Ethernet Connection & Drivers for Dimension 4100?

I'm having a problem envisioning how your network is set up.  You say "Cable modem is connected to one of the upper USB ports that was original and to the ethernet connection".  Is the cable modem connected to the computer by both ports?  If so, why are you using the USB connection?  If the cable modem has both an ethernet port and a USB port, you should be connecting the cable modem to the router though an ethernet port, rather than to a computer, and you should be connecting the computer to one of the router's LAN ports by an ethernet connection.   If the cable modem is a USB-only cable modem, then you would have to be using Internet Connection Sharing in Windows ME, and the cable modem would connect to the USB port on that computer and the router would connect to the ethernet port on the computer.   The router would then have to be running in access point mode.

Please clarify your network setup.

To figure out which ethernet adapter you have, click on the Product Support button at the top of the Dell forum window.  Enter your service tag number and click on "Original System Configuration". 

NDIS 1394 Net Adapter - this is a firewire adapter
Reattck RT8139(A) based PCI Faast Ethernet Adapter - this looks like an add-on PCI ethernet adapter
Intel(R) Pro/100VE Network connection - this could be the integrated network adapter.  There are 2 Intel network adapters listed on the downloads page for the 4100, but neither matches this description.  If you can get the original configuration information, it would help to narrow this down.

Steve

Thanks Steve for taking the time.  Cable Modem has both USB and Ethernet connections and as I said, when I originally connected it there were two connections and the instructions didn't specifically don't connect both so I did.  That may be part of the problem but the Dell desk top worked as did the laptop which was connected wireless from the router in the ethernet lines between the cable modem and the Dell.  The cable modem is connected to the Dell directly via USB1.  But, the USB connection is the only way I can get the desk top working now(connecting the the internet).

Thanks for the hint on the original config.  I have the Service Tag number and will try it.

Cara2

I had connected both the USB and Ethernet wires from the cable modem to the PC.  It worked most of the time.  I have disconnected all and uninstalled the USB Cable modem files and started over.  I connected only the Ethernet line from the cable modem to the PC.  I could not get to the ISP home page.  I called both Linksys and Comcast and verified that the cable connection was good and with thru their trouble shooting and still could not get connected.  But, I moved the Ethernet connection to a lap top and it connected fine--no problems.  So that eliminates the modem and wires and cable service as being the problem.  I found that the Desk Top PC has a built in Ethernet connection and intergrated adapter.  It is Intel(R) Pro/100VE Network Connection.  Device Manager showed it to be working properly but, just in case, I down loaded new driver files from Dell.  The files came with instructions which I followed. The files loaded into C:/Dell/Drivers/10MUM and the Setup is an HTML file.  The setup proceedures seemed to work but still don't have a connection.  I notice that there is a file in the 10MUM folder that has a red circle & slash thru it.  It looks like a circuit card.  Ident says 8255x Del    I don't see a file in the 10MUM folder that has numbers like 82562 wihich I think is the family for the Pro/100 VE adapter.  Also, I noticed that the NDIS.vxd file in Windows/System folder is dated 6/8/2000.

Is there a way to test the ethernet connection on the PC?  What trouble shooting proceedures can you suggest?

Thanks, Cara2 

In one of your replies, you seem to indicate that there is a PCI ethernet controller on your computer (the Realtek device).  If so, have you tried connecting to that.  Also note that anytime you attach a different device to the cable modem, you should reset the cable modem. To do this, turn the cable modem and all other devices (computer(s) and the router if it is in connected), then turn on the cable modem and wait about 5 minutes for it to synchronize with the network, then turn on the router (again this only applies when the router is in the network setup), then turn on the computer(s). Again, if you are connecting just to a network card in the computer for testing the network card, ignore the part about the router.  But if you are connecting with the router connected to the modem, then the complete instructions above should be followed.

Steve

A PCI ethernet adapter is a rather cheap troubleshooting step.  You should be able to find one for less than $15 at places like Circuit City, OfficeMax, OfficeDepot, BestBuy, etc.

Steve

Thanks again Steve,

I'm still trying to get the ethernet connection to work.  Sorry if I confused you.  I think the Realtek device is the PCI firewire/USB2 card I added a month ago.  Not sure, but, I don't have but one ethernet connection on this PC and it is an intergrated connection, not a separate card.  My book says it is teh INtel Pro/100 VE Network connection.  I tried again to reinstall the driver from the Dell Dimension Resource CD this time.

I've removed the router from the circuit completely for the time being until I can get the cable modem to work with the ethernet connections.

I may just give up on the built in ethernet connection and buy an ethernet adapter card and see if I can get that to work.  They can't cost that much.

Thanks again for the help.  All suggestions appreciated.

Cara2