problems with LAN card

[jessed]

I've been fighting this problem for the past 24 hours and am clueless about what to try next. The background: yesterday I was browsing the internet when suddenly I lost my connection. My computer is hooked up to the same hub/cable modem as my roommates, and they can both still connect without a problem. So, I began trying to isolate the problem. First I tried a different cable - no go (and it works with my roommate's comp). Then I uninstalled and reinstalled my LAN card - device manager said that the device was working properly. Still didn't work. So I put my card in a different PCI slot - still didn't work. Finally I bought a new card (different brand) and put it in yet another unused PCI slot - and it still doesn't work. When I open up IE it just says "finding www._____.com" for 30 seconds or so before failing to connect.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

*edit - forgot to say that I get link lights both on my LAN card and at my port on the hub. I've tried every port on the hub and I always get a link light but never can connect.

[Floppyman]

Hi,

Is your ip address etc. setup correctly? Can you ping the websites via the DOS prompt? Also when you give your computer and another an internal network address (something like 192.168.0.x) can you ping the other computer and can the other computer ping to your computer? Hope this helps a bit.

[HAL9000]

Along with Floppydude's suggestion, have you done a virus scan with the latest data file set recently?

[azscary]

I know this may sound crazy, but is your ISP bill up to date? It sounds as if your internet access is down. If you cannot receive e-mail as well and this happened just "overnight" there is a problem with the ISP. I have DSL access and yesterday my DSL would connect and train up. However MSN had their server go down yesterday and I was dead in the water. I was connected, but no access.
Assuming the Virus scan was negative and your Internet provider was paid up, then it might be the cable itself or the provider has a problem. I think you said you have a cable modem, so be sure someone didn't "unplug" something somewhere or the cable company didn't screw up.

[MADMAC`]

couple of things to try first b4 we get to deep.
1. Goto control panel and click on network. click on your NIC then on properties, then on Bindings, does TCP/IP show as bound to your NIC?. click OK and OK again. does the updating device database show?? if it asks for reboot then do so and try connection again..
2. go to Start Run, and type winipcfg. does the IP address show a legitimate address or does it show as 169.254.x.x where x=any number between 0 and 255.
if so try relase then renew, then try connection again. if after the above 2 you still have problems then repostand I will try to talk you through the next steps

[jessed]

Well, this is truly interesting. I was able to fix the problem last time, though I have no idea how I did so. I got so frustrated that I reinstalled Windows, which didn't help, but after messing around with Network Neighborhood and Device Manager I somehow managed to get a connection. It held out until last night, when the exact same thing happened. What could possibly be causing this is beyond me - I've had a few friends come over to help me, and they were both stumped. Both have had jobs in this field, so they are by no means novices.

Anyways, thanks for the replies. I'll try to further clarify the problem in hopes that one of you geniuses can figure it out.

Floppyman - My IP address is valid (the same one as before the problems began). RE pinging websites via the DOS prompt ... I don't know what this is or how to do it. I cannot see my roommates' computers, even though we are networked through the same hub and part of the same network. They cannot see me either.

Hal - I use McAfee virus scan and it shows no viruses. I also use Zone Alarm (at least I do when my connection is actually working!).

azscary - There are two other computers which use the same cable connection that I do. Both of these computers are connected (I'm using one to write this). Believe me, it isn't the cable company, the hub, or my cable - it is my computer.

MADMAC - Yes, TCP/IP is bound to my card (Linksys Etherfast 10/100 LAN card). If I click OK, OK it does not show updating device database. Should it? My IP address shows as 24.124.x.x (both xs are between 0 and 255). I have released and then renewed a few times, and it hasn't helped.

Again, thanks all for the help, and good luck (for my sake).

[azscary]

I may have missed it in the earlier post, but what OS are you running? If it is Win98 you have to enable printer and file sharing on both systems. I do not know why but you do. ALso you may need netbeui installed on both. Some Win 2K machines for no apparent reason have to have Netbeui installed to see each other on the network. Oddly after they see each other the first time you can uninstall netbeui. Microsoft gremlins I suppose.

