Ethernet Broken (DHCP problem?)

First to get something out of the way:

Motherboard: ABIT IN9 32X MAX

This card has 2 GBit Ethernet ports.

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Alright, my problem: I can't connect to the cable modem at all. There is just no way to get it working for whatever weird reason. I don't get assigned any gateway, I don't get any IP (so it rewerts to a funky 169.whatever adress).

Now, I used to have this exact cable modem connected to my computer, with internet, 2 days ago. I would share internet trough the other ethernet port that I didn't use to another computer, and everything would work. Then we just had our internet crap on ourself the other day. And it was my computer that just felt like killing the internet. Ever since: My computer wont connect to the internet at all, it wont even communicate and get ip from the cable modem.

And before I get any questions on it: Took the cable from the cable modem, and jerked it into the other computer, and presto, I'm talking to you guys. No problems at all, and it worked instantly. Didn't even have to reset or restart or configure anything on the other one. Sadly the other computer only has 1 Ethernet port, and the cable modem wont work with any routers inbetween, and also only has 1 Ethernet port on it (yay for stupid hardware *sigh*). So with that and that it working not 2 days ago, makes me really wonder what is going on.

Then I go looking for a router I have around, right? I plug that into the computer that aint getting signal to the internet, right? Presto, I get assigned IPs, gateways, and I can browse to the router config pages via Firefox, with ease.

But, I just don't get why I can't connect trough the modem that I have been using for the last month(s). This is just silly and ridiculous.

What I've tried:
- So when this issue occured, we waited for about 30 mins, cause this crap happens, and we expected it to come back. Didn't so rebooted. No dice.

- So, after awhile I suddenly got connection back on the other port. And I could use internet, but I couldn't share it, cause the port I used, wasn't working. (POST note: I know now, that it was cause the damn thing was hibernating or something, I dunno... It was a static light on the back of the port, no blinky blinky...). While nice and all to have internet on it, I needed it for both computers, so back to troubleshooting!

- I re-installed some drivers back and forth, to see if that helped. No dice.

- I now can't get ANY port to work. Jippi...

- Installed Win 7 to try that. No dice.

- Re-installed to Vista. No dice.

- Noticed that I had static lights on my ethernet ports. Okey, funny... Turned of computer, janked power cables out, reset CMOS, and let it go for an hour. Came back, put everything back in order, and got it up and running, and found my ethernet cards again, installed drivers and all, but appearently: Still can't communicate with cable modem (ie, get any IP or gateway from it).

- I've tried a number of drivers, and similar solutions to the one above with zero luck.

- Reinstalled Vista. Again. Not working. Checked if I could find the router that I found earlier. Jupp, that works. No action with cable modem though. Weeeeeiiiird....

- Juggled some drivers again. No dice.

- Juggled some CMOS resets again. No dice.

- Some BIOS flashing. No dice.

As a side note: Driver wise I've tried the drivers at Abit's page (for my MB) aswell various Nvidia drivers, with no luck what-so-ever!

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Similar problems, and solutions that didn't work:
List by thread names...

- http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums...8a-b37fdf29e275
- http://forums.hexus.net/abit-care-hexus/16...indows-7-a.html
- hey! nvidia nforce ethernet problem
- Also there was a few similar post here on the forums, but nothing I tried of those that I think pertained to my issue helped.

PS: I'll link my sources to what i've tried as soon as I can find them.

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What the HELL IS GOING ON????


Why would it just die out like this? Any suggestions is taken with open arms.

If you need any screenshots, images or transcripts or whatever, I'll provide them for you! Just help me get this working, as I'm dire need of both computers for work and gaming.


Sincerly,
Calen Cinderheart

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End note: I'll update with progress, as soon as someone brings me some insight to this problem and suggestions.

The lights on the ports are now static again, no blinking, they are just ON.

Tried to CMOS reset, didn't help. And since my network thingie is freezing in Vista now, I'm reinstalling. Then I'll try another CMOS reset again.

The DHCP service is starting now, after the re-install. Still no go on the connection though.

- Rebooted cable modem and PC.
- Restarted DHCP service, that started perfectly, without a hitch.
- Connecting the other computer to the cable modem. Working nicely, why I'm typing here. But alas, need the other computer onto the internet...

Any suggestions? Any pictures or information needed to help me with this problem?

Hmmmm.... think I'm getting somewhere... let me screenshot you something extremely peculiar!!

*runs around table to plug in USB Traveler to get a screenshot to post to internet, and runs back with*

Lets see here... As you can see, when I turn on show "Hidden devices" in the device manager, I have 2 weird isatap.(whatever-weird-number-thingie) devices there. Ovbiously, I usually don't turn on hidden devices, so I can't tell if that used to be there... but that is peculiar to me....



I've now removed them, and gonna attempt a reboot / power cycle on everything, and see if anything gets fixed.

*computer rebooting*

(Sorry, for doing this step-by-step, but if this or anything I do can help someone else from having to kill time in utter frustration, I'll do it this way to help them)

Hmmmm! My OS booted up A HELLUVA lot faster. Interesting... Maybe I did something right... Lets see here...

And no... the devices just popped right back on.

Guess that was a dead-end...

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Hmm, well, gonna do a driver check and see if I can't try a few different drivers again, and maybe something interesting happens then.

Current driver is a driver by Microsoft for NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller (version 6.2.0.126). Which oddly enough is the one that has been working FINE for the last 2-3 years.

MB drivers from my MB's site being installed now. Hmmmm, installed them and now they got a wierd name that they never had before when I used these drivers:

"NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller VLAN 0011"
"NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller #2 VLAN 0011"

Odd. istap devices still hanging around aswell.... which is kinda getting old... So I'm gonna disable them before a reboot.

*rebooting*

ipconfig /all is looking alot more promising after putting in those drivers again, and disabling the isatap thingies.

Ending this post to go and plug the cable modem into the computer I'm attempting to fix (been troubleshooting against a router, so I can keep the connections to the ports active while I try and figure out the issue)

I'll be right back to say if it worked or not.

It did not work.

I've seen some talk about a WinSock2 error? Could this be something I should be looking into?

EDIT: Oh yeah, the screenshot after all that crap:



Still no luck. On the left (cmd), the #2 device is the one that isn't getting gateway, or any internet connection or anything. The other device is connected to a random router I'm using to troubleshoot with, while I'm surfing the net for a solution.

Now I know what your gonna say: Reset the cable modem, power cycle it, or whatever. It's been done to DEATH though. Also, the cable modem worked 110% on this computer for the last MONTH, with this setup that I had. I have even tried to reset the cable modem to factory defaults and it's still not working. The other computer I have, that I'm typing this on, works perfectly when I put the cable into that one. I'm at a miss at what is the issue....

(Setup I had was, I had the computer connected to the cable modem, internet worked. I shared that internet trough the other ethernet port to another computer, using a cross-cable. Then our internet crashed, and ever since I've had this problem.)

It came down in the end to a IRQ error. Fixed that, and suddenly my net worked. Took a few tries and a couple of CMOS power cycles before that though, so might be a combination of all I tried. Oh well...