Ethernet Adapter not recognized

[tdcv]

So I have a Dell PC I bought a little over 1.5 yrs ago that came with an integrated ethernet adapter on mobo.
worked fine uptill november last year when it started giving me problems where the comp would not recognize the adapter on start-up, a reboot would solve the problem and I'd be able to go online. recently even that stopped and I can not go online, neither would it recognize the adapter on the system device list at all.

Thinking that the port has gone bad, I bought a new PCI Express X1 card and installed that on the computer.
It showed up on the device manager list only the very first time I started the machine, on every subsequent start-up, the device manager list does not show either of the adapters and I have not been able to go online on that machine for more than three weeks now.

any help on this would be great if somebody has gone thru similar predicament.
thx

 

[DocBrown]

Welcome tdcv,

Is there any way you can tell us the make & model of the Dell & a service tag number ?

Also make & model of the PCI card ? Did it come with a driver Disc ?

 

[tdcv]

vostro 460
service tag# CR6M0R1
the PCIe card is a TP-Link TG-3468, it did come with the install disk
thx in advance

 

[Saurabh A]

Hi tdcv,

Would like to know if you checked the status of the original 'Ethernet adapter' in 'Device Manager'. If it was not getting detected in 'Device Manger', you may want to check if it is enabled in 'BIOS'. To check the status of the 'on-board Ethernet adapter', you may follow the steps listed below:

1. Power off the computer > Power it back on and at 'Dell splash screen' repeatedly tap 'F2 key' to enter 'System BIOS' > Navigate to the option 'Advanced' > Move to 'System Configuration' > Ensure that 'On-board LAN Controller' is 'Enabled' > You may tap 'F9 key' to load 'BIOS defaults' > Tap 'F10 key' to 'Save settings' and 'Exit' (Mouse would not work in BIOS; please use 'arrow keys' to navigate. You may find the below mentioned images useful)

2. If it is enabled in 'BIOS' capture the status in 'Device Manager' again. It would be listed under the category 'Network Adapters'

If the 'on-board adapter' still does not show up in the 'Device Manager', you may try to 'Disable' it in BIOS to see if the 'Discrete Adapter' shows up.

Do reply with the findings; would be glad to assist.

 

[tdcv]

thx for the reply
I've tried both these steps already in the BIOS, disabled the adapter and then restarted the comp, no change, reactivated it in the BIOS and after the re-start, no change.
After this, I took the new PCIe card out, shut the comp down, installed it again, restarted the comp, same problem persisted, neither adapters show up on device manager, the light does come on on the new PCIe card but the comp does not recognize it
would a re-flash of the BIOS make this work?
thx in advance for the help

 

[chev65]

thx for the reply
I've tried both these steps already in the BIOS, disabled the adapter and then restarted the comp, no change, reactivated it in the BIOS and after the re-start, no change.
After this, I took the new PCIe card out, shut the comp down, installed it again, restarted the comp, same problem persisted, neither adapters show up on device manager, the light does come on on the new PCIe card but the comp does not recognize it
would a re-flash of the BIOS make this work?
thx in advance for the help

It may help to try clearing the cmos then setting BIOS to defaults.

 

[tdcv]

I did that as well, to no avail unfortunately
could this be a virus problem?

 

[Parman]

First open up the PC. Disconnect the adpater. If you have any dust remover spray, spray the pci port and the card. Plug it back in and test. If its still not working do you have access to another PC to test the card in?

 

[tdcv]

The PCIe card is brand new, will test on another comp
it's just so frustrating cause the comp is practically new, sucks for me

 

[Parman]

Yeah it does suck I have gotten new components that are defective before. This is the easiest way to test it.

 

[tdcv]

The real problem is not with the new PCIe card, the comp doesn't recognize the on-board integrated adapter which is why I had to buy the PCIe card. After installation, the comp did not recognize the new or the old adapter at all, in fact the device manager does not list network adapters at all when you look at the list.

 

[Parman]

Have you disabled the internal nic?

 

[tdcv]

How do you do that? Thru BIOS?

 

[Parman]

Yes.

 

[Saurabh A]

The real problem is not with the new PCIe card, the comp doesn't recognize the on-board integrated adapter which is why I had to buy the PCIe card. After installation, the comp did not recognize the new or the old adapter at all, in fact the device manager does not list network adapters at all when you look at the list.

Hi tdcv,

Apologies for the delay in my response; was away from work.

It is surprising that none of the 'network adapters' are showing up in 'Device Manager' page. I would understand if it were an issue with the 'On-board adapter'; however the 'Discrete adapter' should show-up fine. Please share the status of 'link lights' with both 'adapters' (Onboard & Discrete) one by one.

Ensure that you 'disable' the 'On-board NIC' from 'BIOS' while checking the status for 'PCI Express' card. Also remove the 'PCI Express' card; and 'enable' 'On-board NIC' in 'BIOS' in the other case. (Similar link-lights appear when an 'Ethernet cable' is plugged into an 'Ethernet port'; refer to the image below):

I also recommend you to restore 'BIOS defaults' without the 'PCI Express card' plugged in; and check results.

If you still experience issues, please share a 'screen shot' of the 'Device Manager' page (with 'Network Adapter's category expanded, if listed); you may try to 'scan for hardware changes' in 'Device Manager' to see if the category appears.

Hope this helps. Do reply with the findings; would be glad to assist.

 

[tdcv]

thx for the reply
I have tried all the suggestions you mentioned, at this time it seems either like a fried mobo or a virus in the system!

 

[chev65]

I think I might try running the sfc/scannow command to see if there are any missing system files.

Using system restore or running a start up repair a few times from the Windows CD is another option.

Clearing the cmos then setting to defaults would fix most board problems unless the board is just fried "unlikely".

Reinstalling the Op system should also be tried before the board is tossed.

 

[Saurabh A]

Hi tdcv,

If none of the 'repair options' work, you may try re-installing 'Windows' before replacing the motherboard. (Note: Please backup the personal data before attempting a re-install of the 'Operating System').

Out-of-curiosity, would like to know the status of 'link lights' when 'Ethernet cable' is 'plugged in' (both cases).

@chev65: You've summed up everything with perfection

 

[sdowney717]

Before chucking out the window, run the liveCD of Ubuntu to see if the hardware is any good.
Download and burn to CD, then boot the CD

Download Ubuntu | Ubuntu

 

[tdcv]

thx guys
will try all the suggestions and update in a couple of days
the critical point here is that this is my point of sale comp, if it goes down, my business suffers so I have to be very careful, at the same time I need internet connectivity to monitor the employees so it's between a rock and a hard place situation for me
thx again for all the help