Resetting ethernet card without resinstalling OS???

I did that several times today but tried it again as per your instructions. After uninstalling the network card and rebooting, windows automatically reinstalled the drivers without prompting so I just ran the downloaded driver file and when I looked at the adapter it lists the new one. However, when I view the driver under device manager it lists 5 driver file locations and when I try to force windows to update the driver and point it at the file I downloaded (which it refuses, saying that file doesn't contain the driver info) it asks which network adapter I want to install and lists three of them. The ethernet card is a SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter, and it correctly lists that three times but the first one has (Microsoft) in parentheses after it and the next two list (SiS) afterwards. I'm not sure if this means that it hasn't accepted the new drivers and is simply replicating copies of them and if so how I can force windows into accepting the new drivers? When I run the executable downloaded driver file from the Dell site it takes me thru a set up procedure that says it has succeeded in installing the new files so I'm assuming I've got it right... but perhaps not. If I do have it right, then I'm still behind because my connection speed is still at 400kbps.

To remove the NIC with out reinstalling the OS. Boot your system to SAFE MODE. Then go to the DEVICE MANAGER on the right look for NETWORK ADAPTERS and click the + sign. Then on each item below right click and uninstall. There may be some that respond that they are needed and will not delete that's fine just go to the next one. Then reboot your system to normal mode and it will reinstall all the network adapters. It will take a few minutes. After that try again. If the problem remains check on your firewall. You may want to first boot to Safe Mode with networking and try you speed there first. If it is fine then the problem is not hardware related but is software related, most likely a firewall.

Message Edited by DELL-Gina on 11-01-2006 11:04 AM

Okay, so I tried both recommendations, and jmwillis's about 20 times. First, the safe mode speed test remained 400kbps, which I expected since I get normal speeds with my wireless connection so it's not a firewall issue. And you're right, jmwillis, that I would still need to find the folder with the old drivers in it and delete it so windows would prompt me for the new drivers. Unfortunately, I've tried searching and deleting every file and folder with the driver (sisnic.sys), but there are copies in the sp2 cab files and some place listed as s(horizontal slash here)119/NT40 and then another SiS900.exe file in the same location (s-horiz.slash-119/NT40). I don't know how to get at those. Therefore, every time I reboot after deleting the copies I can find and uninstalling the adapter, windows still automatically reinstalls. How do I find all of the folders with the old driver, including the sp2 cab files and so on so I can force windows to prompt me for driver location? Also, I've simply tried updating the driver by pointing windows toward the new driver file location and it seems to copy the files so I don't know if that is actually getting the job done or not. Well, perhaps not since I'm still at 400kbps after doing that. I know completely removing the adapter and all old files and then reinstalling with the new files are the best scenario, but I can't seem to get windows to allow me to do that.

Message Edited by jmwills on 11-01-2006 06:36 PM

The device is a SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter. The adapter it was originally running was v1.16.0.0. The downloadable driver from Dell is v 1.16.0.0, A03. Since attempting to upgrade the old driver with the new downloaded one it now displays under device manager that I'm running v1.16.0.15. Hmmm.. Anyway, I did find the driver located at C:\Windows\System32\Drivers and deleted it, but within 5 seconds a new copy appears. So we're back to the question of how I can remove the adapter, reboot, and get windows to prompt me for the new drivers instead of auto-reinstalling. If that's not possible, which it seems like it isn't, is there a way to verify that v1.16.0.15 is another name for the most recent adapter upgrade? The date on the v1.16.0.15 I'm currently running listed under device manager is July 3, 2004, and the date of the new driver on the Dell site is July 18, 2004, so I'm guessing it's the right driver unless they released two that close together.

Yes, I've tried that twice. A fresh copy of the driver still reappears about five seconds after renaming it.

So I've done some more checking and I am now running the latest driver for my network adapter. I'm wondering how reinstalling my OS--recommended by the Dell chat technician in order to reset my network adapter--would accomplish something that putting in a new driver didn't??? Any ideas on alternate fixes? I don't think it's a hardware issue since my extended test from the BIOS detected nothing wrong. What else could it be? Safe mode with networking enabled got the same low speeds. Any ideas?