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#356526 - 26/11/2012 15:14 Weird network adapter issue
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12345
Loc: Sterling, VA
Okay, this one is stumping me, and I feel like I'm missing something obvious. Here's the situation:

I have a user who found herself unable to browse the web. Simple enough, I get that a lot. I get to the computer and see a red X over the network icon in the system tray. Okay, I go to see what her adapters are reporting. There are none. The network adapters window is empty. I go to device manager, and there isn't even a category for network adapters.

Okay, weird, but again, I've seen plenty of onboard network adapters go bad, so I figured that's all it was. All I had on hand was a USB wireless adapter, so I set her up with that and was on my way. In the meantime I ordered a PCI Express 1x network adapter card just to have on hand.

I get another call from the user saying she has no internet. I get another cancelling that call because it's back. I get a third cancelling the cancellation because it isn't working again and stays that way. I go out and find the exact same situation, now applying to both adapters.

I open up the computer and go to put the PCIe card in. I then try to turn the computer on and don't even get the POST. I try each slot, and nothing at all happens when I try to turn the machine on. If I remove the card, it boots normally, if I put it in, all I get is fan noise and a little hard drive activity.

So I remove the card and boot up. Now I have the adapters back.

I've scanned for viruses, I've checked event logs, and I've done as much research online as I can think of. I was only able to find a single thread that actually matched the symptoms, but the thread had no resolution (as always seems to be the case...).

Does anyone know what's going on here?
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Matt

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#356535 - 26/11/2012 19:53 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Dignan]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Dodgy power supply?

Dodgy motherboard (something on one of the buses including the USB interface). Are there any other devices missing?

Certainly a weird one.
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#356536 - 26/11/2012 20:06 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Shonky]
larry818
old hand

Registered: 01/10/2002
Posts: 1039
Loc: Fullerton, Calif.
Yeah, dodgy motherboard. Try disabling the onboard network adapter, then putting in the card.

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#356538 - 26/11/2012 20:37 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: larry818]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
To avoid different issues overlap and create more confusion: are you positive the adapter PCI version is compatible with the MB PCI supported versions? How old is the MB?

In any case, it would seem a MB issue to me as well.
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= Taym =
MK2a #040103216 * 100Gb *All/Colors* Radio * 3.0a11 * Hijack = taympeg

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#356563 - 28/11/2012 12:12 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Taym]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12345
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: Shonky
Dodgy power supply?

Perhaps, but I don't see any other examples of odd behavior that might indicate that.

Quote:
Dodgy motherboard (something on one of the buses including the USB interface). Are there any other devices missing?

Not that I can tell. She doesn't use a ton of devices, though, so that might be masking it.

Quote:
Certainly a weird one.

It is!

Originally Posted By: larry818
Yeah, dodgy motherboard. Try disabling the onboard network adapter, then putting in the card.

But I can't disable the card because according to the computer, it doesn't exist!

Originally Posted By: Taym
To avoid different issues overlap and create more confusion: are you positive the adapter PCI version is compatible with the MB PCI supported versions? How old is the MB?

Hmm. I've been out of the PC hardware game for a while, but I wasn't aware of this. I would have expected (reasonably, I think) that a PCI Express card will work in a PCI Express slot. The computer isn't very old, just about 15 months (so of course, it's just outside the warranty). I would think it would support a simple network card. If there had been a regular PCI slot available I would have used it (the cards are cheaper), but it only has 3 PCI Express 1x slots.

Quote:
In any case, it would seem a MB issue to me as well.

I might agree with you guys, but for this: so it stopped seeing the USB wireless NIC. Okay, but then why did the keyboard, plugged into the slot next to it, keep working? And the mouse too? I've had a computer with problems on the USB power side, but this seems different.

Very odd.
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Matt

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#356564 - 28/11/2012 12:42 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Dignan]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
What happens when you boot off a Live CD?
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~ John

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#356565 - 28/11/2012 13:56 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Dignan]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: Dignan
it stopped seeing the USB wireless NIC. Okay, but then why did the keyboard, plugged into the slot next to it, keep working?


Because wireless USB adapters draw more power than keyboards and mice? Not saying that this is your problem, but don't discount it.
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-- roger

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#356568 - 28/11/2012 19:39 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: JBjorgen]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12345
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: JBjorgen
What happens when you boot off a Live CD?

I'm not sure, but there's no way I'll get her to try it long enough to get an idea if the same thing is happening. The most frustrating part of the issue is that I'll go there, open the machine up to put in the network card, boot the computer back up, and the NIC is back and recognized. Then I'll leave and a day or two later she'll call to say that it's out again.

Originally Posted By: Roger
Originally Posted By: Dignan
it stopped seeing the USB wireless NIC. Okay, but then why did the keyboard, plugged into the slot next to it, keep working?


Because wireless USB adapters draw more power than keyboards and mice? Not saying that this is your problem, but don't discount it.

True, true. I guess I just thought there would be more evidence of bad power to the USB devices...


Edited by Dignan (28/11/2012 19:40)
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Matt

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#356574 - 29/11/2012 01:33 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Dignan]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
So does a simple reboot always cause the NIC to come back?
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~ John

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#356582 - 29/11/2012 09:23 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Dignan]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
Originally Posted By: Dignan
Originally Posted By: Taym
To avoid different issues overlap and create more confusion: are you positive the adapter PCI version is compatible with the MB PCI supported versions? How old is the MB?

Hmm. I've been out of the PC hardware game for a while, but I wasn't aware of this. I would have expected (reasonably, I think) that a PCI Express card will work in a PCI Express slot. The computer isn't very old, just about 15 months

Then it is new enough. It will support PCI Express cards of all versions, i would say.

PCI Express comes so far in versions from 1.0 to 4.0 . This wikipedia entry has a list of them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express
I am not sure if the 4.0 is already in the market. 3.0 is old enough to definitely be in the MB of the PC you're supporting. Every version is backwards compatible.


Edited by Taym (29/11/2012 09:24)
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= Taym =
MK2a #040103216 * 100Gb *All/Colors* Radio * 3.0a11 * Hijack = taympeg

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#356590 - 29/11/2012 18:56 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: JBjorgen]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12345
Loc: Sterling, VA
Originally Posted By: JBjorgen
So does a simple reboot always cause the NIC to come back?

Not every time as far as I could see frown
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Matt

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#356594 - 29/11/2012 21:15 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Dignan]
Taym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/06/2001
Posts: 2504
Loc: Roma, Italy
Faulty MB indeed, I think.
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= Taym =
MK2a #040103216 * 100Gb *All/Colors* Radio * 3.0a11 * Hijack = taympeg

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#356612 - 30/11/2012 15:20 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: Taym]
BartDG
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/05/2001
Posts: 2616
Loc: Bruges, Belgium
Either that, or the PSU. A bad PSU can cause all sorts of strange stuff...
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#356637 - 03/12/2012 15:40 Re: Weird network adapter issue [Re: BartDG]
jmwking
old hand

Registered: 27/02/2003
Posts: 778
Loc: Washington, DC metro
A bit late to this one - does bios setup show the onboard NIC?

-jk

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