# Windows hangs on reboot after nic driver install



## Jubilous Caesar (May 30, 1999)

Hi, me again unfortunately, something is always breaking on this machine. Ok, I recently purchased a new nic card (a 3com Etherlink 10/100pci model 3C905C-TX) to replace my old one (HP pc Lan adapter/16 TP plus model HP27247B). When I put the card in and install the drivers for it (latest version right from the 3com page, yes the correct drivers for my card I triple checked) windows hangs just after the win98 splash screen disappears when rebooting. I tried both the install kit with the drivers that puts everything in for you, and the bare bones driver set you tell windows to look for when installing the card. I went to 3coms page and followed the knowledge base's suggestions. The suggestions were cleaning out all the old files in case something was corrupted (I deleted all the files they mentioned), 2nd suggestion was changing the video card driver to a generic vga one and moving the 2 cards as far apart as possible, 3rd suggestion was trying different slots and trying the first slot. None of those fixes worked, windows still hangs right after the splash screen. I do know how to install a nic card, I can get my old one (that I'm using now) in and working in 15 min easily. I know that the 3com card isn't broken because I tried it in my friends computer and it was working in minutes, same drivers I tried, same installation process, same OS. I should mention that I have an older 3com card (model 3C595-TX), it was my first card, however it had problems too. The internet wasn't always working on boot, so browsers etc would just sit there trying to load the start page to no avail. It would take a couple of reboots to get it working again. Letsee what else, yes I am only trying 1 card in at a time, no there aren't any faulty devices or conflicts listed in device manager. Oh yes, the computer will start with the 3com nic in safe mode, so obviously something is wrong with windows. My computer is an older classic pentium based board made by DFI, latest award bios flashed in a few months ago. My friends computer, which it worked in, is a much newer one (not sure of the model, but pentium2 board by gigabyte I believe). Does my comp just hate 3com or what? I would go bug 3com if they had email tech support, which they don't, and I think calling them will be a last resort. If I have to reinstall windows it shouldn't be too much of a prob, it's just annoying you know? 
Usual tech info:
p233mmx, 64mb ram, win98 first edition all online updates installed
sound blaster live, s3virge video, monster3d
symbios logic scanjet scsi card

If you need any more info just ask. Thanks for your help, or attempt at helping, we'll see if anyone can get thing to stop hating me. Thanks


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## Greg Freeman (Nov 20, 1999)

Good grief man, with all that effort you probably could have went out and bought a nic from a different maker, and safe yourself, tons of time and probably a big headache. But, I applaud your tenacity.
Do you know if you have fastfind installed? If, so you can go to start, run, and type: msconfig
**(see edit)**go to the advanced button on the general page. **disable fast shut down. Go to the star-up tab,and look dor the fastfind, or anything pertaining to it. Click the box next to it, so it won't be read during start-up. These have been known to cause several problems. Restart, and see if it fixed the problem.
*Also Win98 has a patch for a shutdown problem, you can get there by going to -Start,then windows update, it will take you to MS' download site, choose download applications, it will check for what you have installed and give you a list of things that you may want to install. See if this patch is listed in this list.
Hope this helps
**drat I told you wrong, its not there, I believe its in TweakUIinstaed. Sorry, TweakUI is in the control panel if you have installed it

GEEZ, I don't think I have EVER edited so much!! I WAS RIGHT, it IS in msconfig/ advance button. HOwever MINE is no longer there, which added to my confusion.
Hope it helps.

[This message has been edited by Greg Freeman (edited 01-29-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Greg Freeman (edited 01-29-2000).]


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## Dan O (Feb 13, 1999)

I think you are having a PCI problem or Windows is just confused. I have had this problem myself in the past with a 3COM NIC. When you boot what IRQ is getting assigned to the NIC? To help unconfuse Windows remove the NIC and boot into Safe Mode goto the Control Panel, select Network, and remove all entires. Next select System and Device Manager, Network Adapters and remove all entries. Now Shutdown and power off the PC. Power the PC up and let it enter normal Windows. Check Device Manager make sure everything has been removed and they not conflicts exist. Run MSCONFIG and select the Startup tab and deselect all application. Shutdown and power off install the NIC, leting Windows discover it.

Good luck and let us know how you make out. Dan-O


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## Jubilous Caesar (May 30, 1999)

Ohhh boy that didn't work out too good. I followed your instructions to the letter, and turned off fast shutdown like the other person said. Ok first the good news, on the reboot after installing the drivers it locked up the same as always, however on the next boot windows actually started *shock*. I won a battle but lost the war I'm afraid. When windows starts it gives me a message "code 10 the device is not present, not working properly, or not all the drivers are loaded properly etc". It says the same thing under device manager. I should point out that my hp card that works gives the same error message when windows starts, but says it's using unknown settings in device manager. However, aside from those errors it gives me, that card works fine. Secondly, I notice that windows takes a LOT longer to start, the splash screen is loading a lot longer than usual with the card drivers installed, whether it locks at the end or not. Lastly, my web browsers/icq are giving me network errors saying it cannot make a socket connection etc. I should also mention that 
I tried both normal windows and safe mode with network support, same errors in both. The nic uses irq 10, and no conflicts are listed. I'm using a laptop right now, no point switching the cards aroud, again. Let me guess, purge windows format driver start from scratch right? I can backup stuff to another hard drive no problem so it's not a huge deal. Oh yes I changed some of the settings under network in control panel for the nic card, that didn't work either. Any other ideas? I'd really like to get this thing working, it's a lot newer than my old isa nic I'm using. Thanks again


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## Jubilous Caesar (May 30, 1999)

Ok few updates to further complicate/track down the problem. Letsee, first off I had it working for one session of windows, with some weid glitches. I tried a driver that said it was compatible with my card, and lo and behold after a couple of boots windows started with no errors. Now the litch would be that after about 10-15 min of use, the computer slowed to a crawl, like I was running a 386 or something, but at least the card was working or so it said. Unfortunately I had to enter my network settings to use the card. After putting those in and restarting the same old errors came up again. I duplicated what I did but to no avail. Secondly, I tried the diagnostic programs that come with the card. The windows one says no known nic found. The dos one sees it and it passed all the tests with flying colours, this is in pure dos mode btw. That's it basically, thanks.


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