Ethernet cards don't work

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack
  • Start date Start date
J

Jack

I installed a new motherboard yesterday - the MSI K8T Neo - and I added an
Ethernet card to it. The mobo already has one built in which I use for my
Internet connection and the additional Ethernet card is for my 2 computer
network.

However for some reason my ethernet card doesn't seem work with this
motherboard. It installs OK and everything seems fine but I can't get a
connection to the LAN. The status is "Limited or No Connection".

I have another, spare, Ethernet card (same model), and when I put that card
in the same thing happens. In fact I put it in a different PCI slot and the
same happened.

I have Win XP SP2, Athlon-64 3400, 512MB RAM, plenty of HD space and the
mobo above.

The Ethernet card is a D-Link DE-528 Ethernet PCI 10mbit. Ancient rubbish I
know but it works fine as it worked in my PC before I upgraded my mobo.

Any ideas?
 
"Jack" [email protected] said:
I installed a new motherboard yesterday - the MSI K8T Neo - and I added an
Ethernet card to it. The mobo already has one built in which I use for my
Internet connection and the additional Ethernet card is for my 2 computer
network.

However for some reason my ethernet card doesn't seem work with this
motherboard. It installs OK and everything seems fine but I can't get a
connection to the LAN. The status is "Limited or No Connection".

I have another, spare, Ethernet card (same model), and when I put that card
in the same thing happens. In fact I put it in a different PCI slot and the
same happened.

I have Win XP SP2, Athlon-64 3400, 512MB RAM, plenty of HD space and the
mobo above.

The Ethernet card is a D-Link DE-528 Ethernet PCI 10mbit. Ancient rubbish I
know but it works fine as it worked in my PC before I upgraded my mobo.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
I think you should tell us how it's configured before we guess at
what you might need to change.
 
However for some reason my ethernet card doesn't seem work with this
motherboard. It installs OK and everything seems fine but I can't get a
connection to the LAN. The status is "Limited or No Connection".
Click to expand...

Start->Run-> Netsh winsock reset
 
Limited or no connection means windows can't find a DHCP server to get an IP
address from. If you add one manually it will be fine. The card is working
fine. Try Start -> Control Panel -> Network connections. Double click on the
card and select support. If the IP address start 169. then windows can't
find the DHCP server and has allocated itself an IP address. Because of this
it assumes there is nothing on the network.

HTH
 
Richard H said:
Limited or no connection means windows can't find a DHCP server to get an
IP address from. If you add one manually it will be fine. The card is
working fine. Try Start -> Control Panel -> Network connections. Double
click on the card and select support. If the IP address start 169. then
windows can't find the DHCP server and has allocated itself an IP address.
Because of this it assumes there is nothing on the network.

HTH
Click to expand...

It does help and that's great but how do I get it on the network?

Thanks.
 
Rob Morley said:
I think you should tell us how it's configured before we guess at
what you might need to change.
Click to expand...

Just used the Network Setup Wizard so not 100% sure how it's configured. It
used a crossover network cable to connect the two PCs together. That's all I
know. :)
 
Jack said:
Richard H said:
Limited or no connection means windows can't find a DHCP server to get
an IP address from. If you add one manually it will be fine.
Click to expand...
[snip]
It does help and that's great but how do I get it on the network?
Click to expand...

If you want to share the Internet connection, set up ICS. It will configure
the connection and also act as a DHCP server for the other computer (which,
if it isn't already, should be set to use DHCP).

If you do not want to share the Internet connection, you can just ignore the
error message (assuming the other computer is also set to use DHCP), or
configure both machines with static IP addresses.

Alex
 
Jack said:
It does help and that's great but how do I get it on the network?
Click to expand...

I take it you are using a crossover cable to connect the 2 computers?

I've had problems with this so many times, i just had to keep trying
different setups and reinstalling different drivers.
 
Windows is being confused by the presence of two ethernet cards. You have
to go into the network properties section of Windows and manually set up the
2nd card.
 
