Windows XP + internet

[Chaotic]

I have a strong WTF here as I must be doing something wrong - but I cannot get the internet to work on a computer i've set up for my family.


It's running XP, and a wired ethernet connection that runs to my router, (which is wireless due to my sisters laptop, but i'm using wired to my personal computer)


I very simply go to network connections, create new connection, manually set itup, broadband always on or whatever then done - NOTHING. No new connection pops up.


I also went into hardware manager, verified the network card is working correctly made sure it was enabled etc.

I know this router works as every other compter is on, i just don't understand what the problem is. I also went about it another way too via another menu which I can't recall offhand. I gave up on it but my dad has been up my ass about getting it working, and it must be something really stupid that i'm missing.

[chaos]

Right click on Network Connections, go to properties. There should be a "Local Area Connection" icon there. Make sure it is enabled (right click, it should give you options to enable/disable). Right click and go to properties. Should be set to get it's IP from DHCP, and obtain DNS server address automatically. Do that first before further troubleshooting (like 90% of the time it's one of those simple things).

[mattsb84]

Originally Posted by Chaotic

I very simply go to network connections, create new connection, manually set itup, broadband always on or whatever then done - NOTHING. No new connection pops up.

Why do you need to do this? When you open up IE, what message do you get? Page cannot be displayed or BS about setting up your ISP?

You should be able to just plug into the router and go, no need to create a network connection. That's of course if your NIC card is functioning properly and has the correct drivers.

[Chaotic]

I cannot right click network connections to go into properties, if at any point I right click on it it gives me the options to open or explore only.


I was able to access LAN via internet options - - > connection and it's enabled. Under my physical network connections area I have 0 connections, and as I said previously manually attempting to create one ends in the menu closing but no new connection popping up.


It's also not automatically detecting (obviously or I wouldn't be having this issue, in the past on my computers it has) and the internet explorer message I get is the typical "you don't have a connection lulz" msg.

[Chaotic]

Messing around with it some more, now for whatever reason in device manager it's giving me the big yellow ??? saying "ethernet controller" device driver isn't installed.


This is terribly ironic (and likely the issue at hand) due to the fact that it's not a seperate network card, its integrated into the motherboard AND I just did a fresh reinstall on the computer. What the fuck?

[Jysin-DW]

Even if its an integrated NIC, they still have their own drivers.

Sounds like you did a re-install and forgot the driver for it.

[chaos]

Originally Posted by Jysin-DW

Even if its an integrated NIC, they still have their own drivers.

Sounds like you did a re-install and forgot the driver for it.

^

[Chaotic]

how can one "forget" to install an integrated components driver? I ran the dell XP disk (this is my sisters computer that is now going to be the families)

Also, I just popped it back in and nothing, tried to install again and search disk etc nadda.

What are my options?

[chaos]

Get to a working PC, search from the name of your on board NIC (Intel 99sdfj whatever) and look for drivers. Try and install them on the non working PC. Could also go to Dell for this too but I am not familiar with their support site.

[Valos]

Dell Support Home Page

Put in the service tag, express service code, or just look up the model of the computer. Download the drivers "get all of them since you are here anyways" and put them on a flash drive, CD, or external HDD. Otherwise you can attempt to look for a 'blue' drivers and utilities CD that came with the computer. If you can not do any of this, call up dell and if its still under warranty they will send out about 5-6 cds for the computer for free.

If the computer is over 2 years old they might not have the exact drivers on hand and you'll be stuck with the original method I gave you.

[Chaotic]

Originally Posted by Valos

Dell Support Home Page

Put in the service tag, express service code, or just look up the model of the computer. Download the drivers "get all of them since you are here anyways" and put them on a flash drive, CD, or external HDD. Otherwise you can attempt to look for a 'blue' drivers and utilities CD that came with the computer. If you can not do any of this, call up dell and if its still under warranty they will send out about 5-6 cds for the computer for free.

If the computer is over 2 years old they might not have the exact drivers on hand and you'll be stuck with the original method I gave you.

TY

And ty for your help folks, going to do that with my flash drive (just ordered one, and my cd burner took a shit so going to have to wait) and hope that this works out for me. If not you'll see a bump here in 3 business days.

[Angerz]

Originally Posted by Chaotic

TY

And ty for your help folks, going to do that with my flash drive (just ordered one, and my cd burner took a shit so going to have to wait) and hope that this works out for me. If not you'll see a bump here in 3 business days.

In the future, there should have been a second disk of a different color (usually green or blue) that has all the drivers you are supposed to run after the XP install disk.

[Ronne]

Kind of related question, not worth it's own thread:

Is there some utility or process that will allow me to figure out what an unknown device in my device manager is? My laptop came with Vista from the manufacturer (Alienware), but I've since formatted and gone back to XP. I now have 3 unknown devices in my device manager, all 3 are located at/in ACPI controllers and I can't figure out what they are.

Things I know they aren't: sound, wireless, ethernet, video, function keys, touchpad, web-cam.

[Angerz]

Originally Posted by Ronne

Kind of related question, not worth it's own thread:

Is there some utility or process that will allow me to figure out what an unknown device in my device manager is? My laptop came with Vista from the manufacturer (Alienware), but I've since formatted and gone back to XP. I now have 3 unknown devices in my device manager, all 3 are located at/in ACPI controllers and I can't figure out what they are.

Things I know they aren't: sound, wireless, ethernet, video, function keys, touchpad, web-cam.

Honestly, the best thing to do that I've found (having downgraded to XP on a lot of HP laptops who don't have XP drivers on HP's website) is to just google The model of the laptop and "XP Install", something like "Alienware XXX XP Install" or "XP Drivers"

Chances are someone did the leg work already and posted on a tech message board somewhere.

And as a minor tip, if one of those things you can't get to work is sound, you need to download and install the Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) before your sound and modem will show up. You can get it on most major manufacturer websites or on MS' site itself (they are all pretty much the same Microsoft update, just in a wrapper made by the particular manufacturer).

[Ronne]

Originally Posted by Angerz

And as a minor tip, if one of those things you can't get to work is sound, you need to download and install the Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) before your sound and modem will show up. You can get it on most major manufacturer websites or on MS' site itself (they are all pretty much the same Microsoft update, just in a wrapper made by the particular manufacturer).

I've got the Realtek HDA drivers installed and sound works fine, but if i turn the systel idle process off then it starts to mess up. If UAA let's me not have to run the Realtek idle process then I'm all for it.

Really though it's not important at all. I can't find one single thing on my computer that doesn't work, so I can't imagine what those 3 devices could be. I've a sneaking suspicion at least a couple of them have to do with my audio in and firewire ports, but I've yet to ever need those so meh.