Windows ME Not Connecting to Web

[tmaclean]

I've got a Gateway Solo 5300 with Windows ME on it and I can't seem to get it to connect to the web via eithernet. I've tried to update the drivers for the NIC, but no such luck. I used this page on Gateway's site (http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/search.asp?st=pn&param=3500728) to download updates. Would updating the BIOS help? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Tom

Edit:// Alright, so I found what is supposed to be the right driver for the NIC, but what the instructions are telling me to do is to go into Device Manager and under "Other Devices" find the NIC and update the driver. I don't have a category "Other Devices" and the NIC isn't under Network adapters either. The laptop usually connects online through dial-up, so all I have under Network adapters are the AOL related adapters.

On a side note, Windows ME has got to be the worst operating system ever.

[glc]

Verify that the onboard nic is enabled in the bios.

No argument here about ME.

[tmaclean]

I went into the BIOS and there wasn't any option to enable the NIC, only "Wake on LAN" which was disabled and I enabled it.

[glc]

That wouldn't affect it. If it's not showing in device manager somewhere - even as an "unknown device", it's dead.

[tmaclean]

Damn. Funny thing is, before working on this laptop, the woman who owned it never used the ethernet jack because I had to tear off the little plastic nub that was inside of it. The other weird thing was that after messing around with options I opened up IE to see if I had made any progress and the AOL dialer began to call out. It didn't find a dial tone since there wasn't anything plugged into the modem, but when I closed out, Google's home page had loaded. Usually though, I got the "Cannot find server" most of the time. I guessed that the page had just been stored in memory, so I went to BBC.com and that loaded (not like it usually does, but with larger text links all in Times New Roman). Does this show any chance of it being alive? Also, I just tried a ping 127.0.0.1 and all 4 packets came back fine.

[glc]

If this woman doesn't need Ethernet and you are simply trying to get it working for your convenience while doing maintenance, slap a PCMCIA Ethernet card in it.

[tmaclean]

Up until last week, she had AOL, but she canceled it and now has Verizon, so I need to get the Ethernet working. That's a good suggestion though because I'll be sure to have the right drivers. But do you have any other suggestions about determining whether or not the Ethernet jack is dead? I'd hate to give it back to her and have her find out someday that it actually works and I made her buy an unnecessary device.

[glc]

I'm going on vague memories here, but I believe Win9x allowed a maximum number of 4 TCP/IP bindings. If between the DUN and all the AOL components you already have 4, it may not allow another adapter to install. I do not know if this was taken care of in ME or not.

I'd think about uninstalling AOL and see what happens. I still think there *should* be somewhere in the BIOS to enable/disable onboard components (nic, modem, sound). I'd also look harder in device manager for any flagged devices.

What happens when you connect a cable from it to your router - what do the lights on the router for that port do? Run winipcfg - how many adapters are available in the drop list, and what are they?

Does her Verizon modem have a USB port?

[tmaclean]

I'm going on vague memories here, but I believe Win9x allowed a maximum number of 4 TCP/IP bindings. If between the DUN and all the AOL components you already have 4, it may not allow another adapter to install. I do not know if this was taken care of in ME or not.

I'd think about uninstalling AOL and see what happens. I still think there *should* be somewhere in the BIOS to enable/disable onboard components (nic, modem, sound). I'd also look harder in device manager for any flagged devices.

What happens when you connect a cable from it to your router - what do the lights on the router for that port do? Run winipcfg - how many adapters are available in the drop list, and what are they?

Does her Verizon modem have a USB port?

Well, I probably should have started with the easier troubleshooting tasks first, because I looked at the lights on the router and the port that the laptop is plugged into isn't blinking. Changed cords and still not working. I think I'm just going to save myself a lot of grief trying to figure out if it's the fact that the proper drivers or the hardware itself and just get a PCMCIA card which is only about 30 dollars. That way at least I'll know that I'll have the right drivers.

Is is common for an ethernet port to die before using it at all? This laptop is extremely old, so maybe old age did it in.

[glc]

Maybe it doesn't even have a NIC, and the plastic was in the port for a reason?