Bad ethernet = bad main board?

[JimL]

OK, on my T42 the green ethernet port (RJ-45) LED is ALWAYS on - bad.

A local repair guy says any ethernet port problem will require a new main board to fix. That sounds a bit like sales talk to me, but ... is it true?

[Harryc]

There are (1) or (2) LED's on the Ethernet port. One should be on solid green or flashing, and the other flashing yellow. PC-Doctor is your friend
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... YQP53.html

[zdriver]

He is correct unless the problem is a simple driver issue or bent missaligned pins in the rj45 connector.
The ethernet port is driven from a dedicated chipset on the motherboard.
The green link led is ON all the time that power is applied to the laptop and a cable is plugged in to the port with a connection to an active router / switch. I assume you mean the ethernet port is not working....
Run pc doctor diags as Harryc has suggested and test the ethernet functions, see what it says.

[sjthinkpader]

Disable it in System Properties and use an USB or PCMCIA NIC.

[chan_man]

I had the ethernet port go bad on two T4x machines and both times, the fix is a new motherboard. If you have a port replicator, the ethernet port on the replicator will work even if the side port is dead.

[sktn77a]

I had the ethernet port go bad on two T4x machines and both times, the fix is a new motherboard. If you have a port replicator, the ethernet port on the replicator will work even if the side port is dead.

Good point, a port replicator is MUCH cheaper and less work than a new motherboard! Great solution for anybody who doen't travel with their T4x.

[JimL]

There are (1) or (2) LED's on the Ethernet port. One should be on solid green or flashing, and the other flashing yellow.

So I hear.

As I said, the solid green one is ALWAYS on. But I should qualify that. When the machine is powered down the green light is not on.

PC-Doctor is your friend
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... YQP53.html

Well I'm impressed. I've had a copy of PC-Doctor that was, to all intents and purposes, useless. All I got when I selected communications was the Network Connections window.

I got a new one and it tells me:

My cable passes
My link passes
My TCP/IP cannot be tested

Thanks

[JimL]

He is correct unless the problem is a simple driver issue or bent missaligned pins in the rj45 connector.

OK. He's right unless he's wrong!

The ethernet port is driven from a dedicated chipset on the motherboard.

So the stuff about the Intel (R) PRO/1000 Mobile MT all just refers to a set of chips. Interesting.

The green link led is ON all the time that power is applied to the laptop and a cable is plugged in to the port with a connection to an active router / switch.

The green LED is never off unless the computer is off.

I assume you mean the ethernet port is not working....

Correct.

Run pc doctor diags as Harryc has suggested and test the ethernet functions, see what it says.

Cable OK
Link OK
TCP/IP untestable.

Thanks

[JimL]

Disable it in System Properties and use an USB or PCMCIA NIC.

I have a LinkSys and an Intel. Both give me exactly the same reports as the on board NIC: Cannot find network path or No Connection, depending on where you are working from.

Thanks

[Harryc]

Try a different ethernet cable? Different port in the router? Try using another known working desktop or laptop at the end of the cable you currently use. Do any devices hooked to this router work?

[JimL]

I had the ethernet port go bad on two T4x machines and both times, the fix is a new motherboard. If you have a port replicator, the ethernet port on the replicator will work even if the side port is dead.

Doesn't that depend on what makes the port dead? Given that the RJ45 itself is sound, wouldn't that mean that the problem is on the main board and the replicator would merely duplicate the problem? Unless, of course, the replicator actually has a NIC built into it.

Thanks

[JimL]

Try a different ethernet cable? Different port in the router? Try using another known working desktop or laptop at the end of the cable you currently use. Do any devices hooked to this router work?

No router. Just a crossover cable that was working until recently (after a party with Zlob and friends) and which PC-Doctor says is OK.

With or without the cable the green LED is on. But that may have been the case when it was still working.

Thanks

[JimL]

I had the ethernet port go bad on two T4x machines and both times, the fix is a new motherboard. If you have a port replicator, the ethernet port on the replicator will work even if the side port is dead.

Good point, a port replicator is MUCH cheaper and less work than a new motherboard! Great solution for anybody who doen't travel with their T4x.

Or maybe a Y710 would be the cheapest way to go?

[zdriver]

Your lan properties have been changed, probably during the party with Zlob and friends, maybe they can tell you what they changed so you can restore the working tcpip communications.
Look at the properties of the Local Area Connection

[Harryc]

If you want to get into the guts of the problem here, (with the cable connected) run the following command from a command prompt and post the results here. It does not sound like you have a hardware problem at this point, but it is still possible;

Code: Select all

ipconfig /all

[chan_man]

I had the ethernet port go bad on two T4x machines and both times, the fix is a new motherboard. If you have a port replicator, the ethernet port on the replicator will work even if the side port is dead.

Doesn't that depend on what makes the port dead? Given that the RJ45 itself is sound, wouldn't that mean that the problem is on the main board and the replicator would merely duplicate the problem? Unless, of course, the replicator actually has a NIC built into it.

