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virtual edge
07/14/2000
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Jump to the self-diagnostic flowchart, or select the specific problem you're having with your network card:
I CAN'T CONNECT TO THE NETWORK
I KEEP GETTING DISCONNECTED FROM THE NETWORK
MY NETWORK PERFORMANCE IS REALLY SLOW
I CAN'T ACCESS CERTAIN FILES/FOLDERS/PRINTERS ON THE NETWORK
I'M HAVE DIFFICULTIES LOADING THE NETWORK CARD DRIVERS
SELF-DIAGNOSTIC FLOWCHART
INSTALL THE NIC IN A BUSMASTER PCI SLOT
CHECK NIC AND DEVICE MANAGER
CHECK LINK LED ON NIC AND HUB, AND CABLE
1. First, make sure the problem is not a physical one. That is, check
the cable connection from your network card to the hub or switch.
2. Check the LED/light at the back of your network card; the link or
activity LED should be on once you've booted into your operating system,
regardless if you're logged on or not.
3. Likewise, if you have access to the hub or switch, check the link
LED of whichever port you're attached to, and make sure it's on.
4. If either the network card or hub LED is not on, then replace the
network cable with a known good cable. Or move the cable to a known working
port on the hub.
5. If you have eliminated all the physical issues, then it's time to look
into the network card driver. To do so, go into Device Manager
(right click on My Computer, go to Properties, select Device Manager) and look under
"Network Adapters"; the model of your network card should appear here without any red
"X" or yellow "!" point.
6. If you need help loading the network card driver, click
here.
7. Once you have eliminated the network card driver problem, then it's
time to check the network card protocol and configuration.
8. Right click on the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop and
select Properties, or go to Control Panel / Network. Check to see if you
have the proper protocol(s) installed. Ask your network administrator to
determine which protocol(s) are required for your network.
9. Troubleshooting a network connection problem is a complicated
task, click here to go to a more
detailed network troubleshooting guide.
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1. First thing to check is the network cable. If possible, replace
the cable or use another cable that you know is working.
2. Check with your network administrator to see if anyone else is
having this problem. If you're not the only one being disconnected, then the
problem may get network related, not with the system you're using.
3. If all else fails, try replacing the network card.
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1. Check with your network administrator to see if you're the only
one having this problem. If other users are complaining about the network's
performance, then the problem lies with the server and/or network itself,
not with the system you're using.
2. Another system with a defective network card may slow the entire network
down by resending incorrect packets.
3. If you're the only one having this problem, then try replacing the
network card.
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1. If you're able to successfully logon to the server (whether it's an
NT or Novell server), but you cannot access certain files, folders, and/or printers, then 99% of the time it's not
a hardware problem.
2. Check with your network administrator about your network rights.
You may not have sufficient rights to access certain network resources.
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1. First, make sure you have the latest driver for your network card.
Click here to see a list of all the
available network card drivers.
2. Go into the Device Manager (right click on My Computer, go to
Properties, select Device Manager) and see if your have any entries that
read "Unsupported or Other Devices." If you do, double on the entry and see
what's under the list. If you see an entry that reads "PCI Ethernet Controller"
then you have to remove this entry first and restart your system.
3. The system will detect the network card and prompt you for the
driver.
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Begin at the circle START symbol, and follow the flowchart below to troubleshoot your problem. Remember to click
on the GREEN boxes for more detailed instructions!
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1. If you have a PCI based network card, you should always install it
in a PCI busmastering slot. On most system board, the PCI slot closer to the
CPU, or next to the AGP slot, is a PCI busmastering slot. Consult your system
board manual if you're unsure which PCI slot is busmastering.
2. If the NIC is not in a busmastering PCI slot, then the system will
not recognize the card correctly.
1. Go into Device Manager ((right click on My Computer, go to Properties, select Device Manager)
and double click on Network Adapters. Make sure your NIC model is listed here
and a yellow "!" or red "X" is not listed next to the device.
2. If you see a red "X" then it means the device is disabled in
the hardware profile. To enable it, double click on the NIC and clear
the option "Disable in this hardware profile."
3. Also, check to see if you have any entries that read "Unsupported or Other
Devices." If you do, double on the entry and see what's under the list.
If you see an entry that reads "PCI Ethernet Controller" then you have to
remove this entry first and restart your system. The system will detect the network card and prompt you for the driver.
1. Always check to make sure the problem you have is not a physical
network problem. Which means checking the cable and the hub.
2. Look at the back of the NIC and you should see a couple of lights.
Look for the LED that read "link/active" or "activity"; the link LED should be
on and the activity LED should flicker off and on.
3. If the NIC's link/active LED is off, then you need to check the cable
and the hub, if you have access to it. The link/active LED on the hub
should be on for whichever port you're using. If it's not on, try plugging
the cable to another open port on the hub.
4. If, after trying everything, the link LED on the NIC is still
off, you may have a defective NIC.
