Can Some Kind Soul Help,cannot Access Internet On Laptop

[uptou]

Hello people,i've recently got my hands on a used laptop,a compaq nc 6000.It seems to have the windows software on it,& also firefox,but i cannot get online with it when i connect a line to it.

i get the following in Computer Management on it;

?! Other devices

-?!base system device

-?!ethernet controller

-?!multimedia auto controller (could be audio)

-?!pci modem

-?!video controller

Then when i go to-Base system device properties,i get this;

the drivers for this device are not installed (code 28)

So i've just been downloading & writing onto cd all the drivers for my model off of HP's site (apart from software solutions drivers as i thought theyd take awile)

Do you think i'm on the right track by putting all these drivers onto cd,& how easy is it to put them onto said laptop?

Or am i completely bonkers?

cheers for any help in advance

[uptou]

These are the drivers i wrote onto cd:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechS...mp;swEnvOID=228

i should add that i used the usa site,when my laptop originated from the uk,but the drivers seem to have the same code so.....

[trogers]

A used laptop may not have all the original hardware from HP.

Try using this to identify what drivers you need for your laptop:

www.drivermagician.com/DML.exe

[Jiu-Jitsu]

These are the drivers i wrote onto cd:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechS...mp;swEnvOID=228

i should add that i used the usa site,when my laptop originated from the uk,but the drivers seem to have the same code so.....

Yes, you are on the right track. Just put the Drivers on to a CD and transfer them to the laptop by placing the CD in the drive and 'double clicking' on the driver file that you wish to install.

I suggest that you begin with Network Driver/Ethernet Controller, as that is the one which will bring you Internet access.

To find out which is the correct driver for your Network device, use; Unknown Device Identifier Once you have the Ethernet Controller installed, you can let Windows search for the other missing drivers.

[uptou]

Thats great.It seems i may not be bonkers after all.Thanks to all that replied.I've been scratching my head trying to work out which driver is the ethernet controller on the hp site,but am thinking that i'm waisting my time trying to guess or look on the web.

Just out of curiosity is there any danger if i was to transfer all those drivers onto the laptop?i'm thinking yes.

So am i better downloading Unknown device identifier.If so,will i have to load it to cd to use on the laptop,& is it easy to use,& ok with regards to viruses etc,or can i contact hp with my laptop details to find the drivers?

I've also been in a computer shop today (i'm in cambodia) & hes offered to sort it out if i take it tommorrow,but am thinking its doable by myself now.

Cheers again,& appologies for any ignorance shown.

Edited December 9, 2009 by uptou

[niveknedwob]

Download and apply all Windows drivers.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Download and apply all Windows drivers.

I hope that he doesn't take your advice seriously.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Thats great.It seems i may not be bonkers after all.Thanks to all that replied.I've been scratching my head trying to work out which driver is the ethernet controller on the hp site,but am thinking that i'm waisting my time trying to guess or look on the web.

Just out of curiosity is there any danger if i was to transfer all those drivers onto the laptop?i'm thinking yes.

So am i better downloading Unknown device identifier.If so,will i have to load it to cd to use on the laptop,& is it easy to use,& ok with regards to viruses etc,or can i contact hp with my laptop details to find the drivers?

I've also been in a computer shop today (i'm in cambodia) & hes offered to sort it out if i take it tommorrow,but am thinking its doable by myself now.

Cheers again,& appologies for any ignorance shown.

I have already told you what to do.

[welo]

Well, the answers are all here... but since the driver installation stuff seems pretty new to you I guess it might all be very confusing.

You said your Laptop is not connected to the Internet right now. Can you provide more information on how you connect to the internet, WLAN hotspot, wired connection to a network or to a ADSL modem?

Obviously there have been different versions of the nc6000 built with different WLAN components, this is why there are several different WLAN drivers on the driver page (Broadcom, Intel, Atheros). If you don't find any sticker on your laptop hinting to which brand/model is built into your laptop you will have to try all one by one, but let's deal with that later.

First try to get your 'wired' Ethernet driver running, I see only one driver, that is:

+ Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver (sp29697.exe)

Install this driver and you should be able to connect to your ADSL router with an Ethernet cable.

But BEFORE you connect your laptop to the internet you should make sure that

- Windows is upgraded to at least service pack 3

- the Windows Firewall is up and running

- an antivirus program is installed and you did a full system scan

This is especially true when you share the internet connection with other users (e.g. in an internet cafe, at work,..) otherwise your computer might get infected with a virus before you have even started.

Check the service pack level of your Windows installation (right click on My Computer, select Properties and right there on the General tab or follow the guide here).

