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llanucha

9 Posts

54525

May 7th, 2008 20:00

Can't acquire IP address. Keeps getting IP 0.0.0.0

I have a XPS T600R running Windows XP Pro.  Trying to bring this system back online to the Internet - hasn't been used in a while.  No previous known issues.  XPS is connected through the Router and goes out through DSL.  Router is working for 1 other desktop, laptop and VOIP phone.  Have cycled both router and DSL.  Ensured that DHCP is enabled - yes.  Unstalled and reinstalled the NetGear adapter and services (TCP/IP, Microsoft client, etc.)  No solution yet.

Boyd B

552 Posts

May 8th, 2008 21:00

I know nothing about DSL modems but on a cable modem, when connecting a new device, you need to unplug the power cable from the modem, leave unplugged for about ten seconds for any voltages to bleed off and reconnect the power cable and let the modem reset. During the rest the modem will recogonize the NIC address and if the card is not defective, will assign an address to Windows Network. Also, have you tried to set up an Internet connection on the PC in question. This also may help.

llanucha

9 Posts

May 9th, 2008 18:00

Ok.  So, I replaced the Ethernet card. I now have a solid green light on both the back of the card and the router.  However, I can't seem to get the drivers installed and I run into the following error message:

 

Cannot Install this Hardware

Ethernet Controller

An error occurred during the installation of the device

A service installation section in this INF is invalid

 

Thought maybe I need to update Windows...and I did, but still no change.  Thoughts?

Boyd B

552 Posts

May 9th, 2008 19:00

The lights sound like you are gaining on the issue. Was this a new NIC or an older one. The reason I ask is, if it is a new card it should have a driver disk in it. If it is an older NIC you might have to search for drivers for it. Go into the Control Panel\Device Manager and look for network devices. See if there is a yellow mark in front of the named NIC. If there is, then the drivers are not installed. If you see nothing in front of the NIC then Windows has recogonized it and it should be operational. If it appears OK, proceed to setting up a new Internet connection from within the Control Panel and see if it works then. If all this fails, uninstall the NIC from within Device Manager, reboot and Windows will find it as new hardware and attempt to install the drivers for the NIC. Keep us posted.
Message Edited by Boyd B on 05-09-2008 03:54 PM

llanucha

9 Posts

May 9th, 2008 20:00

It is a Netgear GA311 and bought it at Best Buy.  I first tried the disk that came with it.  Then, downloaded the drivers from the site.  Neither has worked thus far.  Have also talk to Netgear cust support and that didn't help....said it wasn't something with their device.

Boyd B

552 Posts

May 9th, 2008 20:00

OK, Where did you get the NIC. Do you know what the brand and model is? It seems that the NIC is not the same as the drivers you are trying to install. Try to find the brand and model and go to the manufacturer's web site and see if there are any driver downloads for your NIC. If possible, let us know the brand and model and I can do a search. If it is not on the card itself then you can see which one it is in the Device Manager.

llanucha

9 Posts

May 9th, 2008 20:00

So in device mgr it indicated the driver weren't installed with the yellow exclamation point.  I unstalled and let windows find it and continue to get same error...cannot install this hardware....a service installation section in this INF is invalid.

Boyd B

552 Posts

May 9th, 2008 21:00

You seem to have done all you can with this NIC. I use Netgear all the time and have found them to be very reliable. However, you could have gotten a defective one. If you just got it I would take it back to BB and advise you talked to Netgear and Netgear advised the card was defective and ask for a replacement. If this is not possible, could you borrow one from one of the other systems that you know to be working properly just for test purposes? Hope this helps.

jackshack

6.4K Posts

May 10th, 2008 02:00

I have one last suggestion.  From reading the posts it appears you installed the card and then attempted to install the driver software.  From the Netgear installation guide this is appropriate if you are using Vista, but all earlier Windows operating systems require installation of the driver software before you install the card.  I'm afraid I don't know the reason for this, but I know I had to install my driver for my wireless card before putting the card into my D2400 to get it to properly recognize the card.

 

Edit:  Found the info here.

Message Edited by JackShack on 05-09-2008 10:17 PM

Boyd B

552 Posts

May 10th, 2008 12:00

I would make certain that the NIC is working and not defective. Unless you are certain it is verified operational, you will never get it to work. After you are certain it is working, then install it in another PCI slot, reboot and then see if Windows finds it and loads the drivers. You may have an onboard NIC that you may want to disable in the BIOS also. Hope this helps.

llanucha

9 Posts

May 10th, 2008 13:00

Bought another NIC card last night.  Installed just fine and I'm up and running.  Who would have thought 2 defective NIC cards.  Thanks for all the helpful suggestions and support in troubleshooting this one!

Boyd B

552 Posts

May 10th, 2008 14:00

Now that is really great news. You have made my day. Not to take any credit for your success, I had a gut feeling that the NIC was the culprit and you just confirmed it. In dealing with computers for 30 years, I have found that about 25% of all the new hardware I buy is defective when I install it. This has been confirmed by others that I know in the computer repair business so this is not a surprise to me. Congratulations on your success. You have also probably helped others that may experience this same issue.

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