[MADMAC`]

Hi jessed it might sound strange this, but according to your computer you were connected to the ISP, hence the 24.124.x.x that is the leased IP address your ISP is giving you, if you release and renew you should see the date IP and time change to match your doing so.
One question I should have asked first.. had you tried running internet explorer repair tool. occasionally my internet connection becomes unstable, and there is no other recourse than to repair. after which everything is usually hunky dory.

And I have just read your post again, and it should only show updating database if there was a problem in your network bindings.

[jessed]

I'm running Win98. What do you mean by "both machines" azscary? The problem isn't just that I cannot see my roommates' computers in network neighborhood - it is that I can't see them OR access the internet. The LAN card is installed and working properly, and I was not playing with any settings which could have caused this. Last night everything was functioning properly. I shut my computer down, and when I turned it on this morning, I could no longer access the internet. No errors were given. I don't get it. I have tried adding netbeui but it made no difference.

MADMAC - When I release and then renew my IP, should it be the exact same number? I assume it is ... I always get the exact same address when I release - renew. The time changes everytime I do this, so does this mean that my computer is communicating with the modem? If so, I'm even more confused ...

See if you can explain this to me. On the computer I'm currently using, when I run winipcfg, there are two options. One is the ethernet card and the other is PPP adapter. It is on PPP adapter and does NOT show an IP address, but rather only an Adapter Address. On my computer there is no PPP adapter, just the Linksys card. Should I have a PPP adapter?

One more thing ... perhaps I was wrong earlier about my TCP/IP being bound to my NIC. The Network Neighborhood properties window only says TCP/IP. On this computer it says TCP/IP -> Linksys Fast Ethernet Adapter. Should mine have the -> Linksys Fast Ethernet Adapter part? If so, how can I fix it? If I go to properties and then bindings for TCP/IP, there is only one option: Client for Microsoft Networks. This is checked, but should it be bound to anything else?

What is internet explorer repair tool, and how do I use it? I've never heard of it, but I'll try anything.

Hope this all makes some sense. I'm stumped.

[azscary]

What do you mean by "both machines" azscary?

I don't know what this is or how to do it. I cannot see my roommates' computers, even though we are networked through the same hub and part of the same network. They cannot see me either.

If you cannot see your roomate and he can't see you I assumed you had two machines.

[azscary]

If you are using IE 5.0, 5.5 or 6.0 you can repair the installation. Go to START>SETTINGS>CONTOL PANEL>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS then select Internet Explorer ?.? and Internet Tools. Click on the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS button and you will get an option to Repair Internet Explorer or Restore the Previous Windows Configuration. The repair option of course repairs the browser and the restore option reverts to the previous version of Internet Explorer. You want the repair option. Delete your cookies and stored web pages first then run the repair.

[azscary]

By the way, is printer and file sharing enabled on both machines? Windows 98 is NOT a very stable platform, is not very well adapted to today's modern communications and occasionally dumps or corrupts critical files ESPECIALLY in the communications package area. I work Tech SUpport for a major ISP and we routinely have to have our clients unistall Communications / Dial Up Networking (Dialup only) and reinstall it, delete the connectoids (dialup only), and repair Internet Explorer to get their connectivity back. The draw back to this is you MUST have the original Win98 CD or the cab files MUST be on the computer. YOu must also be ABSOLUTELY sure that the correct version of cab files are used.

[jessed]

Hmmm ... just realized I posted this in entirely the wrong forum. Should I perhaps start a new thread in the main Hardware forum?

azscary - I'm more concerned with being able to access the internet than I am with being able to share files with my roommates' computers, though I assume these two problems will be fixed at the same time. That's why I asked the "both machines?" question ... sorry for the confusion.

Regarding your last post - were all those concerns only for dialup connections?

I really think the problem might be that when I right-click on Network Neighborhood, it only shows TCP/IP, and not TCP/IP -> Linksys Fast Ethernet Adapter. If I remove TCP/IP and then add it again, the problem remains. Does this mean that my LAN card and protocol (TCP/IP) are not bound? Could this be the problem?

