replace onboard nic with pci card

my computer wont go online - packet traffic is like 29 sent/19 rec'd. i am usin dsl @ approx 3mb. i checked and its enabled, i reloaded the driver and even did a windows repair (btw i'm usin win2k).i have a plan and need it 'critiqued. i want to disable the onboard device and then install a new pci card. now, would i need to install drivers from a cd which comes with a new pci card, or does windows have a native driver for a 10/100 nic card??? if this plan is hairbrained, plz offer advice as to how i can bypass the onboard nic...i plugged in a lapatop to the same connection/modem and it works perfectly, so its not a cabling/wiring problem. help and tkz

 

The idea of trying a different NIC isn't hairbrained if your onboard NIC is unstable but by your description I don't think that will solve your problem. Your problem sounds more like a software or configuration error.

If you do try changing the NIC, you would be best to use the driver that comes with it on the CD. Win2K native drivers are limited and generaly pretty old as far as version numbers go.

 

tkz for your reply but it left me confused. you said it sounds like software or a config prob. i reloaded the drivers directly off the vendors cd ( same one i always use and i format every 3-4 months so i am always using these drivers), i also did a system repair, which refreshes all the system files...so it seems to me that the software is good. as far as config, i checked the network properties in the control panel and all is in order there ( getting an ip addy automatically, dhcp enabled and all the dns and wins stuff is correct) so i dont understand what config i need to look at. i also issued an ipconfig command and it looks normal as well. so before i go squander money on a nic card and get my hopes up, could you enlighten me as to what software and config options i should check. this is not an argumentative reply but one of curiosity more than anything else, so take no offense...tks for your help, aloha

 

If you're really formatting every 3 to 4 months, then there is no doubt in my mind that this is a software problem. Go through the network configuration FAQ's or contact your ISP. Since this is a problem connecting to your DSL, they should be able to help you.

 

Windows does not have native drivers per-se.

The Drivers that are on Windows CD are given by the manfacturer to Microsoft to put on the Windows CD.

Some manufacturers do not bother and many might issue the Drivers after Windows version is released and thus it will Not be there.

However as said above debug the system and see where the trouble is.

In General, you can debug the Network Setting of the computer following these steps.

Step One. Check the Network parameters in the Computer's Device Manager. Make sure that the drivers are installed correctly; there is No IRQ conflict, and No Ghost installation. http://www.ezlan.net/faq#ghost

Step Two. Verify Basic network setting in the OS: http://www.ezlan.net/Installing#verify
If the above two Steps indicates that every thing looks good but functionally it does not work.

Step Three. Check (and repair if necessary) the Socket Layers, Winsock, and or refresh the TCP/IP Stack. http://www.ezlan.net/clean#refreshnet

If need to Reinstall; Log to this page it have a lot of links to instructions for Windows Network Installation - http://www.ezlan.net/Installing.html