Win2k detecting network on and off (at 5 sec intervals)

[ET]

Windows 2000 keeps detecting a network connection, and then, after 4 seconds, saying "Network cable unplugged", then after 7 seconds it detects it again, and so on and so forth. This is very annoying visually, and of course it's impossible to get any network connection in this way.

The network is a simple one to one crossed cable network, with two simple 10/100 NICs. It worked before, for a couple of months. This problem coincided with an upgrade of my disk. I copied everything to a new 30MB disk using PartitionMagic 5 (with one partition size change along the way), and I think that the problem started immediately after I booted with the new disk. It doesn't happen if the second computer isn't on (then the network connection is off all the time). Although I'd also suspect a software problem (virus?).

Anybody has an idea?

BTW, my hardware is a PIII-700 on a CUV4X board (latest BIOS and VIA 4-1), 128MB RAM, 30GB disk and 50x CD-ROM, 56K modem (software), ASUS V6600 graphics, SB AWE64 sound. One USB device hooked (CompactFlash reader). Oh, and that NIC (Windows says it's a Macronix MX98715 Family Fast Ethernet Adapter).

 

[obenton]

Check the cable and connection.

 

[Poontos]

ET,

Phone home. That's all I gots to say.


Yah, check the cable, try a different one. Win2K ain`t that dumb.

P.S. What kind of monitor do you have? What kind of speakers do you have? HAHAHAH, dude, next time I don`t think you need to give that much info when it's a network problem.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[ET]

I think it's a defective NIC, guys.

First time anyone told me to post fewer hardware details Come on, most guys here post more details than this when just saying hi

 

[shaolin9]

yah i think it is defective wiring...or nic...change wires...also, verify terminals are made correctly...at work i had some crazy networking probs cuz of improperly terminated cables...make sure u are using a crossover cable...this is computer to computer right?...anyhow if u want detailed wiring schematics...look on
Practically Networked for the info...kinda nested inside..so dig deep to find em.

Good Luck tho...networking probs like that are always the worst to diagnose.

 

[ET]

The reason I say it's a defective NIC is because I noticed that on some boots the BIOS doesn't detect it. This network has worked for a couple of months, and I guess I managed to screw up something when I replaced my hard disk.

 

[obenton]

NICs prefer PCI slots 2 and 3. Often don't work properly elsewhere, if at all.

 

[Grasshopper]

ET, I had exactly the same problem. My NICs were next to one another. BIOS detected NICs fine but they were using same IRQ 10. One would work fine but the other one would say the same message as you are getting. I knew that my both network cards were good, so I yanked one NIC out of the slot and then moved one down. This time they were not next to each other. After I rebooted, I saw that one NIC was using IRQ 10 and IRQ 9. But IRQ 9 was still being shared with my video card but this time both NICS were working fine and no interferance on Video card.

Try this out, may be this is what would solve your problem. It looks to me like as if 2 NICs can't share same IRQ but if it shares IRQ with other non networking device, they don't have a problem.