[X4U] Help Quick!-continuing

[Scott]

On Aug 2, 2005, at 1:09 PM, Linda wrote:

> I think David meant this for the whole list!
>
> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: Crandon David <tabdave at comcast.net>
> Date: Tue, 02 Aug 2005 13:06:23 -0700
> To: Linda <xpressobean at mac.com>
> Subject: Re: [X4U] Help Quick!-continuing
>
> OK, so with everybody's help (and thank you all), it does have an
> ethernet card.
>
> We just can't seem to get the system  to recognize it. Remember he's
> running OS 9.2.2
>
> Apple System Profiler doesn't show an ethernet card.
>
> Neither the Appletalk or TCP/IP control panels show a choice for
> ethernet. (If I reboot my DP 500 G4 into OS9, it does show those
> choices).
>
> So...
>
> Is there a problem with the ethernet card like it's broken, or...
>
> Is it possible that his AOL install (he's been using it for 5 yrs
> with a dialup connection) has made it so the ethernet card can't be
> recognised?
>
> David


Don't write off the ethernet port yet. In addition to troubleshooting  
possibilities I'll mention next, USB broadband modems use generally  
crappy drivers, which may or may not be available for OS 9.

First: If he's been using AOL for that long, chances are at some  
point in the past some AOL phone...er..person did some extensions  
troubleshooting. With AOL, that usually consisted of turning off most  
of the Apple extensions, including, sometimes, the ethernet drivers.

So here's the plan of attack (successful for me in hundreds of t/s  
calls, usually fixed somewhere in step "B" with extensions  
troubleshooting, sometimes in step D with a clean install, and rarely  
extending to "E" with a hardware failure).



A. Reset the PMU. On his imac, that's done by turning the machine  
off, inserting a paperclip or other pokey instrument in the reset  
hole (on the side, marked by a triangle. If there are two holes, it's  
the upper one). It may also be a tiny button marked by a triangle,  
depending on model. Wait 10 seconds, then turn on the machine.

Check TCP/IP again. If that doesn't do it, time to do extensions  
troubleshooting.

B. Extensions & prefs T/S: (You can also try trashing the tcp/ip  
prefs and rebooting as a separate step, but given the symptoms, I  
don't believe it is likely to be prefs, hence the combined approach:
1. Trash TCP/IP preferences (in HD:System Folder:Preferences
2. Reboot, and hold down the spacebar. When the extensions manager  
comes up, what's the extension set? If it's AOLxxx, testing, or  
something along those lines, they've screwed it up.
3. While in the ext. manager, check for "Apple enet" or something  
similar. Is it enabled? If not, enable it and reboot. Check to see if  
ethernet is recognized now.
4. If that wasn't it, continue working in the extensions manager. In  
this case, switch the selected set to "Mac OS 9.2.x All" and click  
"Duplicate set". Name it "Cable", or accept the default "Mac OS 9.2.x  
All copy".  Click Continue. Is ethernet recognized now?.

C. If ethernet is now recognized, set the tcp/ip control panel to  
Connect via ethernet, configure using DHCP (not DHCP manually), enter  
a client ID only if instructed to do so by cable company. Comcast  
does *not* require client ID. Close the panel, click ok to save changes.
Test w/ Internet Explorer or Netscape. Do not test w/ AOL - AOL needs  
to be setup to use a Bring-Your-Own-Access connection instead of dialup.

D. If a known good extensions set (the "cable" or "9.2 all copy" set  
we just made) doesn't allow the ethernet port to be recognized, even  
after resetting PMU, the next step is to do a clean install  
(equivalent of an OS X archive-install) of OS 9. IF that doesn't do  
it, then it is a hardware problem.

E. If it's a hardware problem, the choices are to replace the logic  
board, replace the machine, or try to use a USB modem, or install an  
airport card and use a wireless router or airport base station. Note  
that airport cards are still available from resellers or private  
parties, or as a service part from an Apple Authorized Service  
Provider or Apple Retail Store. They are not available as an end-user  
accessory from  Apple.

In the case of  a hardware failure, the two most cost effective (and  
longest lasting and most hassle-free) possibilities are to go with  
airport, or consider replacement - if there is a monitor available to  
use w/ a new machine, the Mac Mini would be ideal, and probably still  
cheaper than a logic board replacement.



-- 
Scott Buntin