If you don't have service pack 3, download service pack 3 from microsoft here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

It's a 300MB download so it may take a while.

For virus protection I recommend the free Avira Antivir, download here:

Program: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Ant...l-Edition.shtml

Latest virus definition upate: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Signat...le-Update.shtml

Use the 'manual update' function from the Update menu (make sure you have restarted your computer at least once after program installation and before the manual update, otherwise it will fail).

Then run a full scan of your computer. This will take 2-4 hours. You might be tempted to skip this step but again, I don't recommend.

Check if Windows Firewall is enabled:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4525376_enable-dis...s-firewall.html

If you are willing to go that way I will provide further instructions once you've accomplished the steps outlined here.

welo

Edited December 10, 2009 by welo

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Well, the answers are all here... but since the driver installation stuff seems pretty new to you I guess it might all be very confusing.

You said your Laptop is not connected to the Internet right now. Can you provide more information on how you connect to the internet, WLAN hotspot, wired connection to a network or to a ADSL modem?

Obviously there have been different versions of the nc6000 built with different WLAN components, this is why there are several different WLAN drivers on the driver page (Broadcom, Intel, Atheros). If you don't find any sticker on your laptop hinting to which brand/model is built into your laptop you will have to try all one by one, but let's deal with that later.

First try to get your 'wired' Ethernet driver running, I see only one driver, that is:

+ Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver (sp29697.exe)

Install this driver and you should be able to connect to your ADSL router with an Ethernet cable.

But BEFORE you connect your laptop to the internet you should make sure that

- Windows is upgraded to at least service pack 3

- the Windows Firewall is up and running

- an antivirus program is installed and you did a full system scan

This is especially true when you share the internet connection with other users (e.g. in an internet cafe, at work,..) otherwise your computer might get infected with a virus before you have even started.

Check the service pack level of your Windows installation (right click on My Computer, select Properties and right there on the General tab or follow the guide here).

If you don't have service pack 3, download service pack 3 from microsoft here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

It's a 300MB download so it may take a while.

For virus protection I recommend the free Avira Antivir, download here:

Program: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Ant...l-Edition.shtml

Latest virus definition upate: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Signat...le-Update.shtml

Use the 'manual update' function from the Update menu (make sure you have restarted your computer at least once after program installation and before the manual update, otherwise it will fail).

Then run a full scan of your computer. This will take 2-4 hours. You might be tempted to skip this step but again, I don't recommend.

Check if Windows Firewall is enabled:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4525376_enable-dis...s-firewall.html

If you are willing to go that way I will provide further instructions once you've accomplished the steps outlined here.

welo

I'm not altogether sure that is the only Ethernet driver. I am of the opinion that Intel PRO/Wireless is a combined solution. I could be wrong.

Also, it's quite likely that the OS has been installed recently, as it could not have been connected to the Internet with the requisite drivers.

So, switching on the Firewall and connecting to Windows Update will suffice in order to update the OS and the drivers.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Jiu-Jitsu

[uptou]

Hello Welo & thanks for taking the time.Yes i have been hooking up a line in internet cafes via what i believe would be adsl.I'm in cambodia.

I forgot to mention that i have windows xp pro on the laptop,& also firefox,& as i mentioned before i bought it in the uk (used).

I'll do what you suggested before i do anything else.Is it quite straight forward to transfer the service pack 3 from cd to laptop?

All the best.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Hello Welo & thanks for taking the time.Yes i have been hooking up a line in internet cafes via what i believe would be adsl.I'm in cambodia.

I forgot to mention that i have windows xp pro on the laptop,& also firefox,& as i mentioned before i bought it in the uk (used).

I'll do what you suggested before i do anything else.Is it quite straight forward to transfer the service pack 3 from cd to laptop?

All the best.

I wouldn't recommend that sequence of events, but you seem to have made up your mind who to follow, so I'll leave you to it.

[welo]

Jiu-Jitsu, please stay on board I see you are very knowledgeable and your advise is well needed!

You are absolutely right on the IntelPro drivers. There are laptops that use both Ethernet and WLAN components of the Intel chipset, and some that use only the WLAN module. My current laptop has an Intel WLAN but a Realtek NIC, but now that you mention it I definitely remember that I once worked on a Laptop which had both components from Intel.

Furthermore the driver I listed is for a Gigabit Ethernet which might be an optional component considering that the Laptop is 4 years or older.

I have no experience with the tool you suggested - I am a bit uneasy about all those driver tools since there is alot of malware out there espacially related to driver software to catch newbies and inexperienced users. The website you linked does not have a good rating on WOT for instance (http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/zhangduo.com).

