Can't connect to the internet

Hi, looking for some help again. Some time ago when I was having problems with my printer, I downloaded Driver Booster 2 from a list on your site in an attempt to fix my printer. That wasn't my problem, but it did update 14 of my drivers and my computer has been running smoothly with windows XP for some time. Recently for a while I was getting an alert from Driver Booster 2 that I needed to updated a very out dated driver involved with my sound card or something along that line. I finally gave in and let it update said problem. Big mistake, after the update, my computer would almost fully upload and then crash again and again. I'm sorry, but at this age, my memory is bad and I think I managed to get the computer to upload in safe mode but not in normal mode. Since Driver Booster had caused the problem, I decided to uninstall it. That seemed to cause another problem. Once I uninstalled Driver Booster 2, I couldn't connect to the internet and I couldn't use system restore. I would get an error message that said the application had failed because I was missing something called rtl120.pbl and that reinstalling it would fix the problem. Because I could not access the internet with my computer I couldn't get the fix I needed. I have a laptop and using it to do some research, I read that this problem can occur if you have software called advanced system care 8. I had noticed that this software had come along with Driver Booster 2 as well as IOBIT uninstaller, so I deleted IOBIT uninstaller but was unable to delete system advance care 8. I contacted a 1 855- something number for online IOBIT help and with networking through the laptop the fellow was able to show me what to do to force uninstall Advance system care 8. He also got me to burn something onto a disk to put into my desktop to fix it so that it would connect to the internet and when it still didn't work and he started telling me he could give me a number where they could fix it online for a fee of $249.00 and some kind of guarantee, I realized I was being set up for some kind of scam. I told him so and hung up and changed the networking connections back to off. Kaspersky did have to process some Trojans that had appeared on my desktop. After all this, I don't get that error message anymore, but I still can't connect to the internet and I don't get any message saying why. I did contact my server and they said I'm connected to the internet and my modem and router are working. I'm not very computer literate so any instructions have to be well spelled out. Thanks in advance, Goldez

 

XP support is drying up fast and as you found out many of the newer drivers assume at least Win 7. Your first choice would be to back up your data and a fresh install of Win 7. You said you might be able to get into Safe Mode so you can hopefully back up data.

If that is not an option you may be able to download an older driver for your system, the result should work, but will not be as good as a clean Win 7 install.

Please post full system specs, but mostly we need to know your motherboard manufacturer and model number to get started on the right path.

 

Hi DOA,
I appreciate you taking your time to help me with my problem.
To show you how computer illiterate I am, how do I find out which motherboard I have?
Incidentally, I did purchase widows 7, but am afraid to install it as I don't know how to transfer everything on my computer to the new operating system.
My computer is so old it only accepts a cd, although I do have an external drive that I can plug into my usb port that will take a dvd.
This should give you some idea why I have such a hard time solving my own computer problems, although I learn more each time I tackle one.
Thanks, Goldez

 

Sorry for the delay, work got busy yesterday.
Have you been able to get back into safe mode by hitting F8 while windows starts up?
https://www.microsoft.com/resources...ll/proddocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx?mfr=true

Do you happen to have a second hard drive? If you plan to buy another drive soonish, this is a good time as we can work on the new drive and be assured your old one will not be changed.
Can you open your case and look at the motherboard? It will probably say the manufacturer and model on it.

 

Hi DOA,
When I was doing some research on how to find my motherboard information, I was informed to go through help and support, not control panel and I found that my computer says that my modem is not installed. I`ve tried everything I can think of, disconnecting the router and modem and shutting off the computer and reconnecting and rebooting, as well as reinstalling the modem, all to no avail. Going through information files on the computer says there is no ip address.
My motherboard is asus P4C800 P4P800
Hope this new information helps and I don`t have another hard drive on hand although if we aren`t able to solve things, I could get one.
Thanks, Goldez

 

You need the chipset drivers to install the driver for the NIC (ethernet card).
Failing to find that, your next option is to buy a NIC card and install that and use it in place of the card that is now not working.
You can probably get one for about $15 online.