[azscary]

You have reinstalled the LAN drivers, switched cards, and every other option I can think of. Is YOUR computer the only one having the problem or are they all misbehaving? Generally the TCP/IP binding occurs when the LAN card and drivers are installed. However, as I said, Win98 is NOT a very stable system. If it is only happening on one machine, then you may have a corrupt TCP/IP stack. If that is the case the only solution is to have the original CD or cab files and uninstall Networking and communications and reinstall them. It is possible with Win98 that BOTH machines have a corrupted TCP/IP stack since they share a connection. This problem occurs more frequently in Dialup however TCP/IP stack corruption does occur regularly with Win98 in all communications.

I MUST STRESS THAT BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TCP/IP, COMMUNICATIONS, OR NETWORKING REPAIRS YOU MUST HAVE THE ORIGINAL WIN98 CD THAT MATCHES YOUR MACHINE, OR THE CAB FILES STORED SOMEWHERE ON THE LOCAL MACHINE AND BE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT VERSION! If you have visited the Microsoft web site and downloaded security patches,service packs etc. you may no longer have the correct version available on your CD. In that case you would probably need to contact Microsoft. If the machine came with the OS and you do not have the origianl CD then do a search on My Computer for win98_* to see if the cabs are there. They should be under C:/Windows/options/cabs. The names will be something like WIN98_20.cab.

[jessed]

Yes, I've reinstalled the drivers from my LAN card. I've even put it in a different PCI slot and reinstalled, but no luck. These problems are only occurring on one machine - mine. Both of my roommates are experiencing no problems whatsoever.

I have the original Win98 CD. How do I uninstall Networking and Communications only? I'd rather not have to reinstall Windows in its entirety ...

thanks

[azscary]

DISCONNECT YOURSELF FROM THE NETWORK YOU ARE ON BEFORE PROCEEDING!
Go to CONTROL PANEL>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. At the top there is a tab for WINDOWS SETUP. Click on that tab. Take the check mark out of the box that says COMMUNICATIONS. Close all windows. If it asks to restart say no. If it says your network is not complete do you want to continue say yes. Go to CONTROL PANEL>NETWORK> and see if the TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks are both gone. If not click on them and remove them. Close all windows. Ignore restart requests if any. Go back to CONTROL PANEL>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS>WINDOWS SETUP and put the check back in communications. Say OK and it should ask for the Win98 CD and copy files if the cabs are not on the machine. If the cabs ARE on the machine it will not ask for the CD but will just copy the files. Thenyou should get a request to restart. Restart this time. You will now have a fresh Communications package installed. Check Networks to see if the TCP/IP link to your LAN card are now present. YOu may need to install Client for Microsoft Networks again. You should have Client for Microsoft Networks & TCP/IP linked to your LAN card. If Microsoft Family Logon appears remove it. Under the window with the list of clients and protocols there is a box that says Primary Network Logon. This needs to be Client for Microsoft Networks. If you are lucky this will fix the problem If not you may have to hack the Registry. PRAY BEFORE YOU REBOOT!

[azscary]

*IMPORTANT*
If at any time during the File Copy you are given a warning about "Version
Conflict" or any message "A file being copied is older", click NO to each
and every message you see like that. If it prompts you that the file is not
found, the CD drive letter is either incorrect, or you are not using the
CD-rom that was used to install Windows on your computer.

[jessed]

Well, I tried to remove and reinstall Communications from Windows but somehow caused even more problems. When I tried to reboot it gave a blue screen with the message "Invalid VxD dynamic link" ... I don't remember what exactly it said after this. Windows won't load. I'm buried in schoolwork right now so I don't have time to mess with it tonight. I'll see what kind of trouble I've got in the morning.

[azscary]

Originally posted by azscary *IMPORTANT* If at any time during the File Copy you are given a warning about "Version Conflict" or any message "A file being copied is older", click NO to each and every message you see like that. If it prompts you that the file is not found, the CD drive letter is either incorrect, or you are not using the CD-rom that was used to install Windows on your computer.

I hope you had the right version. Let me know what happenes.

