NIC stays active even when unplugged

[Jordan]

I have a Dell 300m laptop with a built in GB nic. Users have been
complaining that when they are on the road starting up can take quite a
while. They sit a varios stages of the boot an login.

I have used some utils like BOOTVIS that analzes the boot process and see
that there are long delays where XP is waiting for some reponse from the
network - either checking for domain or whatever.

One thing I noticed is that the NIC still appears active even when nothing
is plugged in. It has the 169.x.x.x IP address bound to it as if it were
connecting to a DHCP-less network. I believe this is what may be causing
the long delays because the services that rely on finding some server or
controller on the network see an active connection then need to wait for a
time out.

I cannot seem to find a way to turn off the NIC when nothing is plugged in.
Is there a way?

I also suspect that this is also causing a problem for when I try to put the
computer into Hibernate mode. I usually get a BSOD complaining about a
hardware failure (Stop 0x0000000a).

 

[Pavel A.]

Very strange. If this is not a hardware or BIOS issue,
may be caused by some antivirus or other crapware preinstalled on the
laptop.

--PA

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have a Dell 300m laptop with a built in GB nic. Users have been
complaining that when they are on the road starting up can take
quite a while. They sit a varios stages of the boot an login.

I have used some utils like BOOTVIS that analzes the boot process
and see that there are long delays where XP is waiting for some
reponse from the network - either checking for domain or whatever.

One thing I noticed is that the NIC still appears active even when
nothing is plugged in. It has the 169.x.x.x IP address bound to it
as if it were connecting to a DHCP-less network. I believe this is
what may be causing the long delays because the services that rely
on finding some server or controller on the network see an active
connection then need to wait for a time out.

I cannot seem to find a way to turn off the NIC when nothing is
plugged in. Is there a way?

I also suspect that this is also causing a problem for when I try
to put the computer into Hibernate mode. I usually get a BSOD
complaining about a hardware failure (Stop 0x0000000a).

Are the users utilizing cached logons?
If so - If you logon locally instead of a cached domain account - does it
react faster?

 

[smlunatick]

I have a Dell 300m laptop with a built in GB nic.  Users have been
complaining that when they are on the road starting up can take quite a
while.  They sit a varios stages of the boot an login.

I have used some utils like BOOTVIS that analzes the boot process and see
that there are long delays where XP is waiting for some reponse from the
network - either checking for domain or whatever.

One thing I noticed is that the NIC still appears active even when nothing
is plugged in.  It has the 169.x.x.x IP address bound to it as if it were
connecting to a DHCP-less network.  I believe this is what may be causing
the long delays because the services that rely on finding some server or
controller on the network see an active connection then need to wait for a
time out.

I cannot seem to find a way to turn off the NIC when nothing is plugged in.
Is there a way?

I also suspect that this is also causing a problem for when I try to put the
computer into Hibernate mode.  I usually get a BSOD complaining about a
hardware failure (Stop 0x0000000a).

The 169.xxx.xxx.xxx IP is known as the XP's auto IP assigning and is
used for XP start up. Apparently, the XP Resource kit has a "patch"
to turn this "feature" off.

 

[Jordan]

The Windows will by default cache the logons. I believe XP defaults to 10
users being cached and we have not monkeyed with that at all.

I do notice that because of the NIC staying active and getting a 169.x.x.x
IP address the user will occasionally get the error about their roaming
profile not being found and Windows is using a local copy. None of the
other users on the domain ever get that message when they are offline with
their laptop. Even when I and others are home on our wired or wireless
networks off the domain we do not see that message. Just this one laptop.

I have checked it for spyware and viruses and it is clean. Even checked the
registry and used tools like HijackThis to see if there was some garbage
loaded, but this person has kept their unit surprisingly clean.

I will also check smlunatick's suggestion on the XP resource kit util.

 

[Pavel A.]

The Windows will by default cache the logons. I believe XP defaults to 10
users being cached and we have not monkeyed with that at all.

I do notice that because of the NIC staying active and getting a 169.x.x.x
IP address the user will occasionally get the error about their roaming
profile not being found and Windows is using a local copy. None of the
other users on the domain ever get that message when they are offline with
their laptop. Even when I and others are home on our wired or wireless
networks off the domain we do not see that message. Just this one laptop.

I have checked it for spyware and viruses and it is clean. Even checked
the registry and used tools like HijackThis to see if there was some
garbage loaded, but this person has kept their unit surprisingly clean.

I will also check smlunatick's suggestion on the XP resource kit util.

AFAIK this is not a RK util. Just disable the auto configuration in TCPIP
properties
for the connection.

Sensing the cable connection is designed specially to prevent
any network activity and delays on disconnected netcards.
If the cable sense isn't working, look for 3rd party software/drivers
(like: antiviruses, firewalls, "internet security"...)
or a hardware failure - since it is just on one machine.

--PA

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Change the boot order in the BIOS.