Help! My ethernet network adapter has disappeared

Yesterday, I turned my notebook on (HP dv6500t) and noticed my internet wasn't connecting (wired connection). So I went and looked at my network adapters and only my wireless one was listed. Then I went and looked in the device manager and noticed that my ethernet nic wasn't listed there either. I Then tested my wireless nic just to make sure it was working properly, which it is. After I tested my wireless nic I booted in to safe mode, and my ethernet nic was working fine. So I rebooted and it vanished again. I tried a system restore a few time with now luck. I also tried reinstalling the drivers for the nic.

After all that I backed up my files and reinstalled a fresh copy of windows hoping it would fix my problem. No luck, had the same problem only this time it wouldn't even work when I booted into safe mode. At the moment I'm reinstalling windows with my recovery disc, because if I can't fix this I will have to send it in for warranty repair.

I would like to avoid sending it in for repair, because I have been trying to sell it recently and I have someone thats pretty interested in purchasing it.

 

If it works in safe mode, there's nothing wrong with your hardware. When you reinstalled, did you install all of the required drivers and system software?

 

Don't sell it if it doesn't work. Just do a clean install and it should work. What is your OS?

 

He's already done an install, and it didn't work. Plus, his signature lists his current OS.

 

I have 4 computers but I have just one laptop in my sig.

I would still do another clean installation, many times it works.

 

what is your ethernet nic make/model??

did you try downloading the latest drivers just for it w/ another pc and installing them??

no need to re-install the OS again!!!!!!!

 

He might not have the drivers disc.

 

Well as I stated above I was trying to reinstall windows with my factory recovery disc when I first posted this thread. Well it turns out that I had one of those faulty recovery disc's that HP sent out awhile back. So after that install failed I reinstalled a fresh copy of windows again. I did the same thing I did the first time I installed the fresh copy. I applied all the driver and such for my computer (I have them saved on a flash drive). Well after one of the restarts when I installed a driver, windows finally recognized the nic again.

So thanks everyone for the replies, I appreciate your help.

 

OMG, I just restarted my computer and now the nic has disappeared again. The only thing I did before I restarted the computer was install some updates from windows update (pre sp1), and turn on network descovery and file sharing. I'm downloading sp1 now and I'm going to try reinstalling the driver when it finishes.

Anymore Ideas on whats causing this.

Updates that were installed before it happened again:

1) Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB937287)

2) Update for Microsoft XML Core Services 4.0 Service Pack 2 (KB941833)

 

If you can format and start again.A friend of mine had this problem with Dell Vostro and it worked in XP,not in Vista.

 

he doesn't want to format again...........

any others???

can you try uninstalling those updates??

 

I don't believe so, I looked at the details under each and they both say "once you have installed this item, it can not be removed".

Since my last post I have installed service pack 1, booted into safe mode with networking to see if it would work (didn't work), while in safe mode uninstall the driver, rebooted and reinstalled the driver. It still doesn't work.

I'm going to try a system restore real quick. I may try reformatting AGAIN tomorrow, but I really have a lot of CCNA homework, so I can't mess with it too much tomorrow.

If anyone has any ideas please post.

 

What an odd problem. I hope it works out. Good luck with the CCNA.

 

Thanks

UPDATE:

Well, I got home today, started windows and to my surprise the nic was working again. So I rebooted to see if anything would happen and the nic disappeared again.

After that I decided to call HP, I actually talked to the coolest service tech ever, he set up a return without making me do anything retarded.

After that was done, i took my four gigs of memory out of my notebook and reinstalled the original two. I booted back up and everything is working again, I have since rebooted several times with no problems.

You don't think the RAM could have caused a problem like this do you?

Any way I'm about to reinstall the four gigs to see what happens. It would be my luck that if I sent it to HP everything would be working when it arrived>

 

ok, 1 thought...

try shutting it off for 5-10 minutes and then power back up.

Make sure you weren't just rebooting every time and never shutting down-- sometimes it works miracles.....

 

Well I've reinstalled my 4gigs of ram, and the nic is still working.

I restarted a couple times, shutdown for awhile and rebooted.

If it's still working by the time I receive the return box, I'm just going to cancel the return.

Hopefully everything has straitened it's self out, this has been a bizarre problem.