"Network Cable Unplugged"

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flashstar · #1 Post by **flashstar** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 5:56 pm

So, as part of the ongoing saga of needlessly pouring money into my previously messed up T23, I recently discovered that the built-in ethernet connection does not work. When I plug in a network cable (I have tried 4 different ones), nothing happens. The slot doesn't light up and there is no indication on the laptop itself that there is even a network cable plugged in. I have made sure that it is getting a signal from a working network hub. I ran a hardware diagnosis through the built-in Intel driver utility thing and it came back clean. I'm wondering if this could be a problem with the CDC daughter card or with the I/O board (one of the usb ports does not work on the I/O board). Thanks.

#2 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 7:43 am

Go to Start/Settings/Networking Connections and check if the Local Area Connection has been set up.

Msmax · #3 Post by **Msmax** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:22 am

Check in Control panel -> System -> Hardware if the driver is loaded for the LAN card. If not you will see a question mark in the list.

Msmax

flashstar · #4 Post by **flashstar** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:35 am

The card was recognized and drivers were installed. I updated the drivers to the latest ones from Intel, and that didn't fix the problem. I also downgraded the drivers to the ones on the Lenovo website and that didn't fix anything. I would think though that if it were a driver problem that the indicator lights on the back would still light up.

ajkula66 · #5 Post by **ajkula66** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 2:17 pm

To me this sounds like a connection problem with the RJ-45 jack...you may wanna examine that real close, with a magnifying glass or something like that...

Also check for any "cold" soldering points...that might not be easy to see though.

Good luck.

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 3:07 pm

The T23 has a number of things that can affect the RJ-45 jack. First, it's mounted on the I/O card, which then leads to another thin connector, in which a ribbon cable is plugged in. That ribbon cable then connects to the ethernet card (CDC, or communication daughter card). So you could have a problem inside the RJ-45 (broken wire), with the way the RJ-45 jack is soldered onto the I/O board, a disconnected or bad ribbon cable or a bad CDC. Download a copy of PC Doctor for DOS for the T2x and run the Intel Ethernet test under the Communications diagnostics. It should be able to find the CDC and display its MAC address. It will also attempt to check the functionality of the ethernet card by running a "loopback" test. If it can do that, then I'd say that the CDC and ribbon cable is working properly. That leaves the RJ-45 jack and I/O card as suspects. If the test fails, then that could mean that the ribbon cable is disconnected or broken or that the CDC is bad.

Note: you do NOT need any ethernet connection for this test to work.

flashstar · #7 Post by **flashstar** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:31 pm

I ran a loopback test through the Intel driver options window and it came back as working. Therefore I believe that it's a problem with the i/o board. Since one of the usb ports doesn't work too, I think that I'll just spend $15 for a new i/o board and install it. I'll also run pc doctor since I would like to weed out any more possible problems before I open her up again.

Thanks for the help. When I get everything working, I'll make sure to post again to document my saga.

"Network Cable Unplugged"

"Network Cable Unplugged"

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