Network Issues

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 03:32 PM

UK
A few days ago my laptop (Dell XPS L502X) started running ridiculously slowly, I could still connect to the internet fine and prior to this it had worked perfectly.
To solve the slowness issue I partitioned the drive and installed windows on the new partition; everything seemed fine, I installed the drivers but when I got to the intel network drivers this error appeared for all of them:

This software package cannot be installed on your system.

I looked in device manager, and there isn't anything there ofr network, it jumps from Monitors to other devices.
I thought that okay, I'll try download some drivers from the intel website or dell website, got the driver from intel, copied it to my memory stick and after plugging the memory stick into the laptop, realised that none of the USB ports are working.

Honestly, I have no clue what's wrong with it, and have no idea how to fix it. The network icon at the bottom right has a red cross on it, it doesn't recognise the wireless network, and doesn't do a thing when I plug in an ethernet cable.
I had MalwareBytes, superantispyware, and avast installed.
Sky broadband.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 03:42 PM

Have you tried restoring back to a date when it was last working okay ?

Would you be able to copy the data to a cd/dvd instead ?

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomken15

Have you tried restoring back to a date when it was last working okay ?

I thought about doing that when it was running slowly, but I had formatted a few weeks ago because of a video card issue, when I went to system restore there was no restore points.

Wand3r3r · 04-04-2012, 03:45 PM

Partitioning is never the solution to a slowness issue.

Appears with the new install you are missing some drivers

Might want to start here:
Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 03:46 PM

I'd edited my last post while you were posting your's.

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomken15

Have you tried restoring back to a date when it was last working okay ?

Would you be able to copy the data to a cd/dvd instead ?

Should be able to, except the couple of CD-RW discs I've found are giving errors when I try to format them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wand3r3r

Partitioning is never the solution to a slowness issue.

Appears with the new install you are missing some drivers

Might want to start here:
Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

I guessed that I'm missing the drivers, but the problem is I can't connect to the internet from the laptop to download them, and I can't copy them over using a flash drive. I am trying to use a disc, but unsuccessfully so far.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 04:05 PM

Go into Device Manager/Action/Add Legacy Hardware >> Next >> Next (if it doesn't auto find any hardware) and either put in your disk or wait until it's retrieved the list of devices, then click on Intel Corporation in the left window. From the right window, scroll down to see if any of the network adaptors match what you had.

Clicking on just Intel in the left window only lists Gigabit adaptors (on mine)

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomken15

Go into Device Manager/Action/Add Legacy Hardware >> Next >> Next (if it doesn't auto find any hardware) and either put in your disk or wait until it's retrieved the list of devices, then click on Intel Corporation in the left window. From the right window, scroll down to see if any of the network adaptors match what you had.

Clicking on just Intel in the left window only lists Gigabit adaptors (on mine)

On the dell drivers/utilities disc, there are the following drivers:
Intel wifi link 6150
Intel WiMax Link 6150
Intel 1030 (BT3.0+HS)
Intel 6230 (BT3.0+HS)
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030

In the Intel Corporation window there is:
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945BG Network Connection
Intel PRO/Wireless 3965ABG Network Connection
Intel Wifi Link 5100 ABG
Intel Wifi Link 5100 AGN
Intel Wifi Link 5100 BG
Intel Wifi Link 5300 AGN
Intel Wireless wifi link 4965AG
Intel Wireless wifi link 4965AGN

None of them match (That I can see) and I don't know if any of the drivers would work for them.
From the receipt file, under the option wireless networking is: Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card)

**Old Rich** · 04-04-2012, 04:29 PM

What exactly happens when you try to install the drivers via a flash drive?

You can go to the Dell support site, enter your Service Tag Number and download the drivers. Be sure to use IE and do not use the Dell Download Manager!

Just download the driver file, save it to a flash drive and install on the desktop and by double click to install

On the list of drivers, click on the driver file:

Then be sure the "For Single File Download via Browser is selected and click the Download Now button here:

See this for the order they should be installed:
How to Download and Install Drivers in the Correct Order | Dell

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 04:31 PM

Wire up and factory reset your router to just use the LAN without configuring the wireless to see if you can hook up to the net.

Just had another thought....check to see if you can connect the laptop to the pc (if that's what you're using to post) and use that as your Internet connection.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Rich

What exactly happens when you try to install the drivers via a flash drive?

You can go to the Dell support site, enter your Service Tag Number and download the drivers. Be sure to use IE and do not use the Dell Download Manager!

Just download the driver file, save it to a flash drive and install on the desktop and by double click to install

On the list of drivers, click on the driver file:

Then be sure the "For Single File Download via Browser is selected and click the Download Now button here:

See this for the order they should be installed:
How to Download and Install Drivers in the Correct Order | Dell

The USB ports aren't responding.

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Rich

What exactly happens when you try to install the drivers via a flash drive?

You can go to the Dell support site, enter your Service Tag Number and download the drivers. Be sure to use IE and do not use the Dell Download Manager!

Just download the driver file, save it to a flash drive and install on the desktop and by double click to install

On the list of drivers, click on the driver file:

Then be sure the "For Single File Download via Browser is selected and click the Download Now button here:

See this for the order they should be installed:
How to Download and Install Drivers in the Correct Order | Dell

The flashdrive isn't even recognised, I've tried all 3 of the usb ports, two of which are usb 3, none of them even register that it's been put in.
Unless I can find a DVD/CD RW then I can't copy files onto the laptop, and I can't get them from the internet.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 04:38 PM

Check my Post #10

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomken15

Wire up and factory reset your router to just use the LAN without configuring the wireless to see if you can hook up to the net.

Just had another thought....check to see if you can connect the laptop to the pc (if that's what you're using to post) and use that as your Internet connection.

At the moment I'm on my home computer using the router wired, I tried using a spare ethernet cable and plugged it into the laptop but it didn't even recognise it.
Honestly I don't know how to factory reset the router, and wouldn't like to try it (Imaging screwing up and losing internet all together).

And how would I connect the laptop to the pc?

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 04:49 PM

IT-Barry who's looking in will be able to tell you quicker than me digging out my link.

To factory reset a router, you can either stick a paperclip in the hole in the back of the router or from within the router and set it up as out of the box.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 05:00 PM

Forgot....Your USB ports are knacked

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 05:08 PM

Create a restore point then try one of the b/g adaptors. Windows may auto install the drivers for it if it can connect. If not then restore back and I'm out of ideas other than for you to get some more DVDs.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 05:36 PM

If that doesn't work, then perhaps you could try installing Windows again to see if it reinstates the wireless adaptor. If it can/does then it should auto connect and download the drivers for it.

Connor0728 · 04-04-2012, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomken15

If that doesn't work, then perhaps you could try installing Windows again to see if it reinstates the wireless adaptor. If it can/does then it should auto connect and download the drivers for it.

Originally I just used the windows disc and reinstalled windows, my files were kept in windows.old so I copied over what I needed and deleted that folder. After doing this I started installing the drivers and got both intel chipsets done as well as the video drivers, when I tried to install the network driver it gave the error I put in the first post, at this point I pretty much tried every network driver just to see the results, all of them said they couldn't be installed on this system.
At this point I partitioned the drive (which is 640gb), and had a new drive with 150gb. I installed windows on this and found the same error. So now I have two partitionsone with roughly 450, the other with 150. Both have windows installed, and both are having trouble with networking.

**Tomken15** · 04-04-2012, 05:47 PM

So I can take it that you never, ever created a System Image to DVDs ?