Strange networking problem

Whenever I reboot or restart I lose all network connectivity, I can only ping my own machine and machines I had previously a connection with have gone (request times out).

If I go into Network Properties and change something on the Network Card (hardware), it will wait a while and network connection will be established, after that it works great.

I also enabled the little network icon in the systray, after I re-establish conneciton I get the little balloon message informing me so, but never on restart.

I've only just installed XP Pro and SP1, this is a more or less perfectly clean install !

CPU: Athlon 1.33Gb
Mobo: Abit KR7A (VIA KT266A)
RAM: 512MB
LAN: Netgear FA312 10/100

 

Have you tried a driver update?
http://www.expressresponse.com/cgi-...ort&level=main&prodfamily=&product=&template=

 

I believe the latest driver is within XP anyway, according to the Netgear site.

 

XP drivers can be flaky

I'd definitely install a driver update from the manufacturer

Better still, if possible, is to try another NIC

 

Also try reseating the NIC. Some really want to be way down in the slot. And completely agree about getting drivers from the vendor's site and reloading the NIC. Maybe even in a different slot if you have one.

If that doesn't get you working right, then next time it happens, rather than tweaking the hardware try going to a cmd window and doing ipconfig /renew.

If that fixes you up, then a workaround until you can fix the problem would be a batch file (call it netstart.bat) in your startup folder that looked like

echo off
ipconfig /renew
exit

I have heard of systems that have timing issues and will try to assign NIC settings before the PC is ready to look at the network and get good values from there. In that case, XP will use APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) to assign values and they never match with your network so you wouldn't be able to see anything there. The batch file should run after any APIPA settings are made so will clear them and give you some that work. At most the batch file should add only a second or less to your start up time.

 

Okay, I tried some suggestions, I moved the NIC to another slot, and after Windows got its knickers in a twist about a "ghost" NIC I managed to sort things out but the problem remains.

The ipconfig /renew * (note the asterisk needed for the XP version) doesn't have any affect, besides I think this is to do with DHCP and I'm using a static connection (doesn't work either way).

What is interesting is that when I ping the non-working machine I can see the LEDs on the back panel of the NIC flashing away, so obviously the signal is getting through but not being picked up by Windows.

 

How did you do the slot switch? Remove nic from device mng first?

Do this.

Remove Tcp/ip

Remove network card from device mng.

Shut down.

Remove card physically.

Boot up without card.

shut down reinstall nic

reboot reinstall tcp and recreate connection

Mike

 

XP forum Mike. Can't remove TCP/IP from XP. Too integrated with the OS.

 

10-4 Newt

You are right. I forgot which OS I was addressing.

So do the NIC etc....

Mike

Wonder if the fish are biting tonight.......................

 

I did say I had already moved the NIC

I may try again but this time try and get a dedicated IRQ for it, see if that makes a difference, but I doubt it.

The reason I doubt is that the NIC is working perfectly, so is all the software, drivers, etc. Just that it is not working on startup.