hp said:
all I have had to do until this particular situation is plug the PC
network cord in and it is allowed to go online provided the PC is
capable.
You stated just the opposite in your original post. "network ports of
the motherboard" says you were trying to use the NIC provided as a
backpanel connector on the mobo, NOT as a daughtercard you pushed into a
slot. Because YOU said that you were using the onboard NIC is why
others suggested installing the chipset drivers for that mobo.
The PC won't be "capable" until the OS has a defined interface to the
hardware and that requires the drivers.
I do believe that I stated this (installing the drivers) in the
original question message
Where? Reread your original post. There was no mention that you ever
installed any drivers to define either the onboard NIC (which is part of
the mobo chipset) or for the daughtercard NIC (something that wasn't
known until now).
reply: Start please by telling us the exact model of motherboard. That
way we can guide you to the proper LAN drivers for the motherboard.
Would this NOT have been addressed when I used the motherboard drivers
CD to install the drivers as I stated I did?
We don't know what program you ran off the CD because even you don't
know what you ran.
This was Done Before I tried to go online with the setup to get
windows updates.
Never ... N-E-V-E-R ... install hardware updates from the Microsoft web
site. Too often they detect the device wrongly and give you a driver
for a different model or proffer a version that isn't appropriate for
your particular hardware. Only use their "update" as indication that
you may want to go to the hardware maker's web site to see what THEY
offer for the latest version of driver for what you really have. Of
course, if the hardware is working, there's no need to update to a later
version of the driver: a new driver won't make work what's already
working.
But just in case its of any real value, ASUS A7NBX-E
While I could dig through ASUS' web site and their support pages looking
for the chipset package for you (and others may be willing to do it for
you), you could drill through there yourself and you should since it's a
good idea to get acquainted with the maker's support site for your
computer.
http://service.asus.com/
Product Support -> Motherboard menu
Download Drivers link
When I search on "A7NBX-E", there were no hits. You sure that's the
proper model number for your mobo? You sure the model isn't A7N8X-E (an
8, not a B). I could find a hit on A7N8X-E, selected it, and under the
Downloads tab I select Windows XP for the OS.
They didn't list Windows XP Pro (32-bit) and Windows XP Pro x64 so I'll
assume this mobo isn't 64-bit hardware. They listed 2 LAN drivers which
are the same but just different versions: latest and next to latest (for
what they support since there could be later drivers from the chip
maker).
This motherboard was working earlier this year, and has not been out of
service all that long.
Since you flattened the machine by doing a fresh install of the OS, that
it worked before is only relevant in knowing that the hardware used to
work before. With the fresh OS install, you're starting from scratch.
reply: Install the mobo driver disk.
I sure thought I did this. Right Off the CD that came with the motherboard
Which makes me look at your statement that there are no lights when you
plug in the CAT5 cable into the NIC port on your mobo. Even without an
OS loaded (which is when the drivers gets loaded to define an interface
for the hardware to the OS), the hardware should still function on its
own. The LEDs alongside the NIC connector will be unlit when no cable
is plugged into it. The lights will still not be lit when you simply
plug in a cable. It's when you plug the other end of the cable into
another network device that the lights should appear (on both ends).
The LEDs on the NIC (on both ends) should behave as follows:
10 LNK Green:
Description: Link integrity
If flashing: Reversed polarity
Steady on: Good 10BT connection
Off: No connection between NIC & hub
100 LNK Green:
Description: Link integrity
If flashing: Reversed polarity
Steady on: Good 100BT connection
Off: No connection between NIC & hub
ACT Yellow:
Description: Port traffic for either speed
Flashing: Network traffic present
Steady on: Heavy network traffic
Off: No traffic
The meanings of the LEDs could vary between manufacturers but the above
are the common meanings. The manual for your mobo should tell you what
to expect for lighting of the LEDs.
You sure the cable is okay? Have you tried another cable? With nothing
attached to a NIC port, the lights are off (no 10/100 LAN connection so
obviously no traffic). With a cable attached, well, it's not a device
so there's still no connection to *something* else. With a cable
attached on both its ends (and assuming both devices are powered up)
then you should see one of the green LEDs is on to reflect the hardware-
level negotiated speed (the yellow active LED will only flash if there
is some traffic).
By the way, there is a cross-over Ethernet cable used to connect 2 hosts
directly without an intervening comm device. I doubt you want to be
using that in your setup (although some devices will detect the
incorrect cross-over and adjust for it). You need a straight-through
Ethernet cable (i.e., a normal one).
reply: > Do I need to get IE8 before.
Speak English, please. Wad's dat?
The OS and whatever apps are installed in it, like IE, are irrelevant if
you aren't first getting the *hardware* to negotiate a connection
between the 2 devices on either end of the cable. You said there were
not lights on the NIC. Presumably that statement meant your computer
and another device (router, cable modem, switch, or whatever your
computer is connected) were both powered up and connected with a good
cable at the time you noticed there were no lights. The hardware has to
work correctly before the OS, drivers, or any app can utilize it.
I Did verify that both network ports on the motherboard have 2 LEDs
lamps per port, and thats why I was expecting to see some form of LED
lamp activity after the network cord was plugged in.
Yep. With a good non-specialized cable connecting two NICs that are
powered up, you should see a green LED on both ends.
I'd try a different cable. You might find wiggling the old cable may
show an intermittent light but only if the connection of wire to
connector were intermittent versus permanently disconnected. Although
there is a strain relief inside the RJ-45 connection (where a plastic
insert gets pushed down onto the cable), it's a friction relief and you
could end up pulling away the wire from the connector which scissors
through the insulation to contact the wires. It could be a bad
connection in the connector isn't making good contact with the wire.
Try another cable.
If you have another port on the router, switch, or to whatever your
computer connects, see if switching to another port gets the LEDs lit on
your NIC. Typically its the cable that is bad or goes bad but sometimes
users are abusive to the connectors for the ports. Look inside the port
connector. It could be the pins inside the connector that stick out to
contact the pins on the cable have been smashed (back up so they won't
contact the connector) or got misaligned (since they are just sticking
out into the air space inside the female connector). The female
connector's contacts are wires that either look like they're small
springy wires sticking out into the airspace inside the connector or
curved pins that stick out onto which the jack's pins slide onto (it's a
friction connection). If the pins don't push hard enough against each
other, they don't wipe against each other enough to eliminate oxides and
reduce resistance. These are just 2 wires pushing against each other
along the same face of each wire.
If the female connector's pins are damaged, you might be able to use a
small pick or tweezers to bend them back into position. These pins (on
male and female connectors) may not be gold plated (just [nickel-plated]
copper or brass) so they could have oxide on them so repeatedly
re-inserting the cable to repeatedly wipe the contacts could get a bad
connection working again. If the locking tang is missing from the male
connector on the cable, replace the cable (or the connector if you have
the crimper); else, the connection will work itself loose and you may
not be fully inserting the male connector to ensure good contact between
the wires.
)