New Dimension 9150 - Network card hardware problems

Question

Hi there, this is my first post so please be gentle!   I've just purchased a new Dimension 9150 from Dell which arrived last night. Excitedly(!) I set everything up and powered on the machine around 9pm. Everything seemed great until I plugged in my network cable....   What happens is the 'network connected at xxx speed' bubble appears in the system tray for around 2 or 3 seconds before changing to the 'disconnected, a network cable has been unplugged' bubble for another 2 or 3 seconds, then back to the first... repeat ad nauseum... on... off... on... off.... etc You get the picture.   I've tried pinging our house hub and get around 25-50% packet loss. The internet won't connect at all.   I like to think I'm reasonably good with computers but have exhausted all the possible software issues I can think of, and concede this must be a hardware problem. Having a look inside, it seems the network card is integrated into the motherboard (Intel Pro/1000) so just 'pushing in the card' isn't an option. In the end, I removed the PCI network card from my old machine and popped it into the 9150, and it works like a dream, so I know the cable and my network settings are fine.   Anyone had this kind of thing before, and any ideas what the solution might be? I rang Tech Support but as I'm at work they can't help - I need to be by the PC. I fear they'll just do the same troubleshooting techniques I've already done, before telling me to send back the PC for a replacement motherboard, which I also fear will take ages (and require 2 days off work to wait for the couriers). My old PC will need its network card back too as I'm selling it on.   Any help very much appreciated!   Cheers   Steve

jmwills · Answer

Try a different ethernet cable.  You say you can ping you 'house hub'....just exactly what is a house hub?

kingston_toon · Answer

Hi,

Ethernet cable is fine (I did try another just in case) as it works with the PCI network card I put in temporarily. The hub thingy is, well, there are 5 of us in my house with PCs and we all connect through one router/hub/server (my housemate set it up). We "pinged" the IP of this but received a lot of packet loss, as I mentioned, because the network kept connecting and disconnecting every few seconds.

Further, I noticed every connection and disconnection appeared in the Event Log.... 3 events for each occurence. The one I remember was Event ID 4201, plus two others.

Cheers

Steve

jmwills · Answer

The 'thingy' should have been setup as server\router\hub.  You guys are running a server?  Domain or workgroup environment?  What type of router?

BBraxton · Answer

Not only a different cable but also plugging (sequentially) into each of the (four or five) ports of the switch/hub/server as well (suggest troubleshooting). On a switch, particularly, one port can "go bad" while all the others continue to work fine. What happens when someone else's connection takes the port yours has been in?

How great is the distance covered by the Ethernet cable (length)? I hope not 100 feet

kingston_toon · Answer

Hi guys thanks for the replies so far....   The cable length is well under 100 feet... max of 25 feet. The router/hub thing is all configured correctly as I've put my old PCI network card into my new machine and it works fine... the cable is definitely OK too as it worked with my old PC, and now the old PCI card in my new 9150.   It MAY be something to do with the advanced settings on the network adapter, but I'll need to post those from home later as I'm not familiar with them. Failing that, new motherboard beckons :(   Cheers   Steve

jmwills · Answer

100 meters is the limit on CAT5

jmwills · Answer

I'd reset the TCP/IP stack before I pull the MOBO.  Google for WinSockFix for XP

jmwills · Answer

The only thing I owuld try would be to unistall the onboard NIC and reboot and let Windows reinstall it.

kingston_toon · Answer

It's a new PC - only turned on twice! - so sending it back to Dell for a new MOBO would be the last resort. I'll try what you suggest though jmwills... Assuming the board is open later when I get home I'll post the event log of what happens when it connects/disconnects and full hardware spec.   Cheers   Steve

cervol · Answer

I was having a similar problem and apparently the problem has been resolved.

Try to remove the driver from the card (System Properties-Hardware) and then remove the card by the same method. When you reboot the card would be recognized and then install the driver. Make sure Norton is not blocking access to the router, or maybe the windows Firewall.

Good Luck!

kingston_toon · Answer

Hi all,

I tried everything suggested above, and was on the phone to technical support for over an hour while we tried to troubleshoot it but to no avail. Thankfully though, they are arranging a system swop so I won't be PC-less for more than a few minutes!

For the record, I thought the Tech Support guy was excellent... clear and concise. Full marks for that.

Cheers

Steve

prpro1000 · Answer

I have always plugged my router in using the usb at the front of the Dell dimension 9150 but wanted to update with wireless so bought a new wireless router. The connection was to the ethernet connection at the rear of the computer but I could not set the wireless up as I was unable to enable the intel r pro 1000 PL connection. I called dell and they said it must be the ethernet cable that is the problem but it connects fine to my daughters laptop. I also called the router manufacturer and they said that it was most probably a driver issue relating to the ethernet card or the card itself.

I loaded the driver from Dells web site - it hasnt been updated for several years so unsurprisingly it did not work. Strangely the device manager tells me the product is working ok - clearly it isnt.

I called Dell technical again and they said it was definately not a problem with the computer! Now I see that other customers have experienced this issue a long time back. Surely Dell technical services should have recorded these problems previously so that they have solutions to hand for the customer. My computer is well outside the warranty period but I realise now that the network card has been disfunctional from day one.

Has anyone yet found a solution to this problem?

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

New Dimension 9150 - Network card hardware problems

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