I know it should show as connected, which is what has me wondering...
There's nothing plugged into the firewire port, and my network cable is in the Ethernet port. I guess I might have to place a service call request.
Most Dell laptops have two LEDs next to the RJ-45 network connector. One shows connection speed, and the other shows activity.
Are either of those two illuminated? Have you tried a different Ethernet cable? Has the Broadcom 10/100 device ever worked? If it has, do you recall any changes that were made to the system right before the problem began?
Firewire (IEEE 1394) adapters are commonly used for local high-speed devices, not networks in the traditional sense. But Microsoft has chosen to emphasize the networking capabilities of the device by listing it as a network device. Here's a
Microsoft article explaining their view of Firewire in Windows XP.
You've already taken the step that usually causes this problem after an XP reinstall - you replaced the chipset drivers first!
What model Inspiron is this? Which XP Service Pack is installed? I'll take a look at the reinstall guides for it and see if I can spot anything unusual. There are a few Dell models that the guides suggest reinstalling the "Dell System Software" before the chipset driver.
The LEDs sound entirely normal for a 100 mbit (status light amber) connection with some traffic. And they obviously contradict the "limited or no connectivity" message. Does the machine receive a valid IP address (see output from "ipconfig /all" in a cmd.exe window)? If the IP address listed begins with 169.254, it's being automatically assigned by XP because no DHCP server could be reached.
Have you tried running the Broadcom diagnostics for the adapter?
Jim,
Thanks for the reply,
There are 2 LED's as you mentioned, the left LED is blinking a steady amber, and the right LED is also blinking but less frequently and for a shorter period of time.
The cable is good as i tested it on another PC.
The notebook was just given to me by my boss and had a fresh install of Windows, he says the NIC was fine before that and everything was A-OK.
The problem only seems to have cropped up since he wiped the machine clean and did the fresh install.
As a sidenote I've also tried removing both the NIC and the FireWire devices from the device manager and letting them re-install on a reboot, but to no avail.
Jim,
I'm working on an Inspiron 5100, it's running SP2.
I've tried ipconfig as you suggested but the LAN connection is showing up with a disconnected media state, so there is no IP assigned, neither through DHCP or by alternate means. It just doesn't recognize that there is a cable plugged in, despite the link status LED's.
I will try to run the Broadcom diagnostics and i'll keep you posted.
It turns out that the 5100 is one of the systems that Dell suggests the Notebook System Software be reinstalled before the Intel Chipset drivers. I'm not sure how vital the order is, but if you haven't reinstalled the Notebook System Software, it's certainly worth a try.
If that system came with the Drivers and Utilities CD, here are the directions for installing the software from the CD. Otherwise, you'll need to download it.
Well Jim after trying all of your recommendations and despite my best efforts, I've had no success, although i greatly appreciate all the help.
I ended up contacting Dell Tech Support and put in a service call to replace the mainboard, since all the devices in question are integrated.
Thanks again for all the help.
Thanks for the update. The fact that the device was working before the reinstall and not afterward suggests we missed something. I hope the motherboard replacement does the job. One that I hadn't considered is the possibility of a static dischage when the Ethernet cable was connected to the system. If that happened, replacing the motherboard will almost certainly fix the problem!
CHS-Student
5 Posts
0
March 31st, 2005 13:00
There's nothing plugged into the firewire port, and my network cable is in the Ethernet port. I guess I might have to place a service call request.
Jerry Park
695 Posts
0
March 31st, 2005 13:00
Your ethernet connection when in use should show as connected.
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
March 31st, 2005 15:00
Most Dell laptops have two LEDs next to the RJ-45 network connector. One shows connection speed, and the other shows activity.
Are either of those two illuminated? Have you tried a different Ethernet cable? Has the Broadcom 10/100 device ever worked? If it has, do you recall any changes that were made to the system right before the problem began?
Firewire (IEEE 1394) adapters are commonly used for local high-speed devices, not networks in the traditional sense. But Microsoft has chosen to emphasize the networking capabilities of the device by listing it as a network device. Here's a Microsoft article explaining their view of Firewire in Windows XP.
Jim
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
March 31st, 2005 18:00
You've already taken the step that usually causes this problem after an XP reinstall - you replaced the chipset drivers first!
What model Inspiron is this? Which XP Service Pack is installed? I'll take a look at the reinstall guides for it and see if I can spot anything unusual. There are a few Dell models that the guides suggest reinstalling the "Dell System Software" before the chipset driver.
The LEDs sound entirely normal for a 100 mbit (status light amber) connection with some traffic. And they obviously contradict the "limited or no connectivity" message. Does the machine receive a valid IP address (see output from "ipconfig /all" in a cmd.exe window)? If the IP address listed begins with 169.254, it's being automatically assigned by XP because no DHCP server could be reached.
Have you tried running the Broadcom diagnostics for the adapter?
Jim
CHS-Student
5 Posts
0
March 31st, 2005 18:00
Thanks for the reply,
There are 2 LED's as you mentioned, the left LED is blinking a steady amber, and the right LED is also blinking but less frequently and for a shorter period of time.
The cable is good as i tested it on another PC.
The notebook was just given to me by my boss and had a fresh install of Windows, he says the NIC was fine before that and everything was A-OK.
The problem only seems to have cropped up since he wiped the machine clean and did the fresh install.
As a sidenote I've also tried removing both the NIC and the FireWire devices from the device manager and letting them re-install on a reboot, but to no avail.
CHS-Student
5 Posts
0
April 1st, 2005 12:00
I'm working on an Inspiron 5100, it's running SP2.
I've tried ipconfig as you suggested but the LAN connection is showing up with a disconnected media state, so there is no IP assigned, neither through DHCP or by alternate means. It just doesn't recognize that there is a cable plugged in, despite the link status LED's.
I will try to run the Broadcom diagnostics and i'll keep you posted.
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
April 1st, 2005 15:00
CHS-Student,
It turns out that the 5100 is one of the systems that Dell suggests the Notebook System Software be reinstalled before the Intel Chipset drivers. I'm not sure how vital the order is, but if you haven't reinstalled the Notebook System Software, it's certainly worth a try.
If that system came with the Drivers and Utilities CD, here are the directions for installing the software from the CD. Otherwise, you'll need to download it.
Jim
CHS-Student
5 Posts
0
April 1st, 2005 19:00
I ended up contacting Dell Tech Support and put in a service call to replace the mainboard, since all the devices in question are integrated.
Thanks again for all the help.
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
April 1st, 2005 22:00
Thanks for the update. The fact that the device was working before the reinstall and not afterward suggests we missed something. I hope the motherboard replacement does the job. One that I hadn't considered is the possibility of a static dischage when the Ethernet cable was connected to the system. If that happened, replacing the motherboard will almost certainly fix the problem!
Jim