Hi, i recently build a new computer from scratch. I got windows XP up and running, but i bought an open-box motherboard that didn't come with a driver CD. This is the motherboard that i have:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 813138098R

I tried going on biostar's website to download the LAN drivers, but that doesnt seem to help. Windows XP is detecting the hardware as a 'PCI Device,' but i cant install it without the correct drivers.

I tried downloading the drivers here:
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en-u [...] p?S_ID=295

as well as here:
http://www.nodevice.com/driver/RTL8111B/get37122.html

but can't seem to get windows to recognize my connection.

The light right next to the RJ-45 plug comes on when i plug it into my computer, too.

I am just out of ideas, thanks you in advance for the help.

also, i have an xbox 360 hardwired to the same router that this pc is hardwired to, and the connection works fine on it.

If you open your network connections, do you see any LAN connections in there? If so, what is their current status? If any say 'disabled', make sure you right-click them and click 'enable'.

Aside from that, do the following:

Right-click My Computer > Properties > Hardware Tab > Device Manager

(or in Vista: Right-click My Computer > Properties > Device Manager )

Take note of any yellow '?' that appear here and note what device they are categorized as.

I am at work now so i can't be too specific, but i did look in my network connections, and there was nothing there.

I also tinkered in the device manager last night too, and there were about 4 or 5 items all with the yellow ? next to them. They were all listed under the same heading. I can't recall exactly the name of the heading, but i think it was something like PCI device.

The actual connection is to the motherboard. I do not have a separate PCI card for networking.

I found the drivers for the device on Realtek's webpage. I remember looking there last night but i couldn't locate them. I am going to try them out when i get back from work today, and ill give you the specific entries with the yellow ? in the device manager too.

Try installing all the driver packages from the bioware site. While they're installing, watch your device manager and see if any of the yellow ? change or go away. The important ones are the Chipset and Onboard LAN, if that doesn't work go here: http://www.driverfall.com/show/139 [...] d2-a7.html

and download the Chipset and On-board LAN drivers. Make sure you choose the correct one for your OS. (Eg. Don't download x64 drivers if you're on a 32bit system)

Most of those yellow ? listed as PCI devices are probably related to the chipset drivers, so this should get you set.

i downloaded the chipset drivers and installed them. Now i only have 2 items with yellow ? next to them. There used be be 4. They are: ethernet controller and PCI device.

When i try to install the on-board LAN drivers, it says: "please shutdown and plug Realtek PCIE card to complete the installation". Then it closes.

under the device manager, it says that both the ethernet controller and PCI device have no drivers installed still, not matter how many times i try to install them.

If you have winrar, try this:

Go to the link I posed earlier ( http://www.driverfall.com/show/139 [...] d2-a7.html ) download the LAN drivers and use WinRAR to open the .exe file. From there, find the folder labled WINXP and drop it onto your desktop.

Now, go to your Device Manager and right-click the Ethernet Controller and choose 'Update Driver'.

When prompted where to look for the driver, choose to do it manually and hit Browse.

Browse to the WINXP folder you extracted earlier and tell it to search that folder. It should pull up the one driver file located inside and allow you to install.

If you don't want to download WinRAR, you can try this link I made where I already extracted the folder and put in a ZIP file, here: http://www.mediafire.com/?jymqfdfexxy . I'm not sure if that hosting service is any good or if it will work, but I figure it's worth a try.

well...i just installed maybe the fourth or fifth different driver and restarted my computer, then i fiddled with the cable in the back and it seems to be working now. I bet that the cable wasn't seated properly. ugh...thanks a lot for the help anyway.

lol, np man.

Sometimes it's always the simple stuff.