Resolved Cable Modem Lost Connection

Hello all. I need a little help with troubleshooting a problem. I'm looking at a Motorola Surfboard SB5100 (cable modem) that is connected to a Dell computer (Windos XP Pro) through NIC (on board). The line was hit by lightning and now the internet connection is lost. The LEDs on the modem light up green except for computer activity and the stand-by light is off. Dell says they can see or detect the modem on line. The computer says that the NIC is working ok but the two don't see each other. I installed another NIC card and got the same response. The computer seems to work fine. I'm trying to determine which of the devices is defective but at this point I'm lost. I have the option to try USB with this modem but haven't got that far yet. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks so much,
D

 

Getting hit by lightning is not a good thing!

It SEEMS you have isolated it to a problem with the modem. Replacing hardware (the LAN card/NIC) and probably adding extra sets of drivers at the same time is good if you uninstall any old/previous drivers first, test, then uninstall those drivers before replacing the original hardware.

It may possibly be a problem with the modem drivers. I have worked on Motorola Surfboards, but I don't have one here. I suggest you uninstall anything related to the Surfboard modem. You may also come across uninstallers labelled for your ISP. Did you get the modem from your ISP and did they supply disks to set up your internet connection?

So, my recommendation is to look for any uninstallers for your current internet connection (Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs and check in Device Manager for a Motorola modem), uninstall them. Then go back and run the installation as though you were setting it up for the first time.

Good luck, because we are hoping the modem is not damaged.

Matt

 

Have you done the 60 second switch off, it is recommended to disconnect the Modem for 60 seconds before reconnecting.
I have the same Cable Modem and had to do it after a power surge.

 

Thanks so much for replies. The modem has been off for long periods of time (days) so I think we have that one covered. I didn't uninstall the drivers before adding a new NIC so I'll try that with both on board and card NICs. This computer system belongs to a friend so I don't have immediate access to it, but will work with it again today. I will post back with results.

Thanks again,
D

 

Ok. Sorry it took so long to get back. I was waiting to try out a new cable modem and they just bought it the other day. Turned out the modem was bad. I loaded the start up disc and followed the procedure and everything worked right away. We did have to call the tech line at Time Warner to reconnect. They needed the MAC (Media Access Code) for the modem in order for the connection to be made. Thanks so much for your help.

dutch

 

Glad it's sorted out, thanks for letting us know.