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Toshiba Satellite onboard network card dead and gone?

I'm checking out a Toshiba Satellite 1005-S157 for a family friend.

I just restored the sucker from the original software CDs since I figured the software would be the reason I couldn't see the onboard network card. It's not in the device manager at all.

Well, even after a full system restore from the toshiba cds, I still have no onboard NIC showing up. I just looked at the back of the system, and spotted two LEDs that are crammed in around the RJ45 jack, so I plugged a live ethernet cable in, but the LEDs didn't light.

So I'm wondering if anybody knows / has any experience with this hardware. Is the onboard NIC ever a daughter card on a laptop like this? Perhaps there is a flex cable that I need to re-seat? or a jumper that's been flipped?

The laptop had gone in for repair to frys at one point. A tragic mistake for this family, since they were charged $100 to have a new tip soldered onto their AC adapter, only to have the AC brick fail a couple months later. They've been using a PCMCIA card for wifi, and I don't know when this onboard NIC died, but I just thought I'd check if anybody knew anything here. Is there anything that can be re-seated? reconnected? Or is this a case of a permanently dead onboard NIC? (in which case I wonder what else is busted?)

Thanks Ya'all,

-Ethan

Reply to
hupjack
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Reply to
C.Joseph Drayton

Check if it disabled in the bios as well. Mikey

Reply to
Mikey

In comp.sys.laptops snipped-for-privacy@excite.com wrote: : I'm checking out a Toshiba Satellite 1005-S157 for a family friend.

: I just restored the sucker from the original software CDs since I : figured the software would be the reason I couldn't see the onboard : network card. It's not in the device manager at all.

: Well, even after a full system restore from the toshiba cds, I still : have no onboard NIC showing up. I just looked at the back of the : system, and spotted two LEDs that are crammed in around the RJ45 jack, : so I plugged a live ethernet cable in, but the LEDs didn't light.

Look at the original specs for the machine. Start at

formatting link
and follow the links to your model. I just did so, and this model does not even show an integrated NIC as an original feature! So perhaps it was a late addition add-on or even a daughter card option as you suggest.

FYI, I just worked on an old IBM Thinkpad for someone and it too had an ethernet port just like the one you are working on and I, too, wiped the hard drive and was perplexed that I could not get the Ethernet port working! Exactly the same problem. In the BIOS setup, I got a clue when I saw an entry for the NIC card MAC address and it said "n/a" or something like that. That indicates to me that there was in fact no NIC installed despite the jack on the back.

So, could be same issue for you.

Could be installed but disconnected in your case as you suggest. I would unscrew the expansion panels on the bottom of the laptop and see what you expose (this is usually one screw per panel, easy to do). Maybe you'll find an empty mini-PCI slot!

Andrew

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----> Portland, Oregon, USA

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Reply to
Andrew

In message , snipped-for-privacy@excite.com writes

Non-specific advice, the NIC can sometimes be on a mini-PCI card, they can 'jump' out of their socket, that is if it's even fitted, have a look around the bottom of the machine, if it's an optional part it's either installed under a screwed on panel (will be obviously a removable panel) or under the keyboard, you might also want to check if they have ever used the on-board NIC as many machines have the RJ-45 but have never had the card installed.

--
Clint Sharp
Reply to
Clint Sharp

Very good point. My wife had a Satellite 1750, it had a rear RJ45 socket but no NIC card. If you opened it up, the wires from the RJ45 went to a minature connector that went nowhere. The story is, the motherboard had ONE mini-pci card slot. On some models, it could be used for a combo modem-NIC card, but on other models they only factory installed a modem card. The RJ45 socket was still present, but was not connected. It was an "option".

Andrew wrote:

Reply to
Barry Watzman

thanks a bunch everybody for the great advice. ya'all hit it right on the head...

turns out the system has that combo modem / ethernet deal, but this model has only the onboard modem, and the ethernet "jack" goes nowhere.

I'm so used to seeing a dummy panel when an option isn't on a specific model (like on cars.. a plastic panel where a button could be).. I was certainly surprised to see an appearance of an actual rj45 jack on the back, but that's the way they did it.

proving once again.. you learn something new everyday!

Reply to
hupjack

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