Installing PCI Ethernet over Missing Onboard Ethernet

[Rick Nebiolo]

I'll keep this post "relatively" short /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

When troubleshooting recent and unexpected shutdown and startup problems I flashed the BIOS on my Asus P4C800-E Deluxe motherboard with the latest (not the beta) from the Asus web site. This was my first BIOS flash and the flash seemed to work (the screen said "BIOS update success" or something similar). The computer didn't reboot automatically (the instructions said this might happen) after the flash so I restarted my machine.

I had the same hangup on startup I was often having before (bootup sequence stops, the screen says "Overclocking Failed" (despite the fact I don't overclock) and asks me to "press F1 to enter the BIOS setup utility" (which I normally do, check out settings, then exit) or "F2 to load default settings and continue".

I had a brainfart and pressed F2.

Besides not fixing the starup problem the default settings of the new BIOS made my onboard Ethernet disappear (an Intel 100/1000 Pro). I couldn't get my DSL connection.

For you techies I confirmed this by going to the Device Manager (right click My Computer > select Properties> select Hardware> select Device Manager> select Network Settings). The "Win WAN Miniport PPPOE" device (I knew this was somehow part of Ethernet) needed for DSL wouldn't enable (when I tried I got the message "Windows can't load the device driver").

I went back to a slightly earlier BIOS. I'm still not sure I have anything close to the the compuuter factory BIOS settings (as opposed to the default BIOS settings set by ASUS) stored in CMOS. I tried sensible resets of BIOS settings (one says "Enable Onboard LAN" and attempted to load the device software and find a driver. Still no luck. I even replaced the CMOS battery just in case it wasn't holding my settings (a search on Google suggested this). This took me the better part of a day.

I finally decided to drive to Fry's and buy a $20 PCI Ethernet card and install it over the missing onboard device. After some minor tweaks I got it working and am now writing posts such as this (after trying to catch up with the rest of the fourm).

Question: Is it OK to install a cheap PCI Ethernet card when the onboard Ethernet device on your expensive motherboard is MIA?

Also, has anyone had experience with startup problems that I *partially* described here? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

~ Rick

PS After spending 50 hours during the past ten days fixing computer problems this is sort of a rant so please forgive me.

[smoore]

The extra NIC won't harm anything.

RE: making the onboard one work:

- when you enable it in the BIOS does Windows try to find a driver?

if so, go get the driver from the motherboard manufacturer. It's always a good idea to get the latest driver package from them at the same time as the BIOS update. I keep them together in a folder with the date.

RE: startup problem:

need to know what happened just before this problem started... hardware changes, software changes, etc.

double check the BIOS settings.

ensure the BIOS is talking about CPU overclocking and it's not the Video Card's BIOS telling you "Overclocking failed"

if the NIC is just dead it's not a tradegy but the boot sequence failure is pretty worrysome.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
The extra NIC won't harm anything.

RE: making the onboard one work:

- when you enable it in the BIOS does Windows try to find a driver?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Device Manager now shows the onboard card (after changing the BIOS to version .19). The driver won't load and I get the following message:

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

My motherboard utility CD didn't have the driver on the quick menu and I was too confused to find it in a folder. Then during other tweaks the onboard device disappeared so I gave up.

Since the PCI card is working well I'll put this aside for now.

[ QUOTE ]
if so, go get the driver from the motherboard manufacturer. It's always a good idea to get the latest driver package from them at the same time as the BIOS update. I keep them together in a folder with the date.

[/ QUOTE ]

Asus web site is slow but I'll look for it again (I did try a few days ago).


[ QUOTE ]
RE: startup problem:

need to know what happened just before this problem started... hardware changes, software changes, etc.

double check the BIOS settings.

ensure the BIOS is talking about CPU overclocking and it's not the Video Card's BIOS telling you "Overclocking failed"

if the NIC is just dead it's not a tradegy but the boot sequence failure is pretty worrysome.

[/ QUOTE ]

Version .19 BIOS seems to have fixed this. Still concerned about unexpected shutdown problems (although I haven't seen it today) and I may start a thread about this later. Can't play poker online if my machine shuts down in a middle of a hand (this already happened once).

Thanks,

Rick

[Meech]

Having 2 ethernet boards is no biggie.

Goto Asus website and download the latest drivers. Under device manager, delete the onboard ethernet and reboot. Windows will re-find it and either automatically load the drivers, or prompt you for them.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
Having 2 ethernet boards is no biggie.

Goto Asus website and download the latest drivers. Under device manager, delete the onboard ethernet and reboot. Windows will re-find it and either automatically load the drivers, or prompt you for them.

[/ QUOTE ]

This makes sense. Right now the DSL is so fast and the machine is working so well I won't touch it until I re-image my C: partition. Still need to find the driver, the Asus site is very slow.

~ Rick