----- Original Message -----
From: "James Ashburner" <hantslug@???>
To: "Hampshire LUG Discussion List" <hampshire@???>
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 10:42 AM
Subject: [Hampshire] Linux miracle cure?
> Hi all,
>
> We've had an unusual problem with a particular model laptop at work
> recently (HP 6710b). The network card stops working, though it still
> reports network cable as being plugged in and the lights flash away
> merrily. The card will not pick up an IP address through DHCP and will
> not communicate with a static IP assigned either.
>
> On the first of these, I booted PCLinuxOS to test whether the fault was
> hardware or software. Card works fine in Linux so I reboot to Windows
> and suddenly the card works there too. Now, it's not the reboot as that
> had already been tried and it's not coincidence because it's fixed the
> fault on two other laptops since. I'm certain using any flavour of Linux
> would have the same results, but does anyone have any idea why? The
> laptops use Broadcom ethernet if that's relevant in this case.
>
> Regards,
>
> James
>
> --
> Please post to: Hampshire@???
> Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire
> LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk
> --------------------------------------------------------------
I think I might know what's wrong. I have had the same issue and our
normally incompetent IT guys actually solved this one...
It's to do with unplugging and replugging the network cable. As soon as
it's been unplugged once (while still powered up), it refuses to play ball
when any cable (same or different is plugged back in) - even disables the
activity light on the back next to the network socket. It's a setting that
you need to change in the driver - though I confess I don't know where.
It's working with Linux because this is probably not built into the Linux
driver.
I'm not sure why this "feature" became part of it - some sort of
anti-hacking device I suppose but OTTOMH I can't see why swapping network
cables would be too much of an issue.
Hope that's of some help.
Cheers
Rob
