Problem Dell Latitude D600

Hello,

I have had a latitude D600 for about 4 years now. It has a Broadcom 570x integrated ethernet controller and is running Windows XP Pro SP2. The problem that I have had in the past 6 months is that the wired ethernet does not work effectively. It does not recognize that the connection is good when plugged in. Occasionally the Local Area Connection will disappear altogether from the Network Connections folder.

When i open my laptop, the windows crash (is block of about 3-4 times in Windows, shut down from the button) and then will run normally

I have tried:

1. Ensuring that the power is plugged in and the power down of the ethernet port is disabled when connecting to the ethernet.
2. Uninstalling then reinstalling the drivers for the ethernet controller. This initially worked but the same problem would arise.

The wireless works fine and I have been able to operate with just this.

I am unsure as to whether this is a hardware or a software problem.

I'd appreciate some assistance with this.

Andrew