If it is a brand and not a home built computer, post the brand and exact model so I can search for chipset drivers.

 

Hi Plodr,
I guess I don't have much of a grasp as to how the internet connection works. You've highlighted the quote that my computer says that the modem is not installed and yet you say it's the drivers for the Ethernet card that need replacing.
When I do a test for the Ethernet connection it says "passed" and when I asked my internet server to test from their end, they said both the router and modem were working. "strange but I keep learning"
My computer is a home built but not by me obviously.
Am I able to go into the system and get more specific information information for you? If so, what, and where would I look?
I do have the installation discs for the motherboard, cable modem, and router.
My computer works fine in normal mode except that I'm unable to connect to the internet.
I don't know if it means anything but when I do a disc check it says I have a bad area and when I try to run the fix for the bad area, windows tries for a while and then says it was unable to complete the task.
Thanks, Goldez

 

Goldez...

Have you tried rolling back the sound driver using the Windows XP feature for doing this, yet? I just scanned the thread, so apologies if that has already been mentioned.

How to roll back a driver in Windows XP:

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windowsxp/ht/roll-back-driver-xp.htm

 

Hi Plodr and AtlBo,
I'd like to try the chipset idea first.
My chipset from the Readme txt. on the motherboard cd is as follows;
Product Intel{R} Chipset Software Installation Utility
Release Production Version
Version:5.0.2.1003
Target Chipset#:Intel{R}82865 G/PE/P/GV
Intel{R}82848P,and Intel{R}82875P
August12,2003



Drivers
Intel Chipset Inf Update Program
Intel Application Accelerator Driver
Ad1985 Audio Driver and Application
USB 2.0 Driver
3Com Gigabit LOM {3C940 Driver

These were the notices as I tried to download the chipset.
What do I do now as I don't know if this was the correct move or what further moves do I have to make as it made no difference to my getting on the internet. Do I have to install them somehow?
Thanks, Goldez

 

Just because 2 pieces of hardware are working, that does not mean that the connection inside your computer is working. You can't get on the internet, correct?
If you attached a different computer to the modem and router and it connected, it means the connection inside that computer is working and that computer would be able to go on the internet.

I suspect using Driver Booster 2 was a big mistake. All -in-one programs cause more problems than they fix.
You have no idea what drivers this program updated. Because you have no sound, I suspect it misidentified something and gave you the wrong sound driver. (a lot of times a newer version of a driver adds support for a newer OS. You are running an old computer with XP; you should not need to update any driver unless you have a specific problem. Then you look for a driver for that piece of hardware and read what the driver is supposed to fix. If it doesn't fir your problem, don't install it).

Okay, 3Com Gigabit LOM {3C940 Driver is your ethernet driver. Install that.

And this Ad1985 Audio Driver and Application is probably your sound driver. Install that.

Then post how the computer is doing. Do you have sound? Can you connect to the internet?

If so, the last thing will be to uninstall completely Driver Booster 2.

Don't attempt to use add/remove. I will have you use a better program which will remove the registry entries along with the program.

 

Hi Plodr,
Thanks for the reply.
I never lost my sound so Driver Booster 2 failed to install a new driver, but just messed up my computer instead. Makes me wonder if they don't do this on purpose to get you to purchase the pro package instead of the free one.
I did uninstall it immediately after my problems started, but it was Advanced system care 8, that unknowingly came along with Driver Booster 2 that was at first causing a lot of error problems and it was really hard to get rid of.
If you check back through my posts, you'll see what I mean.
I thought I had gotten rid of it completely but going through the error logs, I saw it was still causing problems as recently as Tuesday 19.
I did find a couple of more files on it, but they deleted easily.
My problem now is how do I install the new drivers that I downloaded yesterday for the Ethernet card?
Thanks, Goldez

 

What is the extension on the drivers?

Where did you download these from? An ethernet card does not need drivers. One correct driver is all that is needed and that is on the CD. Or did you download the chipset drivers from the internet?

