Network card slowing down PC!? Help...

[Gunnar]

I just put together a kick ass athlon 1.2 jigahertz computer on an a7m266, with a radeon vivo, sb live platinum, and everything is great, until I throw in this 3com network card, and screws everything up! It didn't install smoothly, it found missing files on the windows cdrom, as well as its own driver cd. But I finally got everything working without some nasty messages showing up, but now the computer takes forever to boot. What's going on? Any way to change this? I am not currently using the card until I get dsl, or take it to school, but how can one card bring the entire system to a crawl? Any help would be awesome. Thanks.

 

[office boy]

Sounds about right for a 3com, let me guess, a 3c905B?

Sorry, but 3com=waste of money in my book. Get Intel if you want a big name behind your card, get Linksys or Netgear if you value your $$'s.

Never to late to e[/b]bay that bunk card either....

BTW, it's probably not really the card, just the drivers.. that is usually 3com's problem.

 

[Gunnar]

That sucks! I paid more money because I have absolutely no idea about network cards. What card would you recommend? Is it better to have an MB with integrated ethernet?

 

[dkozloski]

The secret to installing 3COM cards is SURPRISE!! Read the manual. First you run a preinstall program, shut down and physically install the card, reboot and finish the driver install. Long boot times indicate that you have the setup wrong and the card is looking for something it can't find ,like an incorrect IP address. My dad always used to say don't blame your tools for something you can't do.

 

[HeinekinMan]

LinkSys LNE100 EtherFast.

I'm using several of these cards in my systems. Paid 9.99 each at a local electronics store. I believe I saw them listed for the same price in this weeks OfficeMax or OfficeDepot ad.

No slowdowns on my systems. No problem with Win98SE install. No problems with my Netgear router. Internet connections are NOTICEABLY faster and system file transfers are also faster (even my wife notices the change...that is all the proof that I need!!!!)

 

[office boy]

NETGEAR 10BT/100BTX FA311 PCI 1-PK (Bare card) (*While Supplies Last!) $14.50 YES

From mwave...
But if you look around, you might be able to find something cheaper then that.

dkozloski, That's just badly written drivers, nothing else.
And my dad used to say that too... musta learned that in dad school.

 

[Prince of Persia]

What about this at mwave good or bad?

LINKSYS 10BT/100BTX LNE100TX PCI 1-PK Specs

 

[thraxes]

3Coms are alright if you know the install procedure.
I use something else entirely... Compaq 3122 dual NC
has 2 intel driven 100Mbit ports that can be teamed together and it is darn fast to. lucky I got it for about 40$ hehe

 

[Paulson]

Linksys cards can be a bitch to install in win2k...

I suggest d-link...

Works fine in my server...