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How to go online on LAN connection


JLrep
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I bought my PC (P4 2ghz XP home) from a friend of mine, and it's the first one I've owned - our other computers are Macs. We have a DSL modem hooked up to a router. When I got the PC originally I worried it would be hard to use the connection, but all I did was plug an ethernet cord from the router to the PC and it worked immediately.

Recently for various reasons I decided to reinstall XP Home on the PC, and I expected it would be similarly simple to connect to the internet. Except it isn't, and I have no idea how to get it to recognize and utilize the connection. I've tried all the help files and setup wizards I could find, but they either do nothing or try to connect to the internet as part of their process, which obviously won't work. If I unplug and replug the ethernet cord the computer doesn't seem to notice. It also is not a part of the LAN network like it was before.

I know this is a software problem because I can restart the computer using the old install of XP (which is mostly functional), and it still goes online fine. When I go to the Device Manager (on the new install) I find that the ethernet controller has a question mark and says there's no driver. When I search for a driver (with the XP disc in the drive), it finds nothing.

Do I need to transfer the driver from the old install to the new one (and if so, how), or is there a different solution?

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When you installed the new XP, it didn't copy over your NIC drivers. If the network card you're using didn't come with a driver CD, what you have to do is figure out the manufacturer and type of network card, and go to the manufacturer's website to download them. Run the setup, reboot, and your internet should work correctly.

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