Solved NIC probs after reassembling laptop

[gregrocker]

Compaq Presario CQ60 salvaged from trash to practice repasting the processor and try breaking down and reassembling laptop.

Works great at reboot except NIC card will not start itself but requires pressing the wireless button to start it manually every time.

Have switched leads, cleaned contacts, reseated several times. Network is set to start automatically but won't since no device is starting with computer to do so.

Reinstalled to a test partition to see if that would solve it but it appears its hardware prob. Anyone seen this before?

 

[DavidE]

Seems there are several models of the CQ60 such as CQ60-215DX, CQ60-417DX.
Do you know the full model #?

Did you look in bios for a setting to enable/disable this?
Did you reset bios to default after re-assembling the laptop?

I found this in a Wireless User Guide:

A wireless device can be turned on or off using the Wireless Assistant software. If a wireless device is disabled by the Setup Utility, it must be reenabled by the Setup Utility before it can be turned on or off using Wireless Assistant.

Source: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01487709.pdf

 

[alphanumeric]

Looking for BIOS setting for this sounds like a good idea to me too. I have very limited laptop experience, but I can say that my ACER laptop remembers what state the WIFI and Bluetooth are left in. I don't use the Bluetooth and turned it off with the keyboard button. It stays off on a reboot. Same deal with the WIFI adapter, if it was on when I turned the laptop off, its on when I power up again. I don't remember seeing a BIOS option for this, but that doesn't mean there isn't one or that you don't have one. The only other thing I can think of to check is the Windows Power options to see if its maybe being put in power saving mode.

 

[windude99]

If the above doesn't work, try updating the BIOS.

 

[Petey7]

Seen it before on an Acer laptop a friend had. I never figured out exactly why it did it, but the BIOS would be the place to look.

 

[CB]

Additionally, though this is our very basic knowledge, but need to check the BIOS RTC, just to make sure if your CMOS battery is still good to go. I can only guest like your BIOS setup revert to any default value (disabled).

If it is still good, then ignore me

 

[gregrocker]

Presario CQ60-215DX.

Reset BIOS several times. Updated to latest BIOS version. No LAN listings in BIOS at all except for Network Boot.

No Wireless Asst. installed. This is a Clean Reinstall of Vista, now Dual Booted with a test partition for Win7.

 

[DavidE]

Is this setting in your setup, and did you try changing it?

LAN Power Saving (select models only) Enable/disable LAN Power Saving. When enabled, saves power when the computer is in DC mode
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01662442.pdf

Looks like you can download a "HP Wireless Assistant" utility...see if that might help.?
Software & Driver Downloads Compaq Presario CQ60-215DX Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

[gregrocker]

Hi David, and thanks -

No LAN power setting in BIOS.

I don't remember ever installing HP Wireless assistant, only uninstalling it. But I'll try it.

 

[alphanumeric]

Regular battery working OK? Power pack always plugged in? maybe its something that needs constant power to remember its state. If the laptop has no battery, or the battery is no good, and your unplugging the power pack when its off. The complete lose of power may make it toggle off. Grasping at straws a bit now.

 

[gregrocker]

Every idea is appreciated.

The battery is completely dead and prompting to replace it at every start, so I removed it and am using only A/C.

What tells the NIC to start with the PC? There is no setting in BIOS I can see. Would it be in a started state if there is no OS on the HD, wired directly from the PSU via its switch?

What I'm getting at is whether there is a setting or service between the LAN hardware starting - perhaps from BIOS setting or on its own directly from PSU via LAN switch - and the OS telling it to always connect to the preferred network as it's set to do? I'm looking for that now.

 

[alphanumeric]

I don't know? I'd have to watch my laptop boot up and see when The WIFI indicator lights up. My better half is using right now so I'll have to check it latter. I don't know if its software or hardware. Boot up into the BIOS and press the on off button. If nothing happens then its a software function. If it turns on and off I would think its a hardware function.

 

[alphanumeric]

On my Acer laptop the WIFI indicator starts to flash as Windows loads and then becomes fully active when I log in. I'd say the on off function on mine is a software function. Likely built into the Acer supplied driver. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure the Bluetooth indicator didn't work at all until I installed the driver for it.

 

[CB]

If just to test it. How about installing any lite version of Linux OS, restart, and see if the setting remain active.

 

[gregrocker]

Another clue: The wireless connection icon in Systray scans for network to connect to before fouling out because it sees no wireless adapter is available. This is represented by blue circle on the icon immediately at startup for 5-10 seconds before it changes to the red X.

 

[alphanumeric]

Have you tried installing the Laptop manufacturers recommended driver?

 

[Petey7]

Another clue: The wireless connection icon in Systray scans for network to connect to before fouling out because it sees no wireless adapter is available. This is represented by blue circle on the icon immediately at startup for 5-10 seconds before it changes to the red X.

This sounds like what would happen with my old Dell laptop. It had a switch for the Wifi card that had distinct on and off positions. When it was off it would actually cut off all power to the card. I found an image of one that looks almost identical to the one on mine. Does the switch on yours look similar, or is it just a button?

 

[gregrocker]

Have used the Vista driver which worked before, and the Win7 driver for that test partition. Will try the one on the Compaq webpage for Vista.

It's a push button next to Power button in top center of laptop, slightly smaller, lit with orange light if offline and blue if online.

 

[gregrocker]

Success!

David's suggestion to install HP Wireless Assistant causes LAN to start with WIndows.

When I first started uninstalling it several years ago it would cause problems with Win7 wireless starting up as default. Research turned up that it needed to be disabled before uninstall which sounded sketchy but nonetheless worked so I even included it in the Clean Reinstall tutorial.

However I don't know exactly how tearing down the laptop and rebuilding it to paste the processor caused this to happen as it was never included in the years-old Clean Reinstall of Vista which I happened to do. Maybe it involves some toggle of the LAN chip which occurred else ways. Any ideas?

Thanks everyone. Rep all around. David I have to spread it since I repped another of your threads earlier.

 

[DavidE]

Hi Greg,
Glad you got it working !

Re

However I don't know exactly how tearing down the laptop and rebuilding it to paste the processor caused this to happen as it was never included in the years-old Clean Reinstall of Vista which I happened to do. Maybe it involves some toggle of the LAN chip which occurred else ways. Any ideas?

That is weird, and I'm not sure how/why this could happen

As the problem started after opening the laptop, is there any connector to the "LAN switch" you can re-seat to make sure that a bad connection after cleaning/reassembling is not the issue?

If there is a connector, maybe it got touched or the cleaning caused a "connection problem".