Network Adapter on a Dimension 8300

Question

I cannot see a network adapter (other than my SpeedTouch ADSL Modem) when looking through Device Manager - Network adapters. I am trying to connect a new router (Belkin Pre-N Modem/Router) via a network cable connection and cannot create any visibility of a Network through software/Wizard setups.   OS is MS XP.   Is there a built-in network adapter in the machine/on motherboard as I believed I had bought? Do I need to go out and buy a network card? Is there a software installation I've missed when I had to re-load my machine a few months ago?   Thanks for any tips or directions.

_Paladin · Answer

JohnR,   According to the D8300 Service manual and Owner's manual   (available here) the system came with an integrated NIC on the motherboard.  You may need to enter the BIOS setup program to see if it is enabled.  If it is, are there any devices in Device Manager flagged as errors?  You may need to install the driver for the NIC (available here).  If you reinstalled the operating system, did you install the chipset drivers first?  Integrated devices won't be seen by Windows XP until the chipset drivers are installed.

JohnR10 · Answer

Brilliant! Thanks for your support and help!   JohnR10

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

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