So my new PC that I put together from the ground up rocks totally awesomely.
Today I plugged in the second monitor to have my very first two-display setup. Plug and Play monitor, Plug and Play BIOS, Plug and Play OS. I figured, stick the plug in while it's running and see what pops on your screen.
I hear the cheery "do-ding!" Windows does when it recognizes a piece of new hardware. Nothing pops up to inform me of it, however, and nothing shows up on the second monitor at all.
That's when I realize my internet is out.
And my ethernet card? Has dropped from the Hardware Manager completely. Not 'in conflict' with the new monitor, just gone. The new monitor is there, however not-working it may be.
I can't fucking fix it and it's driving me crazy because I've never heard of anything like this. I plug in a monitor and my network card disappears? I'm mystified. It's still plugged in, still lit up, but Windows just doesn't see it, no matter how I fiddle with the BIOS or how many times I reboot or run the Add Hardware wizard. Just gone.
Did I maybe fry something when I plugged in a monitor to a running computer? It sounds far-fetched, but so does my problem...
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
If your internet is out, how are you posting this, Mr. Mental?
My suggested solution is to not use Windows.
Posted by Dukhat (Member # 341) on :
I'm guessing he wrote it at work, which is where I usually browse the internet when I should be working.
And your suggestion is the correct one.
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
At least in the old days, VGA connectors weren't happy about being plugged in while running. But it's hard to imagine the scenario where that would produce some sort of zapping of an unrelated system.
Thing is, it doesn't sound like a hardware issue anyway. Is this a Vista box or XP?
Got a copy of Knoppix floating around? That might be your best thing to do . . . see if a Linux live-on-CD or live-on-USB picks up the NIC and then you know it is exclusively the fault of Windows.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Your problem is that you forgot a critical step: "Plug and Pray." Then you call tech support.
(sorry)
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
It's an XP box. And Shik, I noticed my internet was out, then realized it was the NIC that was gone. My second, old, crappy PC is fine.
Yeah, I'll use a Linux LiveCD to see if it's Windows' fault (and it probably is) and I'm going to install Ubuntu to dual-boot anyway; I'm mostly frustrated because the problem doesn't make sense to me and I really, really hate that...
Dukhat: I browse the internet on campus when I'm supposed to be studying, but I think McDonald's would frown upon net surfing when I'm supposed to be making sandwiches
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)