PCI Network card not working

New HD is in, New install of winXP was just done.

Device manager showed no network connection. Since I could not get the driver for it, I bought a new card (cheap enough) and plugged it in, and installed the driver.

Looking at Network Connections, the X showed no connection. The cable modem is on and Internet Phone working thru it. The tech support people that have, in the past, been reliable, told me that it is probably a defective PCI connector and that stopped me. To take out the motherboard and replace the PCI or the whole motherboard is beyond my experience and shakes me up. I am not a hardware guy. :

Does this mean replacing mty wife's entire computer that is 4-5 years old but did every she needed?

Prices are pretty low. If so, any recommendations of brand? Or any other ideas:mad

 

For starters.

By any stretch of the imagination does there happen to be an Internal Modem still installed.

If so remove it. They will sometimes not allow a NIC to setup properly.

If a builtin ( onboard ) modem exists disable it.

XP should already have the required drivers for most NICs.

BillyBob

 

Nope No internal modem. Thanks for the try

 

tenbob,

I would recommend putting something else in that socket first, say a known good modem or something, and start up to see if windows finds it. If add hardware wizard comes up, you know the socket's good. Remove any network connections from device manager, shut down, put in the new card and see if wizard finds it. Then install the drivers.

If the socket isn't working, a tech shop can most likely replace/repair it for a minimal fee.

 

Final word on this problem
I borrowed another network card and installed it using Winxp drivers. Came up fine and no problem.

Micro Center refunded the price of the new card I had bought when I told them that THAT was the trouble. Netcard working fine now and this thread should be knotted off now

Thanks to all contributors.