Lost Network Connectivity through Port Replicator NIC

Question

What I have: C600 - A21 BIOS - PIII-1GHz, C/Port II with 3C920 NIC (3C905 compatible), Windows 2000 SP2, IE 6.0. The Problem: Lost network connectivity after applying Windows Updates from the Windows Update web site. Someone else in our company updated this computer. I noticed that almost all of the updates from the Update web site had been applied. What I've done so far: Replaced the port replicator. Swapped out hard drive and memory with another similar laptop - C600, A21 BIOS, PIII-733MHz. Now it works. I suspected a bad motherboard, so I swapped that out. Put all of the original pieces back into the original laptop, and it still won't connect. Device manager shows ! on the NIC. Event Viewer shows that the device cannot load - Event ID: 5001, Source: EL90XBC5.Sys, Description: \Device\{GUID}\ : Could not allocate the resources necessary for operation. I've searched Dell, 3COM and Microsoft knowledgebases and found nothing. I installed updated drivers from the Dell and 3COM web sites and neither worked. I took a different hard drive and installed a fresh copy of Windows 2000 SP2, IE 5.5SP1. Connects fine. Went to the Windows update site and installed almost all of the updates. Lost connectivity. Checked the Device Manager and nothing had changed on the driver details. Uninstalled each update one-by-one and still cannot connect. Changed NIC drivers - 3COM, Dell, MS - again and still cannot connect. Uninstalled the drivers and let Windows find the NIC again, and still cannot connect. The Q numbers for the known updates listed in Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs are as follows (not all updates are un-installable and therefore do not register in Add/Remove Programs): 329834, 326886, 326830, 324380, 324096, 323172, 322842, 320206, 320176, 318138, 314147, 313829, 313582, 313450, 311967, and 299956. It should be noted that this has never happened to us before. We have over a hundred C600s and have installed the updates on most of them. Next steps: I'm installing another fresh copy of Windows 2000 SP2, IE 5.5SP1. I'm going to install the updates one at a time to see if I can find out which one is the culprit. As you may know, this is a lengthy process. If anybody knows a better solution, please let me know. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

lbong · Answer

Hi

System:

C400 PIII 1.2Ghz 512MB RAM Windows 2000 SP2 IE 5.5+SP
Same Ethernet NIC.

I am having the same problem after running windows update from Microsoft website. The first reboot after the update went fine. I can access everything without any problem. Went home and work on the machine and connect through the laptop Ethernet NIC at home without problem. This morning connect back to C/Port II and New hardware Found mesg appear, tried to install 3COM driver but mesg says that it cannot find any suitable driver to install.

Tried to delete docked profile, same result.
Tried to install DELL DockQuickInstall setup, same result.
Tried various 3COM driver, same result.

If anyone know what is going on please help.

Regards,
--LBOng

Solver · Answer

We have the same problem with the X200 and it's docking. After som Bill Gates updates the NIC on the docking does not work. It does not help to uninstall the updates. Any news on how to fix this ?? (OS is w2k)

Turning off Power managemnet on the NIC helped me!! Thanks

Message Edited by Solver on 02-03-2003 10:29 AM

lbong · Answer

I've manage to track down the error log, but I don't know how to fixed it.

The log file that has this error is 'c:\winnt\setupapi.txt'.

The error from the log file:

Munged cmdline: rundll32.exe newdev.dll,DevInstall PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_FFFF&SUBSYS_FFFFFFFF&REV_78\4&139e449d&0&40F0
EXE name: C:\WINNT\system32\rundll32.exe
Set selected driver.
Device install function: DIF_SELECTBESTCOMPATDRV.
Selecting best compatible driver caused error: Error 0xe0000228: There are no compatible drivers for this device.
Completed default installer, error: Error 0xe0000228: There are no compatible drivers for this device.
Set selected driver.
Device install function: DIF_SELECTBESTCOMPATDRV.
Selecting best compatible driver caused error: Error 0xe0000228: There are no compatible drivers for this device.
Completed default installer, error: Error 0xe0000228: There are no compatible drivers for this device.
Set selected driver.
Device install function: DIF_INSTALLDEVICEFILES.
Installing NULL driver for PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_FFFF&SUBSYS_FFFFFFFF&REV_78\4&139E449D&0&40F0.
Device install finished with error Error 0xe0000203: There is no driver selected for the device information set or element.
Completed default installer, error: Error 0xe0000203: There is no driver selected for the device information set or element.
Set selected driver.

Hope this has some useful information and maybe someone know how to fix it.

cationic · Answer

I have this problem, and I have heard from several other people who also have it. In my case, Dell technical support was not able to solve it. The last thing they did was to send me a new docking station (that did not solve the problem). I am stuck with plugging the network cable into the laptop's own port, and disabling the docking station NIC.

