LAN missing in Network Connections

[Guest]

I am having a problem that I hope someone can help me with. I am running
WinXP Pro SP2. In Network Connections there are no icons. I know my LAN is
partially working because I can access the internet & email. I can also ping
other computers on the network. I am unable to connect to the other
computers (or see them), however, using Network Neighborhood under Windows
Explorer so that I can share files with them.

If I try click on "Set up a home or small office network" the Network Setup
Wizard tells me "The wizard cannot find your network hardware. Before using
this wizard, you must first install and configure your network cards, modems,
cable and device drivers."

I have tried numerous thing to correct this including most of the items
listed in MS article 825826
(http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;825826). One thing
that I was unable to do was verify the network adapter settings under Device
Manager as there is no network adapter listed.

I am using a Netgear FA311 PCI Adapter card. Except for the problems noted
above it seems to be working fine.

Any help that anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated.

 

[GrimReaper]

Are you using a USB wireless or USB LAN device to connect? I know that
my regular built in ethernet port shows up in network connections, but
my USB wireless does not.

 

[Guest]

I'm having the same problem as charlie, only my network is working. I've
installed 2 PC's with both almost simular hardware, only one is working full,
while the other only can work with SP1 and all available updates. I've
installed the newest cisco and 3COM drivers, but none worked. Also making a
clone of the working one and replace the OS of the not-working one didn't
work. It still showed the same problem. On the not-working PC there's a Cisco
wireless lan-adapter installed and a 3COM, just to try to make a connection
somehow. The not-working one works fine with SP1, but when I install (from
original or cloned) SP2, it loses it's networkadaptors.

 

[Guest]

No, I'm not using USB. I am using a Netgear FA311 PCI Ethernet card. Thanks
for the help though.

 

[jameshanley39]

I am having a problem that I hope someone can help me with. I am running
WinXP Pro SP2. In Network Connections there are no icons. I know my LAN is
partially working because I can access the internet & email. I can also ping
other computers on the network. I am unable to connect to the other
computers (or see them), however, using Network Neighborhood under Windows
Explorer so that I can share files with them.

If I try click on "Set up a home or small office network" the Network Setup
Wizard tells me "The wizard cannot find your network hardware. Before using
this wizard, you must first install and configure your network cards, modems,
cable and device drivers."

I have tried numerous thing to correct this including most of the items
listed in MS article 825826
(http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;825826). One thing
that I was unable to do was verify the network adapter settings under Device
Manager as there is no network adapter listed.

I am using a Netgear FA311 PCI Adapter card. Except for the problems noted
above it seems to be working fine.

Any help that anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated.

not under device manager. strange.

you can access other computers file sharing without icons though.

start..run.. \\whateverip <ENTER>

there are other things you need for file sharing though. like duplicate
user accounts.

 

[Guest]

First try check if your NIC(network interface card) is disabled. To do this,
go to control panel, double click at System, select Hardware tab and finally
choose Device Manager. If you dont see your NIC under Network adapters but it
appear at Other Devices, try reinstalling driver which comes with your NIC.
If your NIC doesn't appear at anywhere, click the "Scan Hardware changes"
icon.

 

[Guest]

Cindy,
Thank you for your suggestion. Unfortunately, I am unable to check anything
with the NIC under Device Manager as the NIC doesn't show up. This is one of
the problems I am trying to resolve.

I don't have an "Other Devices" to look for the NIC there. I have tried the
"Scan for hardware changes" but this didn't help.

Is it possible that some OS or networking files may have been deleted or
corrupted? I seem to recall awhile back some missing files causing problems
with all printers dissapearing from the "Printers and Faxes" window.
Replacing the files corrected this.

 

[jameshanley39]

it is most probably possible. Do a Windows XP Repair.

when faced with these options
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.
To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.


you don't want recovery console for this 'cos it wont' replace all teh
windwos files.

Press ENTER. (as if you were reinstalling windows)
Then an option will come up to press R for repair.

 

[Guest]

Charlie,
Try reinstalling windows should be able to fix your problem. You may also
try to place the NIC in other computer, this is to check if the NIC is still
working. If the NIC is working fine in other computer, please consider to
reformat your computer, before you reformat your computer, please BACKUP all
your important data as reformatting will remove EVERY single file stored in
your hard drive. To reformat your pc, simply boot up from windows cd and
follow instruction on screen. If you need more information on how to reformat
your pc, try searching by using search function provided. Once again, please
remember to backup ALL your important data..

 

[Joan Archer]

Just a thought here but is it enabled in the BIOS, before networking when
only on dial up I disabled the ethernet device in the BIOS as I didn't
need it, then re-enabled it when going over to broadband and networking.
Joan

 

[Guest]

Cindy,

Reinstalling is not an option, I've tried.
The result was that I was able to reinstall XPpro (clean install on a fresh
harddrive), install SP1 with all available updates and create a working,
configurable network.
The next step should be installing SP2, but after installing SP2, alle
networkicons are disappeared and networkadaptors are gone.
Also in devicemanager, there's no trace of any networkcard.
I've tried USB- and PCI-cards, wired cards and wireless cards, but none
worked.
Also BIOS-adjustments weren't a sollution.
This was on a normal PC, but I also have laptop with also almost the same
problem.
The laptop only misses his wired connection, but the wireless-PCMCIA-card
still works after installing SP2
The whole problem starts after installing SP2

 

[Lenm]

I think you're going to have to bite the bullet and buy a new NIC. As far as I
can tell from the Netgear site, the FA311 only has drivers for Win2k/Me. Even if
the Win2k driver worked under XPsp1, sp2 made lots of changes, and apparently the
driver now is only partially functional. You could try to confirm this by
emailing Netgear, which says "Email support is now available without registering,
contrary to the Installation Guide."

 

[Guest]

Joan,
Thanks. I looked in the BIOS but found no settings that appeared to deal
with networking. If there is something in particular you think I need to be
looking for please let me know.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice Lenm. I got a new Linksys LNE100TX NIC. I uninstalled
the olnd Netgear FA311 NIC & installed the Linksys into the PC. When I
started the PC WinXP did not automatically detect the new hardware. When in
Device Manager I "Scaned for hardwae changes". WinXP then found the NIC &
installed it.

However, this did not change any of the previous behavior of the OS that I
had been having. There was no Network Adapter listed under Device Manager
(even after a reboot). There are no icons in the Network Connections window.

I'm thinking that this is not a NIC driver problem but an OS problem. Any
other suggestion you or others have will be greatly appreciated.