However, the tool seems to do its job and is also listed on other reputable download sites (softpedia, download.com) so I suggest downloading from there:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System...dentifier.shtml

Alternatively you can just install the IntelPro driver. It will either bring you a warning that no suitable hardware has been found, or install successfully without activating the hardware.

I recommend not to install the Intel Software/Utility, just the plain driver. (This is usually an option during the setup, but if you can't figure out howto deactivate the software part it doesn't matter to much - you will have to use the intel software to connect to a wireless network instead of the standard windows dialog).

It is also correct that the service pack and antivirus software are not absolutely necessary. What IS necessary is to bring up the firewall which is sometimes disabled after installing from modified Windows CDs that are available in Asia. You should assume that the PCs in the internet cafe are infected with viruses (pretty common), so I am pretty sure that any USB thumb drive you use for transferring files would bring a virus to your computer. With the CDROM you should be better off.

In the worst case the files that your transfer could be infected, too, but only the more aggressive viruses will infect any executable on the harddrive.

So for inexperienced users I would still recommend to install SP3 and the antivirus before connecting your PC to the internet, it is just to easy to do the wrong thing (download some infected app, visit the wrong website, etc). Firewall, SP3 and Antivirus will give you some protection against user errors.

Service Pack 3 should be one file named

WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe

Make sure you check whether SP3 is already installed as described in my previous post, then you don't have to go through the hassle downloading this huge file.

Transfer the file to your PC and run it (double click). Installation might take long (30min).

And again, make absolutely sure that your Windows Firewall is up and running!! Follow the guide I posted. If you can't figure it out, post again.

While waiting for the download to finish try the tool posted by Jiu-Jitsu to identify your network card. Try to find items that say 'Ethernet', 'Network', '10/100MBit', 'NIC'. I guess it would be either Intel or Broadcom.

Checking the driver page again I noticed that I found a different page than the one you posted. On the one I found there is the Broadcom Network driver listed that I mentioned yesterday, on yours not. The rest of the drivers seem to match.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechS...vOID=1093#11395

So for the 'wired' network card I find only two options:

Intel: Intel PRO/Wireless Drivers 5.10 B 31 Aug 2006

Broadcom: Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver 1.00 C 2 Feb 2005

All others look like WLAN drivers only

There are maybe more recent version available from the Intel resp. Broadcom website but those drivers should do it.

You could also install the Intel chipset driver before installing the service pack and antivirus (or at any time after). This might speed up the process since it contains updates to the system's core components and harddrive controllers, maybe improving performance. If not, it will not do any harm though.

Download the most recent version from Intel, not from HP's driver page:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Des...16〈=eng

Good luck!

welo

Hello Welo & thanks for taking the time.Yes i have been hooking up a line in internet cafes via what i believe would be adsl.I'm in cambodia.

I forgot to mention that i have windows xp pro on the laptop,& also firefox,& as i mentioned before i bought it in the uk (used).

I'll do what you suggested before i do anything else.Is it quite straight forward to transfer the service pack 3 from cd to laptop?

All the best.

I wouldn't recommend that sequence of events, but you seem to have made up your mind who to follow, so I'll leave you to it.

Edited December 11, 2009 by welo

[uptou]

Hello people.Continuing the riveting saga of said laptop.

First of all thanks to everyone for taking the time to help,& jiu-jitsu,at the moment i was just taking welo's advice to check how my security was,as i figured its not going to me any harm,or rather i figured it could do my laptop alot of harm if i dont check it.

Anyway,went back & checked,& windows firewall is on,but i'm thinking that i should switch to "dont allow exceptions"???,as i'll hopefully be using wireless.

I have service pack 2 on xp pro 2002

intel ® pentium ® m processor 1600mhz 221mhz,512mb

When i search in windows it shows "virus protection not monitored",& says that i have no virus protection that windows can find,& i looked in "programs",& security & no virus protection was found.

One thing i noticed but is probably ok is that under-Set program access & defaults-add or remove programs-choose a configuration ,i have 3 choices-"m windows","non microsoft",& "custom",& custom is used,with "use my current web browser" "enabled".

I noticed this on the web http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums...hreadId=1266812 (obviously not using my laptop) ,about driver for "base system device",which is one driver i need,& the following driver was given- O2 Micro cardbus adapter.Interested to note that somebody replied asking with the same question & problem as i,but not sure if the others were replying to his problem.

Anyway i'll go with what you Both suggested,& i'll get back to you.

Thanks again.You have restored my faith in humanity.......well partly anyway.

[welo]

My comments in blue color...

Anyway,went back & checked,& windows firewall is on,but i'm thinking that i should switch to "dont allow exceptions"???,as i'll hopefully be using wireless.