 

Hi Plodr,
With my lack of knowledge on all things computer, I seem to be getting myself in deeper trouble.
I used the cd for the mother card to download whatever it was I downloaded and since it didn't seem to make any difference to the ability to access the internet or recognize the modem, I thought that maybe I had to uninstall the old Ethernet adapter first and so I did. I used the cd again to download the new Ethernet adapter or chipset or whatever it is again.
Somehow When I tried to download this time, I ended up using windows explorer 8 in the download and ended up with this:

3Com 3C940 Gigabit LOM Ethernet Adapter
Driver Date 9/28/2009
Driver Provider Marvell
Driver Version 11.22.3.3
Digital Signer Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publ----

Once again, it gave me no access to the internet, and still didn't recognize the modem.
I then decided to rollback to the original driver for the Ethernet adapter and ended up with this:

3Com Gigabit LOM [3C940]
Provider 3Com Corporation
File Version 1.00.00.0046 built by WinDDK
Copyright Copyright 3Com Corporation/Marvell 2003
Digital Signer Not Digitally Signed

This again gave me no access to the internet and now is saying it is not properly installed and is asking me to type the path for some installation information which I don't know how to do. It doesn't seem to want to take the necessary information from the cd so I guess I will have to uninstall it and try again .
While searching advanced computer information through help and support, I also noticed it said my video card is not supported and has no driver.
I'm getting very frustrated at my inability to fix these problems.
Thank goodness I have this laptop at the same time.
Thanks Goldez

 

Hi again Plodr,
I tried to uninstall the Ethernet adapter again but this time it won't uninstall.
In order to repair it, it is asking me to reinstall the driver for the Ethernet controller but wants me to type the path to the file 'EL2K_XP.sys' on ECD100P200
Any ideas how I do that?
Goldez

 

Unhappily I do not have a solution to your problem but I do have some advice:

When installing any programme do not merrily click accept, next, next, next, next, install without reading each notice because unfortunately it has become the norm for "free" applications to hide other installations like "Advanced System Care". This app will "find" up to 1200 plus problems on your PC and then offer to fix them at an exorbitant price. There are often check boxes hidden amongst text which need to be unchecked to avoid the installation of unwanted software. Read these boxes carefully and uncheck anything you don't want or need.

 

Goldez...

If you don't mind, would you please post the EXACT make and model of the PC you are using? This will help to find the correct drivers for your PC. I really think you need to go straight to the manufacturer's download site for the drivers for your PC and download and install those. This is by far the best way to resolve drivers issues.

The adage with drivers, just for your information, is that if nothing is broken, don't change drivers. Also, if there is a meaningful update for your drivers, it will appear on the manufacturer's download site for your PC.

Your problem as things are, currently, is a kind of problem that is a little bit difficult to pin down fully. If an Iobit program damaged Windows when it was removed, you will need to repair the damage. Because it is possible that Windows is damaged and not just drivers, it's not easy to say what has caused your internet to go out with 100% certainty. At this point, I think it's a very good idea to stop trying things. Just to give you an example, if you were to change the sound driver again, you would not be able to use the Windows dialog to revert the change without going back to the current one that you know doesn't work.

I feel like the drivers issue is less important at this point than finding out what may be wrong beneath the surface. For this reason, I recommend you run an sfc /scannow. This will check for errors in the Windows files and file structure and then will repair them. sfc /scannow may ask for a Windows XP installation disk (of the same type and service pack as the one on your PC (Home or Pro and SP3 (I assume))). Do you have access to a Windows XP installation disk that meets the above requirements?

I feel like you're into a little bit deeper system issue possibly than just a drivers issue is what I am getting at here. I have seen Iobit programs cause these types of problems before as they install like a gajillion registry keys...

 

HI Ewen and AltBo,
Twice now, I`ve taken the time to type some long winded answers and when I go to submit it says I`m not logged in, so I guess I`ll end the thread and say thanks again for all your help.
Goldez

 

Point it to the CD in the drive. Your drivers are on the CD.
Change from C in the location path to D, if that is your CD drive, find EL2K_XP.sys

Do you have file extensions showing? That would be the 3 letters after the dot like sys?

