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Inspiron 9300 Lost NIC
My friends laptop needs a windows reload. Everything goes exactly as planned. I grab all the latest drivers from Dell's driver pages and install them in the order they specify on the install order document. All is well EXCEPT there is only the wireless network adapter showing up in the device manager, no NIC. I know this NIC was working before the reformat/re-install because I used it to connect to my network to backup my friends stuff before the clean install. I have seen a few other folks with this sort of problem around the internet but there were no solutions posted. Yes, the integrated NIC is enabled in the BIOS. Not being a Dell expert I'm sort of stumped on this deal and would appreciate if anyone knows the secret solution to the disappearing NIC.
Thank you,
TC Harp
PudgyOne
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April 16th, 2009 02:00
tcharp,
You need to install the desktop/notebook software first and the chipset drivers or the rest of the drivers won't install.
How to Install Drivers in Microsoft® Windows® on Dell Systems
Since the operating system was re-installed did you remember to go to drivers and downloads, enter your service tag(DO NOT POST SERVICE TAG here or your post will get deleted, since it contains your personal information), and install these drivers in this order.
:emotion-55: Hint :emotion-55: When downloading the drivers, make a folder for each drivers and name it with the device it belongs with to make it easier to install them in the proper order.
Desktop System Software or Notebook System Software
Chipset or SMBus driver
Processor Driver (if applicable)
Video
Audio (sound)
Input Drivers (keyboard/mouse)
Modem
Network Card
QuickSet(Laptop only)
Rick
tcharp
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April 16th, 2009 06:00
Thanks Rick, but I did all of that, exactly in that order, but still the NIC doesn't show up in the device manager. Just to make sure, I re-installed the drivers again, in that order, but no joy. I'm not sure where to go from here.
-TC
PudgyOne
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April 16th, 2009 08:00
tcharp,
Any exclaimination marks, red x's in the device manager?
Try turning on the card? Switch or press the blue Fn and F2 keys at the same time.
Rick
tcharp
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April 16th, 2009 09:00
There are no exclaimation marks or red x's or question marks in the device manager. I have turned the card off in the BIOS/rebooted/turned it back on/rebooted. Still not seen by device manager. I have turned off the wireless adapter(Fn&F2), but this seems to have no effect on the missing NIC, it is still not found in the device manager.
Thanks,
-TC
PudgyOne
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April 16th, 2009 14:00
TC,
Do you have QuickSet installed so the hotkeys work?
Rick
tcharp
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April 16th, 2009 15:00
Yes, QuickSet is installed. It also shows the "current status of network card" as being off even though the machine is under power. I have changed the settings on QuickSet re: the network card. I have also plugged and unplugged the power cord. Nothing seems to have an effect on the NIC.
-TC
PudgyOne
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April 16th, 2009 15:00
TC,
Does your friend have the Operating system disks? You can try a repair install or use the factory image, if it has one.
Insert the operating system disk and restart the computer.
Press any key to boot from CD.
Choose install.
Do the agreement.
Now choose repair
or
Restoring Your Computer´s Software to the Factory Settings
Rick
tcharp
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April 16th, 2009 16:00
Well, he doesn't seem to have the OS restore disks. We used a version of WinXP I had laying around. I have tried the repair install. Nothing changed. I suppose he could get an image from Dell if he really wants to try yet another re-install. I have a feeling that he is going to plug ahead without the NIC. He has told me he never used it anyway. My first impression was to help him order the image disk and wait until it arrived, but he wanted to use his rapidly degrading computer while we waited and I had a version of XP that was legal and doing nothing.
He cannot restore from his hard drive as those partitions no longer exist.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this issue is somehow tied to the QuickSet software, which was the last thing I installed. Maybe I should try installing the driver yet once more now that QuickSet is installed. I suppose it couldn't hurt. Maybe QuickSet doesn't play well with XP Pro for some reason. The computer has been on power, never on batteries, since I started this entire operation a couple days ago. Leave it to me to turn a job that should have taken a few hours tops, into a whole week thing.
-TC
PudgyOne
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April 16th, 2009 18:00
TC,
If he lives in the United States, then click below my signautre and request a backup set of disks. The system should have the OEM Disks that Dell provides to install correctly, then add the drivers from the above post.
I'm surprised the Factory Image isn't there. Press Ctrl and F11 once when you see the Dell Screen.
Rick
tcharp
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April 17th, 2009 06:00
I'm going to assist him to do just that so he will have them in the future if necessary.
The factory imagne isn't there because I removed all of the partitions on the HDD before this install.
-TC