Enabling 'Don't allow exceptions' will lock down your network traffic completely (nearly). Hence it is not recommended. You could check your exception list and disallow (uncheck) everything but 'Firefox', especially you should uncheck 'File and Printer Sharing' when connecting to public networks (internet cafe).

Later you will probably have to allow other programs as well (e.g. Skype, Windows Messenger, etc) but for now that'll do it.

The firewall will be enabled for both 'wired' and wireless networks if you don't explicitly exclude one adapter.

I have service pack 2 on xp pro 2002

intel ® pentium ® m processor 1600mhz 221mhz,512mb

Just helped a friend setup a similiar system. This laptop is really OK for internet and office stuff, watch movies and listen to music. You might want to upgrade to 1024 MB RAM which should make it noticeably faster. But this can wait until later

When i search in windows it shows "virus protection not monitored",& says that i have no virus protection that windows can find,& i looked in "programs",& security & no virus protection was found.

Windows XP doesn't ship with an antivirus program. Checkout the links from my previous post for Avira Antivirus. This is among the best professional antivirus programs, and probably the best free one.

I don't recommend to get a pirated ESET NOD32 which is pretty common in SE Asia, it is not better in terms of detection rates or performance, but daily updates will most probably fail at one point and weaken your protection.

One thing i noticed but is probably ok is that under-Set program access & defaults-add or remove programs-choose a configuration ,i have 3 choices-"m windows","non microsoft",& "custom",& custom is used,with "use my current web browser" "enabled".

I noticed this on the web http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums...hreadId=1266812 (obviously not using my laptop) ,about driver for "base system device",which is one driver i need,& the following driver was given- O2 Micro cardbus adapter.Interested to note that somebody replied asking with the same question & problem as i,but not sure if the others were replying to his problem.

It's not a wrong thing to ask in the HP forums, I often found answers there when googling for HP related problems.

However, all drivers you need are on HP's driver page. It is only a matter of installing them. There's nothing wrong with your Laptop btw, it's pretty normal that after a fresh install of Windows XP you need to install drivers specific to your Laptop's hardware to make some components work in the first place and get the most out of others, since XP only brings basic compatibility drivers if at all.

(This is of course different if you buy a new Laptop or use a special Windows Recovery CD that already includes the drivers for your Laptop.)

What makes it a bit confusing in your situation is that HP shipped your Laptop in different hardware configuration, hence the three different drivers for the wireless adapter.

One option I didn't mention yet is to find a more specific model number at the bottom of your laptop. It should say mention something like 'service tag', 'model number' or maybe 's/n'. It will probably be a variation of nc6000, something like nc6xxx. You can then search for this model number on the HP page. Maybe this will point to a more specific driver download page.

Anyway i'll go with what you Both suggested,& i'll get back to you.

Thanks again.You have restored my faith in humanity.......well partly anyway.

Never give up hope

And don't forget to stop by one of the orphanages or charity projects if you are in Siem Reap.

Edited December 12, 2009 by welo

[uptou]

Hello,ok ive installed the identifier sofware on laptop by downloading off of another computer with memory stick,& then onto laptop ,& i got the following;

Ethernet controller (unknown device)

Chip:broadcom bcm5705ma2 netextreme gigabit ethernet

pnpid:ven-14e4&dev_16se&subsys_0890103c&rev_03

Base system device (unknown device)

Chip:02 micro 0271 mx memory cardbus accelerator.

Is that what i needed?

Thanks.

[welo]

Hello,ok ive installed the identifier sofware on laptop by downloading off of another computer with memory stick,& then onto laptop ,& i got the following;

Ethernet controller (unknown device)

Chip:broadcom bcm5705ma2 netextreme gigabit ethernet

pnpid:ven-14e4&dev_16se&subsys_0890103c&rev_03

Base system device (unknown device)

Chip:02 micro 0271 mx memory cardbus accelerator.

Is that what i needed?

Thanks.

so my guess was correct and your 'wired' network card is the broadcom netextreme.

Download the driver 'Broadcom: Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver 1.00 C 2 Feb 2005' from the driver page I linked in a previous post and you'll have a working network (this is for the cable connection, not the wireless).

Can you list the entire output of the tool then I can probably identify the drivers you'll need and you don't need to use trial and error, especially for the wireless LAN module.

What is your current status concerning SP3, antivirus etc.

I'll be offline until tomorrow morning, so no response from me until then

welo

[uptou]

Appologies for not getting back to you (although its entirely possible that you were glad of it).It was actually very easy even for an ignoramous like myself.

I used the Unknown Device Identifier,a great tool.

Many thanks to WELO,for taking the time to help via email.