Thanks

Yes, the NIC is on the mainboard but the problems that I had were from a bad ethernet connector. The way I arrived at this was that cables plugged in on the side ethernet port would not work "properly" sometimes it would work and other times it would connect if I pushed the cable one way or another. When docked, the connection was solid, only when I went to the conference room would the problems come up. The port replicator does not have an NIC built in, just another way to get to the NIC on the mainboard through the docking connector.

[JimL]

Look at the properties of the Local Area Connection

Here's another statement (from a network blog) that is also totally lost on me.

"Make sure that NetBIOS Over TCP is consistently set, in TCP/IP Properties for each computer in your network."

The only thing wrong with such suggestions is that I have no clue how to do what with either of them, because they require network knowledge. Don't call me network challenged. Call me a network deep, dry hole.

Thanks

[richk]

I am going back to basics. (Like the repair guy asking if your busted TV is plugged in.) In the BIOS, under config, make sure the ethernet port is enabled.

[JimL]

If you want to get into the guts of the problem here, (with the cable connected) run the following command from a command prompt and post the results here. It does not sound like you have a hardware problem at this point, but it is still possible;

Code: Select all

ipconfig /all

First the weirdness - at least it's weird to me.

Local Area Connection properties shows a "Microsoft TCP/IP version 6" and an "Internet Protocol TCP/IP." I've avoided the second one since my internet stuff seems to work fine. But today I opened it and found an odd looking IP address. Probably foolishly, I turned off the DHCP and put in the IP address I had used before (shown in the ipconfig results below).

The LAN started working. Apparently LAN has something to do with internet. Just about anyone would know about that better than me.

PC-Doctor still says it can't run a TCP/IP test. Local Area Connection properties "Microsoft TCP/IP version 6" has the properties button grayed out. The only Net BIOS entries I see are for Netware and I don't touch that.

Incidentally? my FTP connection to the desktop still doesn't work.

I tried turning DHCP back on and it immediately shut down the LAN, so it's off again.

The green LED is still on at all times.


Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : LAPTOP
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Mobile Connecti
on
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0D-60-FA-CB-BB
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::20d:60ff:fefa:cbbb%6
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::ffff:ffff:fffd%5
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter Automatic Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Automatic Tunneling Pseudo-Interface

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : C0-A8-01-02
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::5efe:192.168.1.2%2
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

[JimL]

I am going back to basics. (Like the repair guy asking if your busted TV is plugged in.) In the BIOS, under config, make sure the ethernet port is enabled.

If I can get it to come up I'll check it.

Thanks.

[Harryc]

You probably just need to define a gateway IP address in your TCPIP properties...assuming that the attached PC is also a DHCP server that should do it. The gateway IP address would be the IP address of the attached PC. If the attached PC is not a DHCP server than you'll need to stick with the hard coded IP address. Are you using this connection for Internet access? How is the attached PC connected to the Internet?

[zdriver]

Jim , out of interest, 2 questions...

1 What do you do on the thinkpad when the cable connection to the desktop is working? eg: backup? xfer files? play 2 player games? it provides the internet connection to the laptop?
2 What is the source of your internet connection on the thinkpad? eg:crossover cable to the desktop , internal dialup modem , internal Wireles card?

[JimL]

I am going back to basics. (Like the repair guy asking if your busted TV is plugged in.) In the BIOS, under config, make sure the ethernet port is enabled.

It is enabled.

Thanks

[JimL]

You probably just need to define a gateway IP address in your TCPIP properties

Best I can tell I have no TCP/IP. The properties button is grayed out and I can't get an installation to work. PC-Doctor can't even run the TCP/IP test. Network installation wizard errors out.

...assuming that the attached PC is also a DHCP server that should do it.

The desktop has no DHCP.

If the attached PC is not a DHCP server than you'll need to stick with the hard coded IP address. Are you using this connection for Internet access? How is the attached PC connected to the Internet?

It has its own direct dial-up. I only use the LAN for file transfers.

thanks

[JimL]

Jim , out of interest, 2 questions...

1 What do you do on the thinkpad when the cable connection to the desktop is working? eg: backup? xfer files? play 2 player games? it provides the internet connection to the laptop?
2 What is the source of your internet connection on the thinkpad? eg:crossover cable to the desktop , internal dialup modem , internal Wireles card?

File transfer. I intend to ditch the desktop when I get enough data off of it.

The laptop has internal modem to dial-up (the desktop has its own dial-up connection which hasn't been used in a very long time). Occasionally I used the laptop's internal wireless at a local shop when I needed a faster connection.

Thanks

[JimL]

Could someone comment on the fact that PC-Doctor says TCP/IP cannot be tested?

Thanks

[JimL]

Could someone comment on the fact that PC-Doctor says TCP/IP cannot be tested?

Thanks

An interesting note. I turned off DHCP and put in my original IP address. The LAN started working.

In an attempt to get my FTP programm running again I finally got Network Installation to run through to completion - whereupon the connection quit.

Let me qualify that. Previously it said it was not connected. Now it says it is connected but nothing actually works.

Thanks