New Computer Won't Recognize Linksys card ?

[Mako Koiwai]

Karen's new Gateway desktop, running Window's 7, isn't recognizing her Linksys PCI card from her old computer. Any suggestions? We downloaded the drivers. Took the card out and reinstalled again ...

[Jeff Shyu]

welcome to the good old days of plug n pray.

when it worked, it was great, when it didn't, all hell broke loose..

dumb question. the linksys is for wireless network?

if so, you SHOULDN'T have to, but it wouldn't hurt to try disabling the onboard network from the system bios (F5 or F8 during boot, i can never remember).

you may also want to look around the bios while you're there, and see if there's some obvious setting that's turning your PCI off or something.

oh, is windows even recognizing the card as existing? or does it not even think it's there? <--- i guess start with that..

[Karen Zaterman]

Exactly.... it won't recognize the device & yes, it is a wireless PCI card. ...and of course without internet I can't install half of the programs I need! LOL

In Device Manager all I have under Network Adapters is the Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller that came pre-installed.

At this point Win 7 won't automatically find the "new" device -- could it be cloned in somehow with the existing Realtek one?

The Linksys driver wouldn't even install so I did some internet research & went & downloaded drivers from Ralink instead... I now have 2 of those installed (I found 2 only that were designated as PCI & also Win 7) -- do I have to do something else to get the link between driver & device manager? or any other ideas?

[Jeff Shyu]

ok, if this was my computer, here's the steps i would take, in terms of annoyance factor:

1. reboot and get into the bios, try disabling the onboard network card, while in there, make sure there isn't some stupid gateway option that turns OFF your PCI slots.

2. if 1 doesn't boot up and now detect new device, then open up the computer and make sure the PCI card is seated all the way in. There should be some lights on the PCI card to indicate connection status, make sure those lights at least get power when you turn it on.

3. if 2 doesn't net better results - remove from that PCI slot, and move to a different PCI slot

after 1-3, if it still doesn't do anything, you've for more than just a standard problem..

[Karen Zaterman]

Remind me what to do on 1. reboot? Upon startup is it F1 or F3 or ?
...been a long time & I always forget!

[Jeff Shyu]

it's either F5 or F8, i can't remember.. i usually just alternate and spam it.

edit: that's for windows OS, forgot, i think it's F2 standard on the bios, though it may be F5 too, you've gotta read the message during reboot.

[Karen Zaterman]

got in... looks like Windows 7 is different (there's a prompt & either F12 or DEL worked, I did both;)

so, is this what you are talking about and which one? I see under Integrated Peripherals there is:
Onboard SATA controller --enabled
SATA Mode -- RAID
Onboard USB controller --enabled
Legacy USB support --enabled
USB storage emulation --auto
onboard Audio controller --enabled
Onboard LAN controller --enabled
onboard LAN option ROM --disabled

[Jeff Shyu]

try disabling the onboard LAN controller. (local area network)

[Karen Zaterman]

ok thanks... trying that.

BTW, in Advanced BIOS for the Boot sequence under Quiet Boot there's:
Disabled -- displays normal POST messages
Enabled -- Displays OEM Logo instead of POST messages

disabling that will get rid of the irritating Gateway logo, right?

[Karen Zaterman]

OK... now there is no Network Adapters folder showing up in Device Manager...
restarting to get back into Bios

So I re-enabled that.
At least I got rid of that cow-like image at startup
Onto step 2... but the screws on the box have Mako-torque on em so I need to find a bigger screwdriver. you guys that don't realize how much strength you have!

OK, I don't see any lights or where there could be on this one... and doesn't look like I have another slot:
any other ideas?
ethernet cable to our modem instead, maybe? ...at least for this weekend

PCI.card.in_SM-photo.JPG (56.88 KiB) Viewed 8896 times

[Mako Koiwai]

We did reseat it last night, 1st thing we retried.
I don't believe it has an indicator light.

It worked in her old PC

[Jeff Shyu]

hmm.. well, it looks like there's another PCI slot below it, but that's a low probability fix.

depending on how much you need internet access, i guess the most direct way to "fix" it is to just plug it directly into the modem like you said. long term wireless fix? rather than spending the time and headache on the PCI card, you may wanna just get USB wireless.. something like this

usually works without a hitch.

[Mako Koiwai]

Only one slot, Costco Special.

Let's see, better computer or new Hoosiers?

[Leonard Cachola]

Only one slot, Costco Special.

Let's see, better computer or new Hoosiers?

Well, other option is to try a different Wireless card.

[Greg Peng]

In Device Manager all I have under Network Adapters is the Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller that came pre-installed.

Do you see anything in Device Manager under a yellow question mark icon labelled "Other Devices"?

[Karen Zaterman]

Oh, definately Hoosiers are more important. Next question looks like new USB or PCI-card now?
...always seem to run out of USB ports, don't we? Mind you I now have 6 in back & 4 on the top of the box

I am now connected via Ethernet cable... not too sure whether my SQL Server database will run ok without internet when we switch back to Wireless & i lose the connection but maybe that won't be a problem (I was unable to install without Internet connection... there are a lot of links built into it)

Jeff, thanks for all the help! Funny the way the Refurbished USB adapter one is more expensive than the new ones. ...do you guys think that option could also be used better than trying to establish hot spot type connections with our older laptops while we are on vacation?

[Karen Zaterman]

In Device Manager all I have under Network Adapters is the Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller that came pre-installed.

Do you see anything in Device Manager under a yellow question mark icon labelled "Other Devices"?

NO... but there is a white "?" under Other devices
...followed by yellow "!" with Network Controller.

...and I just bet you were thinking another OS and they changed the colors with Win7

[Karen Zaterman]

Why do I have to reconfigure settings? Shouldn't all that stuff have been saved with Backup & Restore from Vista?

[Greg Peng]

In Device Manager all I have under Network Adapters is the Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller that came pre-installed.

Do you see anything in Device Manager under a yellow question mark icon labelled "Other Devices"?

NO... but there is a white "?" under Other devices
...followed by yellow "!" with Network Controller.

...and I just bet you were thinking another OS and they changed the colors with Win7

If you saw that, then you just have to go into the properties of that "!-Network Controller" device and update the drivers, hopefully from a CD or downloaded onto a USB drive with another computer. Seeing that usually means that Windows found the hardware, but it doesn't have the drivers to automatically set it up.

[Michael Palero]

Mako, if you're still having issues, I can be your digital Lugod.
Let me know, I'm just a short trip down the street from you.

[John Stimson]

Greg has you on the right track -- If you have an exclamation point (meaning "this device isn't working!") then Windows has probably detected the card, but does not know (or have) the drivers to use with it.

[Kurt Rahn]

You guys sound like a Mac ad.

[Jeff Shyu]

nah, if we were a mac ad, we'd just advise Karen to buy a 200 dollar network card that Jobs has convinced people need..

[Michael Palero]

That $100-200 designed in California network interface card would just work.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

nah, if we were a mac ad, we'd just advise Karen to buy a 200 dollar network card that Jobs has convinced people need..

Which do you want more? Hardware that works out of the box the first time or days of frustration?