[HR10067]

Ok, all you thinkers.. boy am I lost here...
Here we go...

Current Issues:
- Lost Internet Access on 2nd (not host) Networked PC
- Device Manager showing Ethernet Controller Missing Driver on 2nd PC
- Cannot install drivers on Networked PC

'Ethernet Controller' is showing up in Device Manager with the whole yellow exclamation

point going on. No drivers were found. No drivers were found.

First, no internet access is available anymore on 2nd pc:
(DELL Dimension L500r w/XP PRO installed w/serv-pakII)

INCIDENT: This happened after attempting to open my hotmail/msn mail using Outlook 03, (which was installed from a disc, and is not physically on the pc. Attempted to re-connect with msn by downloading the Outlook Connector, the referred-to software
download from MS Outlook website. That program does not install on either pc because Outlook 03 is not a physical application on either harddrive, but was installed from a copied disk.)

BACKGROUND NOTES:
Dell PC has two hard drives, and is compartmentalized.
Win 98 with FAT 32 file system was the original system, and XP PRO with the NTFS file system was added about 4 yrs ago. Because the disk for XP Pro was installed by a local technician, who gave me the serial numbers to use, (don't know where he got them, and he's no longer around) Win. Genuine Advantage has caused occasional update problems
on the 2nd pc.

RECENT ADDITIONS/CHANGES:
Turned off Dr. Watson and the Error Reporting function on the Dell, due to numerous Internet Explorer(6) crashes, and blue-screen-of-death frequent data- dump & shut-down

incidents.
There is some on-going instability with this pc, maybe caused by a shortage of memory, but i'm not sure. That's a separate issue.

ANALYSIS: It appears Microsoft kicked me off the msn mail server, and in the process somehow voided/deleted my 2-pc home network.

The host pc (HP Pavilion 753n w/XP HOME installed) clearly shows all workgroups, but none are visible anymore on the Dell.

Failed Solutions:

Tried to re-set up or re-connect to existing network with my Linksys wireless G 2.4 router, which shows hosts' connection to the internet, and won't do anything else. This type of connection and application has been successful for years until now, and i've never seen
the network just go away completely.

Attempted putting Linksys CD in Dell tray, but that failed, as it tells you to set up network using the host pc only.

Attempted set-up of new home- group network connection using the Windows tools on the Dell, but was not successful. Was stopped by the NTWK SETUP WIZARD, which fails to initiate an automatic setup.

Downloads: Went to Dell's site, located and downloaded win 98 and win 2000 realtek ethernet driver zip files to the HP desktop, transferred them to a CDRom and attempted installs on the Dell, results unsuccessful. The Realtek driver installation froze the Dell pc, and the Win 98 download didn't get recognized. One of the files actually tries to install from the internet, but since I can't get on with that pc (DELL) the correct drivers cannot be searched for and installed.

HELP:
1. Internet Sevice Provider will not help with 2nd pc network issue, as that is a paid service, and the main/hiost pc is functioning fine, and does have internet access.

2. Checked all cables and connections, everything is connected and nothing has changed in the wiring- The Dell pc just shows no network protocols, and the Device Manager continues to show yellow exclamation mark under the following heading: 'Ethernet
Controller Missing Driver'. [/I]

3. Googled up 'Netwrk disappeared' and "Missing Ethernet Controller' and found numerous references to similar issues, but even thoughthe symtoms are alike, I've noticed there are various reasons this could happen. Because of the complexity of some of the responses, I
couldn't proceed with any of the solutions, many of which sounded like guess-work.

Q&A:
How to re-establish internet access on the second pc?
How to install the correct drivers when there is no internet access on the 2nd pc?
How to stop the Network Setup Wizard on the 2nd pc from recognizing 'new hardware noted' upon boot-up, and then failing to find it, or make it compatible with the win xp pro operating system?

There you have it all, see what you can make of that?
Thanks, any/all practical suggestions will be reviewed.

[TerryNet]

Install your chipset and then networking drivers. Either from your Dell Resource/Drivers CD or get the latest from Dell's web site. Use your Service Tag for easier searching.

[HR10067]

Thanks for responding, but, as indicated in original post, my drive is compartmentalized, or segmented.
It originally was win98, but the os was overlaid with xp/pro.

There are two sets of drivers, and dell asks which do you want?
I've selected both prevoiusly, and as you already read, the win2000 vsn of: '3Com 3c90x Ethernet Controller' driver simply froze the pc upon install.

I have since downloaded the win98 drivers zipped pkg:
DSC3_A01.exe. and have burned/copied it from my HP pc's desktop to a cd for uploading into the Dell pc's CD tray.

I'm just guessing here, but really have no clue as to WHICH driver set is the correct ones, (and as stated previously) because I have no Internet access on the Dell the following instructions won't work, which would allow the application to search/locate the correct drivers on the web:

Install
1.Double-click the new icon on the desktop labeled DSC3_A01.exe.
The Self-Extractor window appears.
2.Click OK or Continue.
The Self-Extracting Driver Installation window appears and prompts to
extract files to C:\DELL\DRIVERS\R26285.
3.Leave all of the default settings and click Unzip or OK. If the
directory doesn't exist, you'll be prompted to create one. Click Yes. A
Self Extractor window appears and indicates C:\DELL\DRIVERS\R26285 files were
extracted.
4.Click OK.
Follow the on-screen installation instructions in the window.

HTML Pop-Up With Install Now Button
1.The Dell Software Installation Documentation window appears.
2.Click the Install Now button. A File Download window appears.
3.Click Run this program from its current location and click OK.
The Security Warning window appears.
4.Click Yes. The InstallShield Wizard window appears.

The first part might work, but without internet access, I'm right back where I started. The only choice I see remaining to me is to re-format the entire pc, using the xp pro discs i got from the tech support guy years ago. Unless you can be more specific in your help dialogue. Thanks-

[TerryNet]

From this

First, no internet access is available anymore on 2nd pc:
(DELL Dimension L500r w/XP PRO installed w/serv-pakII)

I assumed you were talking about a XP system; that would need XP drivers.

If you're talking about a different system (98?) then you would get the drivers for that system.