Ethernet Driver for Homemade PC

[boweasel]

Save the BIOS .exe file onto a flash drive, transfer it to the machine that isn't running correctly, and update your BIOS

Forth post down from the top of page 2, I said that I had already done just that. The only quibble was that I had run the BIOS update (if indeed that's what I downloaded - I dunno) in safe mode.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Do not run it in safe mode, run it in regular mode.

 

[SlasherIT]

Yup.

 

[LiquidSnak]

[QUOTE="boweasel]After 5 minutes, I pulled the plug, and rebooted into safe mode with networking.[/QUOTE]

Also, I really really hope that you didn't actually pull the plug out.

 

[SlasherIT]

Stopping chkdsk midway into its operation will really mess up your computer badly.

 

[boweasel]

[QUOTE="boweasel]After 5 minutes, I pulled the plug, and rebooted into safe mode with networking.

Also, I really really hope that you didn't actually pull the plug out.[/QUOTE]
Exactly what should I have done if I attempted to boot normally, saw the 'Starting Windows' screen, and then nothing? I assumed waiting 5 minutes was a sensible period. How long should I have waited? An hour? A week? Or what else could I have done? The screen was black - Ctrl/Alt/Delete did nothing. If you've got some magical combination of keys to press in that situation, please... let me know. Because it's knowledge I don't possess.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Hold your power button down for 5 seconds, or use the restart button on your tower. You should never pull the electricity, as this will usually damage components. If nothing was damaged by literally unplugging the machine, you got lucky.

 

[boweasel]

Stopping chkdsk midway into its operation will really mess up your computer badly.

Slasher, I never said that I stopped chkdsk midway into its operation. I have no idea what you read that would lead you to that belief. You are actually beginning to exasperate me.

 

[boweasel]

Hold your power button down for 5 seconds, or use the restart button on your tower. You should never pull the electricity, as this will usually damage components. If nothing was damaged by literally unplugging the machine, you got lucky.

I used the I/O toggle switch on the tower - not literally 'pulling the plug' I know. So I guess I'm guilty of using bad terminology

 

[LiquidSnak]

Boot into safe mode, uninstall all drivers for ethernet, and restart your machine. Then update your BIOS

 

[LiquidSnak]

You are actually beginning to exasperate me.

You know, if you are just going to be rude, none of us are going to help you. Everyone mis-reads and makes mistakes, obviously yourself included. Drop the attitude or you won't get any help here, I promise you.

 

[boweasel]

Look, I apologize, but that was the 3rd time it'd happened. I've been fighting this for days now, and I've gotten no closer to a solution than I was when I started. I mentioned early on that I was close to tossing it away - that gives you an indication of how frustrated I've been. I've been told to remove my video card and boot into safe mofe (if I have no video card I have no display), been told to install a BIOS update from normal mode when I'd already clearly specified that after the NIC driver update I could only boot in safe mode, then I was scolded for 'pulling the plug' then scolded for interrupting chkdsk.

Anyway, apologies all around. And please accept them since it's only my exasperation that has brought out some uncharacteristic rudeness in me.

I do have some news....
I booted normally, uninstalled the ethernet driver in device manager, and reinstalled it from the flash drive. Partway through the InstallShield Wizard I get a msg box:

The Realtek Network Controller was not found. If Deep Sleep Mode is enabled Please Plug the Cable.

That is exactly how it read, including the strange capital letters. I, once again, have no clue what it means. If anyone's still willing to jump into the fray, I'd be humbled for the help.

 

[LiquidSnak]

If you can boot normally, I would now attempt the bios update, and then restart again after uninstalling the ethernet drivers. Do not bother installing them again with the actual drivers until the restart is complete.

I understand being frustrated, and I have learned my lesson after chucking a power supply out a window lol.

 

[SlasherIT]

@LiquidSnak, thanks for defending me

@boweasel, please understand that all of us are helping you for free at our own will, we are not being paid to help you, the least you could do is just be patient. I am sorry for misreading/making a mistake, but that is what humans do, we are not infallible. I will accept your apology but do it again and I will refuse to help you.

'The Realtek Network Controller was not found.' This means the computer can't detect the Ethernet device currently. Hopefully the BIOS update will fix this.

 

[boweasel]

I tried running Setup.exe again for the ethernet driver, then selected repair. It said it was repairing the Realtek Network Controller. I actually got my hopes up. Then another dreaded box:

Device driver software was not successfully installed.

And there's a big red X next to the words - Device unplugged,

What in the Wide Wide World of Sports does THAT mean?

And when it comes to the BIOS update - I went to this page
GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 775 - GA-G41M-ES2L (rev. 1.3)
and have NO IDEA what to do

 

[SlasherIT]

Download and install the new BIOS version first. http://download.gigabyte.ru/bios/motherboard_bios_ga-g41m-es2l_f9.exe

After you update the BIOS, we can continue fixing the main problem.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Download from your nearest location, and you should receive a .exe file. Put this on the computer, and run the .exe

 

[SlasherIT]

Beat you to it

@Liquidsnak - I'm off to hit the sack, take care of this thread while I'm gone .

 

[boweasel]

Download and install the new BIOS version first. http://download.gigabyte.ru/bios/motherboard_bios_ga-g41m-es2l_f9.exe

After you update the BIOS, we can continue fixing the main problem.

When I extract this file I did it to the desktop of the damaged PC, and I get 3 files - an autoexec.bat, a file called G41MES2L.F9, and an application Flashspi.exe.

As I mentioned earlier , when I run the application, I get the following msg

'The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32bit) or x64 (64bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher'

Still dead in the water...

 

[LiquidSnak]

Are you positive that's your motherboard? At this point, I would try the next BIOS down and see if you can run the .exe from that file and have it call the .f9 or the .f8 bios revision