Jack said:
I installed a new motherboard yesterday - the MSI K8T Neo - and I added an
Ethernet card to it. The mobo already has one built in which I use for my
Internet connection and the additional Ethernet card is for my 2 computer
network.

However for some reason my ethernet card doesn't seem work with this
motherboard. It installs OK and everything seems fine but I can't get a
connection to the LAN. The status is "Limited or No Connection".

I have another, spare, Ethernet card (same model), and when I put that card
in the same thing happens. In fact I put it in a different PCI slot and the
same happened.

I have Win XP SP2, Athlon-64 3400, 512MB RAM, plenty of HD space and the
mobo above.

The Ethernet card is a D-Link DE-528 Ethernet PCI 10mbit. Ancient rubbish I
know but it works fine as it worked in my PC before I upgraded my mobo.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

From what I can gather from the limited information is basically because
you haven't configured the local LAN. Just putting in the card isn't
enough. What IP are the two computers using? Where is the IP coming from?

I can't tell because you didn't describe the internet connection but it
might work if you bridge the two ethernet connections on the first machine.
Otherwise you need to setup routing between them.
 
Generally with a crossover cable, you will need to set a static ip for each
machine. You can't use automatic, because there is no DHCP server to assign
an address. I just usually use 192.168.1.1 for one of them and 192.168.1.2
for the other.
 
"Tweek" said:
Generally with a crossover cable, you will need to set a static ip for each
machine. You can't use automatic, because there is no DHCP server to assign
an address. I just usually use 192.168.1.1 for one of them and 192.168.1.2
for the other.
Click to expand...
Why do you think there's no DHCP server?
 
Seb said:
I take it you are using a crossover cable to connect the 2 computers?

I've had problems with this so many times, i just had to keep trying
different setups and reinstalling different drivers.
Click to expand...

Indeed, we have noticed that with some chipsets, trying to run via a
crossover cable just doesn't happen.

There are two possible reasons for this:
1. When running with a crossover cable, the chipset requires a
100-Base-T4 crossover cable (which I'll get to in a moment)

or
2. Critical timing problems in the ethernet chipset. Some davicom
boards, and a couple of realtek boards showed this, although two
apparently identical models did behave differently.


While ethernet requires four lines (pairs 2 (orange) and 3 (green)) in
normal DCE to DTE communications, there are some chipsets which demand
full eight-wire crossovers (pairs 1 (blue) and 4 (brown)) to be swapped
also. Most standard crossover cables DO actually implement this,
although it is possible that the OP's cable does not.

The reasoning behind this is that when ethernet originally hit RJ45
plugs, the plan was for the centre pair (pair 1, blue) to be used for
USOC single-line phones, and RJ11 line plugs will fit into RJ45 sockets.
(Technically, ethernet cabling is NOT RJ45, because the 'RJ' stands for
'Registered Jack' which is a telephony term, and RJ leads have specific
purposes which extend beyond the physical shape and layout of the plug,
but it's so common nowadays that I'm not going to flame you for it.. ;-)

Standard (non-crossover) cabling uses TIA/EIA 568B wiring at both ends.
1. White/Orange
2. Orange
3. White/Green
4. Blue
5. White/Blue
6. Green
7. White/Brown
8. Brown

A 100-Base-T4 four-pair crossover cable has the following at ONE end
(the other end being standard 568B)
1. White/Green
2. Green
3. White/Orange
4. White/Brown
5. Brown
6. Orange
7. Blue
8. White/Blue

(Easily spotted by the three solid colours being together on pins 5,6,7)


Technically, 100-Base-T4 is required for crossover cables running at
100Mbit. 10Mbit cables only require the orange and green pairs to be
swapped. It may be that when a 100Mbit interface (and what interfaces
nowdays aren't 100Mbit?) encounters a 10Mbit-only crossover cable, it
gets confused and doesn't negotiate down to 10Mbit.