[jessed]

I never got any "version conflict" or "A file being copied is older" messages during my attemts to fix the problem. However, as I said before, I kept getting an "Invalid VxD dynamic link" message every time I tried to start Windows ... I couldn't even get in to safe mode. So I installed Windows over the top, but that didn't help either. So I went to DOS and deleted the Windows directory from my C drive and totally reinstalled. That did the trick, and in the process I managed to fix the original problem.

The whole process is a pain in the ass though. Sure enough, if I right-click Network Neighborhood and go to properties, my TCP/IP is linked to my LAN card. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing it to become unlinked? Both times it has happened while my computer was off - I simply turned it on in the morning and lo and behold, things were screwed up. It's happened twice now in the past 2 weeks. Any ideas?

Thanks for the help all, especially azscary.

[azscary]

You are welcome, but I do not know if anything I had you try worked. Now that it is working, export a copy of your registry to the harddrive or a floppy you know has NO virus on it. Export a copy every day until you have a weeks worth then start replacing the first one with the latest one. The next time it happens try importing the registry last good and see if that fixes it. Uninstalling the LAN card in Device Manager and deleting it from Networks and then reinstalling it should have fixed the problem, but it didn't. It was fixed ONLY when you reinstalled Win98. My guess is that it is a Win98 issue. If you are staying with Win 98 upgrade to the latest version. ALWAYS HAVE THE ORIGINAL DISK WHEN YOU UPGRADE! After the upgrade if you go onto the CD and copy the folder from the CD called WIN98 onto the root directory of C Drive then your latest cab files will always be available in the future. As the BEST option if you are able, get rid of Win98 and go to Win 2K.
Good luck.

[jessed]

And of course things become even stranger. Everything was working fine for a few hours today, but now I no longer have a connection to the internet. The situation appears to be the exact same as every time before, with one twist. Now when I got to Network Neighborhood, properties it shows my TCP/IP as bound to my LAN card. But, no connection.

I'm going to start searching for a copy of Win2K.

[azscary]

This may sound like an odd question, but when you are done with your computer do you shut it down and turn it off or just log off? When it boots up or when you log back in does it ask you for a user name and password? If it does you MUST NOT click "CANCEL" or hit the "X" at the top to proceed. With networking installed, which it has to be to do what you are doing with the network, you should leave the user name as it is, make sure the password is blank and click "OK". If you are not doing this, or you are not entering a password and clicking OK that is your problem.

[jessed]

I usually leave my computer on all day and shut it down during the night. I never log off. And yes, I always have the same user name entered, no password, and click OK. Remember, the first time I encountered this problem it happened while I was using IE. All of the sudden it just stopped working.

I'm still looking for a copy of Win2K ... until then I'll just keep using my roommate's comp.

Thanks for making the effort to help me az, even if this doesn't make a bit of sense.

[azscary]

Anytime.

[jessed]

Well, I do believe I've found the source of my troubles. Apparently ZoneAlarm is somewhat infamous for screwing up cable connections/settings, and I have a cable modem. Since my most recent reformat/reinstallation of Win98 I have NOT reinstalled ZoneAlarm, and so far I haven't had any problems. It's too early to be able to say for sure, but based on what I have been reading my problems should be behind me.

So, if anyone ever shows up having the same problems I did, now you'll know what to tell them.

[azscary]

I read back over the posts and did not see any mention of Zone Alarm. Did I miss it somewhere? ANY firewall type software such as Zone Alarm will effect network throughput. You have to set your proxies right to make it work. Some networks have to put exceptions in the proxy to allow access. Norton's newest antivirus software update changes the POP3 mail settings to pop3.nortonantivirus.com or something stupid like that and people cannot receive their email.

[jessed]

Yeah, I know that the firewall would affect network throughput, but it was more than just blocking incoming data. I had ZoneAlarm for about five days before the problems began - I gave IE, ICQ, and Messenger permission to access the internet, and everything was peachy. Then when my connection suddenly failed, I never considered the fact that my firewall had somehow screwed up my settings. I obviously don't know much about such things, but I do know that it wasn't something ZoneAlarm was supposed to do - it's a bug of some sort. Sorry for not mentioning it, but I didn't see any reason to suspect it.

[azscary]

Hey I am just glad it works!