Cannot fix 'new hardware' problem with ethernet controller!

Question

Hi -- reposting this without the case number (oops!). Also, all the 'repairs' that were done to my 5150 were covered under the extended warranty. I still can't get the ethernet controller to work!! 'Hello, I am at wit's end! I shipped my Dell Inspiron 5150 to the depot for repairs because the power supply was not functioning properly (the connection was very spotty). The laptop came back today and all was fine until I noticed that my Broadcom 440x 10/100 ethernet controller wasn't showing up in my network connections, which I thought was odd. Also, when I started up the computer a New Harware Installation Wizard popped up and told me I had a 'new' ethernet controller. In the device manager next to 'Other Devices' with the dropdown 'Ethernet Controller' it had a nice big yellow question mark with an exclamation mark on it. I reinstalled the drivers from the resource CD, then from the internet using another computer, but to no avail. I called Dell Tech Support and troubleshot for an hour before they suggested I do a complete system reinstallation, then got cut off. I called back, was sent to another tech rep, and did another hour of troubleshooting (uninstalled the 'other device' in safe mode, did a system restore to last week prior to sending the laptop to the repair depot, etc.) before suggesting the system reinstallation again. I am not exactly willing to do so just yet as I am having a hard time understanding how the 'repairs' to my power source affected my ethernet controller? The worksheet indicated that the corrective repair action involved the system board and the heat-sink. Please help! Thanks!'

DELL-Jimmy P · Answer

JimmySandals    If they replaced the systemboard you might want to boot into the bios and make sure its not disabled.

Locked Topics – Laptops General

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