In some instances of these cables, the polarity of pairs 1 and 4 was
swapped, but not the actual pairs themselves. I can't think of a
situation in which this is useful, or, in fact relevant (and I've
wandered far enough off topic already)

Jim
 
Get a cheap hub. That way both PC's have access to the internet and DHCP
server on the modem. You then only need one NIC.
 
Why do you think there's no DHCP server?
Click to expand...

Because it's a separate LAN, unless/until the box with 2
nics has them bridged, if possible... which might defeat the
purpose.
 
Indeed, we have noticed that with some chipsets, trying to run via a
crossover cable just doesn't happen.

There are two possible reasons for this:
1. When running with a crossover cable, the chipset requires a
100-Base-T4 crossover cable (which I'll get to in a moment)
Click to expand...

I don't think this is a problem on ANY modern 100Mb chipset.

or
2. Critical timing problems in the ethernet chipset. Some davicom
boards, and a couple of realtek boards showed this, although two
apparently identical models did behave differently.
Click to expand...

Sounds like an off-spec crystal, not surprising considering
these cards at a dime a dozen... best to just toss the card
in the trash.

While ethernet requires four lines (pairs 2 (orange) and 3 (green)) in
normal DCE to DTE communications, there are some chipsets which demand
full eight-wire crossovers (pairs 1 (blue) and 4 (brown)) to be swapped
also. Most standard crossover cables DO actually implement this,
although it is possible that the OP's cable does not.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find that many (most?) modern 100Mb NICs
don't even connect all 4 pairs at the jack. 2 pair is all
that's needed for crossover on the typical card.

The reasoning behind this is that when ethernet originally hit RJ45
plugs, the plan was for the centre pair (pair 1, blue) to be used for
USOC single-line phones, and RJ11 line plugs will fit into RJ45 sockets.
(Technically, ethernet cabling is NOT RJ45, because the 'RJ' stands for
'Registered Jack' which is a telephony term, and RJ leads have specific
purposes which extend beyond the physical shape and layout of the plug,
but it's so common nowadays that I'm not going to flame you for it.. ;-)

Standard (non-crossover) cabling uses TIA/EIA 568B wiring at both ends.
1. White/Orange
2. Orange
3. White/Green
4. Blue
5. White/Blue
6. Green
7. White/Brown
8. Brown

A 100-Base-T4 four-pair crossover cable has the following at ONE end
(the other end being standard 568B)
1. White/Green
2. Green
3. White/Orange
4. White/Brown
5. Brown
6. Orange
7. Blue
8. White/Blue

(Easily spotted by the three solid colours being together on pins 5,6,7)


Technically, 100-Base-T4 is required for crossover cables running at
100Mbit. 10Mbit cables only require the orange and green pairs to be
swapped. It may be that when a 100Mbit interface (and what interfaces
nowdays aren't 100Mbit?) encounters a 10Mbit-only crossover cable, it
gets confused and doesn't negotiate down to 10Mbit.
Click to expand...

Actually, no.
You may have some spec that details an 8 wire configuration,
but "technically" it is not at all necessary to have more
than 2 pairs. I can't help but wonder if you're thinking of
Gigabit rather than 100Mb.

All this is a side-note though, the odds are overwhelming
that this is just another poorly implemented MS WIndows
feature, that their "user friendly" network configuration is
anything but if one needs more than the default settings for
a single NIC.
 
Hi Jack, why dont you just get yourself cheap adsl or cable broadband
router depending on your internet connection, and save yourself all the
hassle.

Sys1:
mainboard lan1 (internet) dont touch,
lan2
IP address:
IP: 192.168.1.1 SNM:255.255.255.0
Gateway:
192.168.1.2 click ADD
Bridge lan2 to lan1:

Sys2:
lan3
IP address:
IP: 192.168.1.2 SNM:255.255.255.0
Gateway:
192.168.1.1 click ADD
 
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