/networking/inner workings of Windows. Can usually diagnose and correct my issues with the aid of BC's forums - and a fair bit of my time!

Regards, Mike T

All you do is enter the BIOS and go the section of it that deals with integrated periphrials and disable the LAN card and save the settings. Reboot the computer, and it should be completely removed. After that go back into the BIOS and re-enable it.

cryptodan, etal: Disabled the ethernet controller in Device Manager, uninstalled the drivers, rebooted to bios, disabled onboard LAN, rebooted to XP, ran Scandisk, cleaned the registry, rebooted to bios, enabled onboard LAN, rebooted to XP, reinstalled the drivers, and... same-old, same-old. Either the onboard device is corrupted, or I've got a permanent corruption within the registry. Picked up a Trendnet Gigabit NIC card earlier today for $16, disabled onboard LAN, installed the drivers and NIC card, rebooted, and am now rocking the internet. FYI: The store I went to had some NIB, name-brand 56K dialup modems on sale for $1.99. I remember back in 1995 when I thought a 28.8K dial-up modem was screaming-fast!

If I ever need to reinstall XP again (when???), I'll attempt to reinitiate the onboard LAN on my mobo. Otherwise I'll stick with the dedicated NIC card. Consider this topic closed.

Thanks all for your input!

Mike T

The ROM that sends the cards PNP Information to Windows is probably damaged or corrupted. Its weird that pinging local host worked.