"Limited or no Connectivity" problem with Via Rhine II VT6103 NIC

Hi All,

I've had two computers in the last 2 weeks come up with a "limited or no connectivity" error. Both have been networked without fault over the past year and just came up with the error when they were booted in the morning.

Hardware stats:
Network:
Switch: Dlink DGS 1248T gigabit switch installed about a month ago.
Gateway: Dlink 504 ADSL router - used as DHCP server also.

Computer 1: (died about two weeks ago)
mobo: ASUS A7V8X-MX
NIC: onboard VIA Rhine II VT6103 chipset (default MS driver)
OS: Windows XP SP2

Computer 2: (died this morning)
mobo: ASUS A7V8X-MX
NIC: onboard VIA Rhine II VT6103 chipset (default MS driver)
OS: Windows 2000 SP4


For both computers I tried swapping ports, cables etc to no resolve. I also tried assigning manual ip addresses to the NICs, which did not really work well (the addresses stuck but I couldnt ping the gateway or any other computers on the LAN).

I got fed up with computer 1 and installed a Realtek 8139 based NIC and fixed the problem. On computer 2 I tried setting the line speed of the onboard VIA Rhine II NIC to 10Mbps full duplex and it started working!! I then set it back to auto negotiate and it stayed working!!!!! (but who knows for how long...)

Has anyone else had this problem with VIA Rhine II chipset?
Is there a driver that fixes the problem or is this a hardware issue??

Thanks.

 

Problem auto-negotiating the connection is a surprisingly common problem. New drivers may well fix the problem, but until then I think you will have to set the connections manually. I'd suggest using 100Mb/s full-duplex. Then keep checking the ASUS site for new drivers. It might even be worth dropping ASUS tech support an e-mail to register the problem with them.