I wonder if we will ever find a solution to this one?

Rafael

chub8916 · Answer

Hi..

Its good to see others have the same issue, I'M the IT guy here, and this is killing me.. Director uses Latitude with 98 se with CDOCK/II it worked fine 3 weeks ago, he installed some DSL software called 2wire while he was away at another office and now the NIC in the docking station refuses to work on the network, i works fine plugged straight in the back but will now play while docked, The nic light is green and active. I spent 2 hours with Dell , we tried everything, removed profiles, wiped the network adaptors, turn the lan manager off in the bios.. Nothing. My Boss isnt very happy with me..

Any ideas?

itgeek · Answer

I found the solution to the problem... At least in my case. Try this:

1. Right-click My Computer and press Manage.

2. Double-click Device Manager.

3. Right-click your network adapter and press Properties.

4. Select the Power Management tab.

5. Clear the Allow this computer to turn off this device to save power box.

6. Press OK.

We have been having this problem for a couple of months with an IBM Thinkpad x20, and one of our Dell Latitudes. This fixed the problem on both machines.

Michael Rosenblum - MCSE

Asymtek- IT Lead

mrosenblum@asymtek.com

tfisk454 · Answer

I have multiple Latitude C 640 systems and have only recently encountered this problem.

Here's what worked for us-

With the system docked, unplug the power from the port replicator. Reconnect power. On boot up, the system creates another hardware profile and the replicator nic is functioning.

Todd Fisk

fiskt@advion.com

ritemple · Answer

This is a shot in the dark, but I've had this problem for ages and finally fixed it. My problems was being cause by Checkpoint Securemote VPN client software.

After installing it, I found that when booting my laptop (Win XP Prof) on a C/Port II docking station, the network card in the dock would not show up with the ipconfig command. By disabling the SecuRemote software on the Dock network card it all worked fine.

Took me three rebuilds of WinXP to figure that one out !!!

JEStevens · Answer

Ah, I was able to resolve this issue..I'll post the symptoms and the possible solution below..

- Windows version: ( like Windows 98, Windows XP Home, etc )

I am using W2K Pro SP4 on a Dell Latitude C840 w/2.4Ghz Pentium 4m / 512MB RAM / 20GB HDD, onboard pctel winmodem, 3COM 3C920 NIC and nVidia integrated video.

- Did you download and install any Windows updates:

..I thought I downloaded updated "3COM Net" drivers from Windows Update but a closer look at the install history doesn't seem to indicate that.

- Detailed description of the problem:

I originally realized there was a problem with the on-board NIC configuration when I was trying to install Cisco VPN client SW and the VPN client would fail to bind to the on-board NIC.

To troubleshoot failed VPN client install, I tried accessing the TCP/IP properties of the onboard NIC and found that the PROPERTIES button was disabled, even though I was logged on with Admin privliges.

Tried to remove 3C920 Network Adapter from Device Manager - The removal failed with a message "This device cannot be removed, it may be required to boot the computer". Tried again in safe mode, no progress.

Even though the device manager uninstall failed the device still disappeared from the device tree, so I did a SCAN FOR HARDWARE CHANGES and W2K redetected the device. Downloaded current 3C920 drivers from Dell's website and tried to apply these when prompted by Device Manager..the driver files would copy but at the very end of the install, device manager would report:

---

Completing the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard

3COM 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)

An error occurred during the installation of the device

The INF or the device information set or element does not match the specified install class..

---

The device would show up with a problem (Yellow flag)..the error code changed between two values (can't remember #..either "No Drivers loaded for this device" or "The specified driver could not load"...?

Desperate to get the user operational again, I installed a 3COM OfficeConnect 10/100Mbps PC Card NIC which worked appropriately.

Facing the prospect of having to reload the user's laptop with a Norton Ghost Image I started combing the web for possible solutions yesterday..came across Dell Forum comment below and sent it to the MS Support team in desperation.

Just out of curiousity this AM, before I got started with reghosting the machine, I tried logging on as Admin with the PC Card NIC installed and removing the Onboard NIC from Device Manager. This time it WORKED, I was able to remove the "damaged" 3c920 device from the device tree and reinstall it properly with a new hardware scan.

The only thing I can figure is that the On-board NIC supports PXE boot, and W2K wouldn't let the damaged device SW be removed properly because without it there would be no other NIC to do the network boot? With an external PC card NIC installed, the requirement was met?

Sounds like a combination of vendor-independent implementation issues & W2K not working together in an agreeable fashion.

I hope this information is helpful to others in the same situation, having to reload a machine from scratch just because the driver install is broken is very frustrating.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Lost Network Connectivity through Port Replicator NIC

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