My Ethernet and Linksys won't play nice...

KDKrueger · 04-14-2006, 08:04 PM

I admit it. I'm a bozo. I just replaced my hard drive and due to technical problems, I lost all my old drivers and settings. I had to reinstall my Ethernet driver, and it seems to be working fine. I ran the diagnostics for the connection and it came back positive both for function and connection, but it won't play nice with my Linksys DSL router. I know the router is just fine since I'm posting from my wife's computer and it uses the same router.

I tried using the Linksys router CD to install, and it says everythings just fine... yeah, right. Still no Internet connection, so there's a "failure to communicate" somewhere along the line. And yes, I did follow the instructions carefully. Went into Network section, selected the TCP/IP setting, went to the Properties, and told it to obtain the IP address automatically, just as instructed. No joy.

Cabling is fine... I didn't touch them since I the last time I was online.

Here are the system specs:
OS: Win 98SE
Router: Linksys Cable/DSL 4-Port Router Model NR041
Ethernet connection: 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet
And just for good measure: Dell OptiPlex GX110 (P3 at 733MHz)

There was local tech with my ISP who walked me through this last time and it went great, but I work the same hours he does now, so I'm SOL on that possibility. (The other techs won't advise me because it's a "router issue", and they don't give advice on third-party hardware.)

Is there anyone out there who might know how to walk me through so I don't accidentally reformat my whole system in the process?

KDKrueger · 04-14-2006, 08:17 PM

Wait a minute... I just discovered that even though the diagnostics all came back fine, in my System Properties/Device Manager section, when I check the driver, it says "The NDIS.VXD, NTKERN.VXD device loader(s) for this device could not load the device driver. (Code 2)"

It then tells me to click Update Driver to fix, but when I go through all the steps, it simply tells me I'm already using the best driver for the device. Can you say "Catch 22"?

I'm going to go search for a new driver, but I don't know if I can find one out there that will do any more than what's already installed.

Wish me luck...

KDKrueger · 04-14-2006, 10:19 PM

Well, I did it. I managed to find and download a driver file that worked, and here I am, back on my own system! I was sure I was dead in the water because I had to uninstall the Ethernet device in my Device Manager, then reboot, and install the driver from a floppy. It looked like it was going to be fine, then it asked me to insert the Win 98SE CD to find more files. After it not being able to find any of what must have been close to 80 files, I was sure it was going to tell me it couldn't complete the driver installation... but the one file it did load was enough. Go fig... Murphy's Law didn't work!

Now I get to try to straighten out the other fifteen problems my upgrade has caused...

04-14-2006, 08:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
KDKrueger Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 30 OS: Win98SE	My Ethernet and Linksys won't play nice... I admit it. I'm a bozo. I just replaced my hard drive and due to technical problems, I lost all my old drivers and settings. I had to reinstall my Ethernet driver, and it seems to be working fine. I ran the diagnostics for the connection and it came back positive both for function and connection, but it won't play nice with my Linksys DSL router. I know the router is just fine since I'm posting from my wife's computer and it uses the same router. I tried using the Linksys router CD to install, and it says everythings just fine... yeah, right. Still no Internet connection, so there's a "failure to communicate" somewhere along the line. And yes, I did follow the instructions carefully. Went into Network section, selected the TCP/IP setting, went to the Properties, and told it to obtain the IP address automatically, just as instructed. No joy. Cabling is fine... I didn't touch them since I the last time I was online. Here are the system specs: OS: Win 98SE Router: Linksys Cable/DSL 4-Port Router Model NR041 Ethernet connection: 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet And just for good measure: Dell OptiPlex GX110 (P3 at 733MHz) There was local tech with my ISP who walked me through this last time and it went great, but I work the same hours he does now, so I'm SOL on that possibility. (The other techs won't advise me because it's a "router issue", and they don't give advice on third-party hardware.) Is there anyone out there who might know how to walk me through so I don't accidentally reformat my whole system in the process?

04-14-2006, 08:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
KDKrueger Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 30 OS: Win98SE	Wait a minute... I just discovered that even though the diagnostics all came back fine, in my System Properties/Device Manager section, when I check the driver, it says "The NDIS.VXD, NTKERN.VXD device loader(s) for this device could not load the device driver. (Code 2)" It then tells me to click Update Driver to fix, but when I go through all the steps, it simply tells me I'm already using the best driver for the device. Can you say "Catch 22"? I'm going to go search for a new driver, but I don't know if I can find one out there that will do any more than what's already installed. Wish me luck...

04-14-2006, 10:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
KDKrueger Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 30 OS: Win98SE	Well, I did it. I managed to find and download a driver file that worked, and here I am, back on my own system! I was sure I was dead in the water because I had to uninstall the Ethernet device in my Device Manager, then reboot, and install the driver from a floppy. It looked like it was going to be fine, then it asked me to insert the Win 98SE CD to find more files. After it not being able to find any of what must have been close to 80 files, I was sure it was going to tell me it couldn't complete the driver installation... but the one file it did load was enough. Go fig... Murphy's Law didn't work! Now I get to try to straighten out the other fifteen problems my upgrade has caused...