 

Hi Plodr,
I do point to d but that doesn't work, however if I go and open the cd in the cdrom drive while the computer is asking me for a path to the file and then I open up Lan and then Chipset and download from there, it does the download and then two separate flags show up in the bottom taskbar, saying new hardware has been found, one for the Ethernet controller and one for the Ethernet adapter. Then it automatically reboots my computer and then the box asking me for a path to the previously mentioned files comes back on and when I check device manager, it still shows the ethernet adaptor with a yellow askeris and a (code 1)
Goldez

 

Hi Plodr,
For some reason windows is now able to attempt to repair the bad volume on my disc so I'm letting it do that at the moment. It takes almost two days but I hope it improves the computers operation.
Goldez

 

Hi Allier.
Thanks for the information
After the trouble I've run into from Driver Booster 2 and the the accompanying software Advanced System Care v8, ( which I see is by the error logs is still trying to load but can't because of missing files) even though I thought I had totally deleted it, makes me very leery of downloading new free software.
I did manage to finally download the new driver for the Ethernet card by directing the computer where to look in the files on the cd. It does show that it is installed and working.
I'm going to post this and then post some more after, as this forum seems to have a time limit for posts and then it logs you off
Goldez

 

Hi again Allier,
As previously mentioned, I did manage to reinstall the driver for the Ethernet adapter but trying to find the driver for the Ethernet controller in the files on the cd was much more difficult.
The Ethernet adapter driver was 3Com Gigabit LOM (3C940)
I couldn,t find a driver on the cd that said it was specifically for the Ethernet controller and when I went on the web to find which driver it should have, it appeared that a 3Com 440 10/100 driver would do the trick. The closest I could find on the cd was a BCM 4412 10/100 driver and when I installed this, it shows up as an Ethernet network adapter, and the new hardware wizard did not indicated that a new Ethernet controller had been installed.
I configured the hardware Device Manager so that it shows hidden files and it does show 3 or 4 devices that are grayed so as to indicate they are there but not installed and may try deleting them after I learn more. I reset winsock but that had no effect. I'm thinking of uninstalling and reinstalling my modem, as it still is not recognized by the computer.
Also on one list, it said my Microsoft TV/Video connection is not available. (don,t know if that means anything)
Also there was was an yellow exclamation mark for sbaphd file not working on the hidden files for the Ethernet adapter files.
Any one have anymore ideas with some of this new information?
Goldez

 

Hello again,
Just more out of curiosity could anyone explain this error that comes up numerous times in the error log, I'm guessing it is an attempt from Iobit remote help when they were connected to my computer;
"The master browser has received a server announcement from the computer (my laptop name inserted here) that believes that it is the master browser for the domain on transport NeBT_Tcpip_{E601----- (and another dozen letters and numbers) (sorry but I don't know how much privacy is involved there);
the master browser is stopping or an election is being held.
Why is this error message continuing day after day?
(The message comes from MRxSmb)
Thanks, Goldez

 

Hi all,
One more question to add to all my others for today.
When I look at the hidden files through device manager for my radeon X700 pro video card it says that the Logitech driver interface isn't connected. How do I go about fixing this problem?
Thanks, Goldez

 

Hi to all those who tried to help me.
With a little help from my internet server, it turns out that my firefox browser was somehow preventing me from getting on the internet. Any ideas how that would happen and how to repair it?
I'm able to access the internet using google chrome for my browser.
Thanks, Goldez

 

Hi to all those that tried to help me,
My firefox browser for the first time, finally came up with a "can't load XPCom." message when I tried to use it. And searching the web for this error message, I found it could be fixed by downloading an upgrade to my firefox browser.
Also some of the problems may have been caused by the new way the Kaspersky firewall protects internet connections. A couple of the ethernet connections had red x's and disconnected signs on them although they seemed to be copies of the working ones.
At any rate, everything seems to back to normal until I mess something else up.
I did learn a lot and thanks again for all your help.
Goldez