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Inspiron 8600 BSOD at NDIS.SYS
I have an Inspiron 8600 Laptop, XP Home/SP2, well-maintained.
Starting yesterday, I have experienced sporadic Blue Screens of Death:
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
0x000000D1....
NDIS.SYS is referenced.
In researching these error messages, one possible cause is an issue with the Network Card (which is integrated in this model).
That seems likely because over the last few weeks, from time to time, the "Network Cable is Unplugged" message comes up, even though the ethernet cable is firmly plugged into the ethernet port. I wiggle the cable a little, it goes away, and I can once again access the internet.
So, putting this all together, the most likely cause is a hardware problem with the integrated NIC. The question is whether or not this can be
replaced without replacing the entire motherboard. Another question is whether I could install an outboard NIC and somehow disable the integrated NIC.
I booted into the Dell Diagnostics program, and run almost everything there, with no problems being identified. For whatever reasons, I couldn't boot with my MEMTEST Boot CD (that I have used successfully with multiple other systems) - it starts to boot off the CD, and then starts a reboot.
How difficult is it to open the case and inspect the area of the integrated NIC, to see if there is any obvious physical issue?
Any other thoughts appreciated on either the cause, or fix, for this problem.
Don
dlcphoto
29 Posts
1
November 12th, 2008 04:00
FWIW, I also posted in alt.sys.pc-clone.dell and some of the more knowledgeable people there are reasonably confident that it was the power irregularities in Brazil that could have been the root cause of my BSOD's. I ran the computer pretty much all day yesterday, with sporadic use, here in the U.S., and no BSOD's occurred. That would be great news.
Also, the NIC is apparently disabled through the BIOS. I do still keep getting the "network cable is unplugged" error message, which have been occurring for the past few months, so there still is something funky with my NIC. Wiggling the ethernet cable resolves the problem, but this is annoying. I might end up getting a PCMCIA NIC anyway, even if the BSOD's don't recur.
Don
dallascowboyswo
2.4K Posts
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November 11th, 2008 12:00
At least reload the driver for the network card to eliminate that possibillity. Because you had to wiggle the cord would indicate you may indeed have a hardware issue though. The nic is integrated to the motherboard which means you would have to replace the motherboard to fix it. Another solution would be to buy a external nic card for your system.
dlcphoto
29 Posts
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November 11th, 2008 15:00
Thanks for the reply.
FWIW, it has gone all day long today, with sporadic use, but no BSOD. The "network cable not connected" message does continue to pop up from time to time. A little wiggle to the cable resolves it.
Even though the cable connection issue has been going on for a month or two, the BSOD's only appeared within the last couple of days. Interestingly, it started when I was in Brazil, using 110v or 220v with Dell's brick (which shows compatibility with both voltages). Is it conceivable that irregularities in the power could trigger these BSOD's?
If I do go to a PCMCIA NIC, how do I disable the onboard NIC - is this done in the BIOS or elsewhere/
Thanks again.
Don
whole9yard
279 Posts
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November 12th, 2008 05:00
I know this is an obvious answer but have you tried another cable ? Plus if you disable the internal network plug you shouldn't beable to get on line. An you shouldn't have any problems with another network card ( good time to go wireless!!!!)
dlcphoto
29 Posts
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November 12th, 2008 15:00
Yeah, I've tried different cables. Same "network cable unplugged" message intermittently, both at home and at the office. So it definitely seems to be the Laptop's NIC.
The Laptop does have wireless, but it's my impression that a hard-wired connection is going to be faster. But that option does exist, both at home and office.
Don