R40 Ethernet Controller- Driver will not install

[T43pSSD]

hi, hope I can get this resolved quickly, need laptop for a trip.
did a clean XP Pro install. Downloaded all drivers, but when I try to install the driver for the ethernet controller, select the correct folder, next, I get
'the hardware was not installed because the wizard cannot find the necessary software'

can anyone shed some light on this? I have the correct driver pkg....used IBM's update tool to download.
my only web access for this unit is through a cardbus at the moment.

any help greatly appreciated

[ajkula66]

Two quick questions...

a) Full 7-character model number ?

b) When you open the BIOS page, is there a MAC address ?

[T43pSSD]

thanks for the reply, George

model# R40 2682LAU BIOS 1.27 (Phoenix First Bios Pro version 2.0) date 6/29/06

Yes, bios page shows a MAC address.

Internal Network devices are enabled

Device Mgr shows network adapters are working, the only question mark is the ethernet controller.

[T43pSSD]

[ajkula66]

Well, I'd be willing to bet that if you were to plug the cable in R40's LAN port, you'd find it working...

Here's what's causing the confusion:

ThinkPad R40 (2682-LAU)
P4-M 2.2GHz, 256MB RAM, 40GB HDD, 15.0 SXGA+(1400x1050)TFT LCD, 32MB ATI RADEON 7500, 16x10x24x/8x CDRW/DVD, 802.11a/b Wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), Ethernet(LOM), IEEE 1394, Secure Chip(TCPA), Li-Ion battery, WinXP Pro

That is an Atheros-chipped wireless card, and unlike other wireless cards that identify themselves as "network controllers" this brand claims that it's an "Ethernet controller"...

The correct driver for that card would be this one:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloa ... MIGR-67214

After the download, you should go into C>Drivers>Win>Wlanath and run the setup file from there.

Let us know if this worked for you.

[T43pSSD]

wow, you are a genius, my friend, that did it! Hard to imagine that IBM directs one to the wrong driver.
THANKS SO MUCH!

Do you think this would work for another R40 w/Vista, by any chance?
I'll try and see, but that one doesn't matter so much.

very grateful to you, George, cheers!

[ajkula66]

There are no drivers for Vista when it comes to R40, since it's not supported.

That being said, some can be tweaked...

What's the 7-character model number of that R40 and which are the missing drivers?

[T43pSSD]

it's R40, 2724XX4. The Intel Pro/100 VE Network connection shows working in device mgr, but in network connections, it says a cable is unplugged. I know the cable is good.
This used to work, then at some point I had the problem in XP as well. Changed to Vista and the issue persists. I can use either a wireless or wired cardbus, it's not a major thing....am just very curious why this stopped functioning.

[ajkula66]

That's pretty much as beastly as these babies came...

ThinkPad R40 (2724-XX4)
Based on 2723-DU1: P M 1.5GHz, 1GB RAM, 40GB HDD, 15 SXGA+(1400x1050) TFT LCD, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500, 24x10x24x/8x CD-RW/DVD, 802.11b wireless(MPCI), Modem(CDC), Ethernet(LOM), Secure Chip(TCPA), IEEE 1394, 8 cell battery, WinXP Pro

Let me throw in this suggestion...download and burn a "live" CD (ISO file format) from here:

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67

Boot from it with the LAN cable plugged in and check whether you have connection, then report back and we'll take it from there...

Good luck.

[T43pSSD]

OK, I had a Lucid Lynx live CD and tried it. Booting w/LAN plugged in, no connection.
Switch cable to cardbus- connected, no problem.

[ajkula66]

I'd presume that the LAN port itself is damaged, or disconnected...that's the best I have.

You may want to look over all the pins with a magnifying glass, and open up the machine to try and trace any unsoldered bits, but that's pretty much a hunt for a needle in the haystack...

Good luck.

[T43pSSD]

thanks, when I replace the bios battery I'll check it out.

thanks so much for the help, George.

[ajkula66]

You're very welcome - happy to help when I can.

Do yourself a favour and replace the CMOS/BIOS battery with the "proper" one for R40, since theirs is different from most other ThinkPads as far as I can recall...reverse polarity or something like that, it's been a while, but I remember it's not exactly the same as A3x or T4x...

Good luck.