Are the drivers installed at this point? Is the network card listed properly within the Device Manager under the Network category?

How are you attempting to connect your systems? The FAQ at the top of this forum discusses peer-to-peer networking on a local LAN:

Networking FAQ

The Ethernet card is no longer listed on the device manager category.  This only happened after I installed the driver which I thought was correct (the broadcom thing).  As stated, before the icon said Ethernet with a yellow question mark in front indicating it required a driver.

I am trying to connect the 2 computers via direct line cable.  But at the moment I cannot set up a connection via the wizard on my computer due to the ethernet problem.

Many Thanks

Steve

OK
If you say you have lost the ethernet card from the listing of the device manager, along side of the device manager there are a bunch of pluses, is there one for network adapters, if so click on the plus and see whats there.reply back to me. If not do you see a listing for "other devices" If so is there something that says "ethernet controller". Let me know. Also what type of system do you have? Model? 2350,2400,4600,ect

In network adapters, there is just my broadband modem.

In others...there is sm serial bus which also has a yellow question mark next to it.

I have a dimension 2400.

 

I see, you dont have any drivers loaded for the hardware that is in the system. Drivers tell the system what to do with the hardware(modem,video,sound,ect).alright what you need to do it take your dimension resource cd. this is a blue cd in clear packaging. put this cd in the top cdrom drive. it should startup. it might ask you to install it if you havent used this cd. This is ok. It if doesnt ask you to install it you will get a "welcome dell owner screen". click next/continue at the bottom right. on the left side of this screen you have the search criteria. Make the top one say, dimension2400, the next, windows xp, the last topic: DRIVERS. In the list that appears at right, find in the list something that says "control drivers/chipset drivers" or something like that. But right below that listing once you find it, it will say " Intel chipset drivers". Click where it says intel chipset drivers. that will take you to another screen. Scroll down a little bit and click on extract on the left side. click next, until it wants to extract the files. dont change where it wants to save them "c:\dell\drivers\rXXXXX". click next/continue. it will say it doesnt exist, create it. Once it finishes that, click finish I beleive. then a screen comes up and says installation instructions, you might have to scroll down click on install now. then click open. this is the chipset driver install.... you dont have to change anything in here...i cant remember any of the screens in this one... just keep clicking next/continue until it asks you to restart. and NOW your chipset driver software is installed. ok now you should only have one thing listed for network adapters and that would be broadcomm 4401 NIC (network interface card)..... now what else has question marks in the device manager. lemme know

Message Edited by letsgo on 02-06-2004 06:53 PM

Message Edited by letsgo on 02-06-2004 06:57 PM

Message Edited by letsgo on 02-06-2004 06:59 PM

This has sorted it thanks