Dell 8400 Ethernet

Ok in short I formated this Dell 8400 and don't have the cd with the drivers on it.... An well.... I cant make this eathernet work at all iv tried every last driver on the dell site every last driver on the broadcom site iv tried a few programs that tell me what drivers I need an I just cant make this freakin thing work! Please someone help me I cant stand this computer much more one issue after another ! First it was the CMOS then it was the HDD then it was Windows then it was the HDD again then it was the Floppy then it was the computer screen now its the freakin DRIVERS! BLAH! I HATE DELL!

 

When I see those "all over the place" problems, I replace the CMOS battery. The manual will have instructions (disconnect all power).

For the Ethernet problem, look in Add or Remove Programs, uninstall any listing relating to the Ethernet (LAN, Network). Uninstall the driver in Device Manager (if it has not been removed). Reinstall the driver when you reboot. If the Add New Hardware wizard asks where to find the drivers, direct it to the folder where the drivers were decompressed. Dell drivers are usually decompressed to the folder C:\Drivers. Check the installation instructions, they will be in a link on the download page. You may be decompressing (unzipping) the files, but then you need to run the installation program (eg. Setup.exe).

Dell usually have three or four different drivers for hardware. Make sure you have the correct ones by using the Service Tag (another link on the download page).

Matt

 

Didnt work...

 

Did you get an accurate identification of the Ethernet Controller from the Service Tag? What make and model is it?

You are going to have to give us information about the system and hardware for us to offer any suggestions.

If you have installed drivers/software for the wrong hardware, the drivers may now be "jammed" by having the wrong driver file versions installed. You may need to start uninstalling any drivers and software by booting into Safe Mode. By the way, try booting into "Safe mode with networking" and see if the ethernet works there.

Matt

 

Ill give the safe mode a shot an reply back if that works as for what it is.

Broadcom BCM5750A1 NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet

What gets me is I used a program that looks up unknown devices on the system and it showed the ethernet but it was under other devices and was kinda greyed out like i dunno it was odd... Im thinking the drivers ******* it up like you said originally

 

If there is a problem identifying hardware, it may mean that higher level drivers are not installed (namely chipset drivers). Check that your chipset drivers are installed.

Err, I never use them. I would probably trust a program that checks drivers from the equipment manufacturer/supplier (Dell), apart from that, I don't personally trust any. Dell have non-standard hardware and unless they have given the identifying program's manufacturer the information about their hardware, it may not be accurate.

Would it be certain that the Ethernet is gigabit standard? The system might seem a little old to me to have a gigabit Ethernet adapter (without researching).

Matt