Help Fixing a Friends Computer?!?!
 

I'm fixing a friends computer, its a Dell, not completely sure what type. but the tower is sopposed to be on its side instead of standing. model no DCNE. basicly, it doesn't want to get the internet from a direct ethernet cable. I was thinking maybe its the drivers? but i really don't know and could use some help trying to figure this one out. Thanks. Feel free to ask any questions that i should've added in the first place.

go to www.computerhelp.com they helped me with my computer problems

edit. i had that exact same problem and guess what it was the driver.... he probly just formatted his computer so all he needs is to go to dell and get that driver

Try installing another OS on it, such as Ubuntu, that pretty much houses drivers for everything. Most network adapters don't generally come with a lot of trouble-shooting tools since they're fairly inexpensive.

Your first option is to swap Operating Systems?? Seems pretty drastic to me. If it was working fine on his Dell before, then maybe a driver update did come out that he hasn't picked up yet. I'd try that first. If not, maybe the cable went bad. Try a different cable.

You can create an Ubuntu live CD that doesn't require you to make any changes to your computer (An "installation" doesn't imply altering drive content per se). I'm assuming he has already installed and/or updated the network adapter drivers to no avail since it's probably a more obvious thing to attempt than to try to find help on a forum. If so, using my approach is a fairly painless way to detect hardware errors even for fairly obscure devices.

Anyway, ensure that you're using the proper EIA/TIA-568 cable standard. TIA568A to TIA568A or TIA568B to TIA568B network cables are probably what you're looking for. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, just try a few different ones since crossed Ethernet cables (TIA568A to TIA568B or vice versa) are not as common. If you're using the wrong type, any attempt to establish a connection just "won't work" for some seemingly inexplicable reason.

Oh, and if your friend has never established a connection on his system before, ensure that you're using the appropriate network settings. Some ISPs don't run DHCP services, so you'll have to set your IP address and gateway manually.

Well, I just formatted the computer and put an old windows xp cd on it. Would i need to format it again and put ubuntu on it? Or just like make a live cd?
Your saying sort-of dual-booting ubuntu and windows xp? If so, how do i make the cd that can be installed on windows or whatever you said. I"ve tried making an ubuntu cd before many times, but they usually come with errors and whatnot? Like, the cd comes out bad because its such a big file.

In Terms of the drivers, thats probably it, i installed them once i belive, but it might have been taken out when i was playing around with them. I'm checking now to see if it has sound. If not, then the drivers are out.

What sort of Internet browser is said person using? You might not even be connecting it to the internet the right way. I'd assume it's DSL?

Internet browser? I'm using Internet explorer. Must be an old version because this is an old cd. Not that old though, it looks the same as pretty much anything else, just no tabs.

How i'm connecting? No idea, just an ethernet cable into the back of the computer. Under nework connections, it shows me Local Area connection is a Broadcom 44x 10/100 integrated controller. I've been trying to use that one. Is that the right driver? Or do i need to get another one?

No, you don't need to format it again. Just download the Desktop Edition version from http://www.ubuntu.com and burn the CD image file (.iso) to a CD with InfraRecorder. Boot the computer from the CD (may require a change of the boot order in BIOS) and you'll be able to try out Ubuntu without making any changes to the computer. I think you can make an approximation of an integrity check from the CD itself. Debian is a bit more secure on that front, but getting Debian live CDs to work is a pain.

(Ubuntu is actually faster than Windows 7 these days (the feeling of general laggardness in earlier versions has been removed, too) and it emulates Windows applications pretty well with a native application that isn't Wine.)

It just sounds like your drivers are out of date, atleast to me. Post the driver details of the onboard card. (Model/version)

Well, how would i get the driver details? How would i find the new drivers so i can update them?

http://support.dell.com/support/down...=us&l=en&s=gen

Alright, I went there, and i already have all the drivers. This is my model btw.

http://support.dell.com/support/down...&catid=&impid=

Anyways, i already have all those drivers, So how come my network isn't working? I don't understand how to work the broadcom. How would i manually set up the Ip adress and whatnot?