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June 25th, 2013 06:00

Inspiron 531 Ethernet Problems

I have recently inherited an old Dell Inspiron 531 from a friend of mine. When I received it there was an issue with Windows and it would not open - luckily I had a spare copy of Windows XP I could use to replace the Vista that was currently operating on the system. Using the disc I formatted the hard drive and installed Windows XP and everything seemed perfectly fine.

Unfortunately, some of the drivers are still missing (most of which I've managed to replace after extensive searches on the internet) but for some reason I cannot get the computer to recognise that it has an Ethernet port. It doesn't appear in the list of devices and the network screen in the control panel is just completely blank. I know the port must be working because when I plug in the Ethernet cable the port lights up green to signify that it is, indeed, working.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to how I might be able to connect it to the internet?

4 Operator

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1.5K Posts

June 25th, 2013 07:00

Hi recidivism,

It appears that the drivers are missing. Please share the screenshot of the Device Manager with Network Adapters and Other Devices expanded. Also, if there is any yellow bang on any device, please share that too. Here are the steps:

  • Press the key combination Windows Logo key + R key to open Run dialog box.
  • Type in devmgmt.msc and click OK.
  • The Device Manager windows will appear.
  • Click on the sign next to Network Adapters and Other Devices to expand it.

Also, share the Hardware Ids of the device which has a bang in the Device Manager, this will assist me to identify device and its drivers. Here are the steps:

  • Open Device Manager.
  • Select your device and right click on it.
  • Click Properties from the drop down list.
  • Click Details and then click Device description button to select Hardware Ids.
  • Share the Hardware Ids mentioned under Value.

Please reply with the information.

2 Posts

June 25th, 2013 15:00

Thank you for your offer of help! I have taken the screenshots you requested.

The Hardware Ids is here:

www.flickr.com/.../photostream

and the Device Manager is here:

www.flickr.com/.../photostream

Please let me know if there's anything you can do to help. I'd really appreciate it.

4 Operator

 • 

1.5K Posts

June 26th, 2013 06:00

Hi recidivism,

There are a set of drivers missing including the one for Ethernet Card. Below is the drivers that you need to install to get the internet working:

Please share the Hardware Ids of the other devices which has yellow bang on it so that I can look for the appropriate drivers and share them with you. Also, once you have your internet working, I want you to right click on the devices that have yellow bang on them and select the option of Update Driver Software. Allow Windows to search for compatible drivers automatically.

Hope this helps. Please share the results.

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