G
Guest
What can cause my network to completely stop recognizing everything after a surge? I know I need a surge protector. DO I need a new networking card now?
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Bob Willard
Will said:What can cause my network to completely stop recognizing everything after a surge? I know I need a surge protector. DO I need a new networking card now?
Could be. A nearby lightning strike ate my modem and one of the COM ports
on my motherboard.
The good news is that NICs are so cheap that buying a replacement costs
less than a minimum-wage person would charge to troubleshoot your PC
(assuming that a minimum-wage person could).
W
w_tom
Network components should withstand transients up to 2000
volts. Why was a transient that large permitted inside your
building; let alone into your network? Effective surge
protectors connect each incoming wire to earth ground only
during the transient. Then no 2000+ transients appear inside
the building.
'Whole house' protectors are so inexpensive and so effective
that telco installs same, for free, on incoming phone wire.
However you must earth incoming AC electric - the most common
source of destructive transients - especially to modems and
portable phone base stations. All this to eliminate future
problems.
Any acceptable network card manufacturer provides
diagnostics - free. Don't let configuration setups and
Operating system parameters complicate the issue. Simply test
NIC alone and then NICs (of same manufacturer) across local
network. First establish integrity of hardware. Only then
question setup information.
You may have multiple problems now because you tried to fix
things rather than first learn what was wrong (run
manufacturer's diagnostics). In meantime, destructive
transients inside you building should not be a consideration -
if every incoming utility has an earthing connection before
entering the building. Earthing either using direct hardwire
or via a 'whole house' protector.
Why do you know an adjacent and plug-in protector may even
contribute to future hardware damage? Manufacturer avoids all
mention of earthing AND protector has no dedicated less than
10 foot connection to central earth ground. Manufacturer even
avoids mentioning which type of transient his product can
protect from. More information in "RJ-11 line protection?" on
31 Dec 2003 in pdx.computing, or http://tinyurl.com/2hl53
and "Opinions on Surge Protectors?" on 7 Jul 2003 in the
newsgroup alt.certification.a-plus or
http://tinyurl.com/l3m9
volts. Why was a transient that large permitted inside your
building; let alone into your network? Effective surge
protectors connect each incoming wire to earth ground only
during the transient. Then no 2000+ transients appear inside
the building.
'Whole house' protectors are so inexpensive and so effective
that telco installs same, for free, on incoming phone wire.
However you must earth incoming AC electric - the most common
source of destructive transients - especially to modems and
portable phone base stations. All this to eliminate future
problems.
Any acceptable network card manufacturer provides
diagnostics - free. Don't let configuration setups and
Operating system parameters complicate the issue. Simply test
NIC alone and then NICs (of same manufacturer) across local
network. First establish integrity of hardware. Only then
question setup information.
You may have multiple problems now because you tried to fix
things rather than first learn what was wrong (run
manufacturer's diagnostics). In meantime, destructive
transients inside you building should not be a consideration -
if every incoming utility has an earthing connection before
entering the building. Earthing either using direct hardwire
or via a 'whole house' protector.
Why do you know an adjacent and plug-in protector may even
contribute to future hardware damage? Manufacturer avoids all
mention of earthing AND protector has no dedicated less than
10 foot connection to central earth ground. Manufacturer even
avoids mentioning which type of transient his product can
protect from. More information in "RJ-11 line protection?" on
31 Dec 2003 in pdx.computing, or http://tinyurl.com/2hl53
and "Opinions on Surge Protectors?" on 7 Jul 2003 in the
newsgroup alt.certification.a-plus or
http://tinyurl.com/l3m9