Author Topic: PC will not start Windows after wireless PCI card is removed. (Read 7939 times)

Blue Baron · « **on:** January 21, 2011, 01:24:35 PM »

I am trying to remove a Linksys WMP54G V4.1 PCI wireless adapter from my PC. I have uninstalled the drivers and software for it, but after I removed the card, the system would not boot. The BIOS is set to boot first from a CD and then the hard drive. However, it will not boot from a CD or the hard drive. It completes the POST up to the point where it is supposed to start Windows (XP SP3) but Windows does not start. I have tried setting the CMOS back to default values, but that did nothing. If I put the card back in the machine, it will boot normally, but not without the card. There are no error messages. I have an Alienware Area 51 7500 desktop, 4GB of memory, a 1.5TB RAID 5 with 3 drives and a 1TB disk for the C drive, and a 2.7GH quad processor.

truenorth · « **Reply #1 on:** January 21, 2011, 01:52:24 PM »

Have you gone into your device manager and observed if it is still there? If it was have you removed it? truenorth

Blue Baron · « **Reply #2 on:** January 21, 2011, 02:09:43 PM »

Yes, I have gone to the Device Manager and the Driver has been removed.

Accessless · « **Reply #3 on:** January 21, 2011, 02:34:39 PM »

This may not be helpful but do you have any network boot option in your BIOS? (Usually found in the BIOS "Boot" menu.)

truenorth · « **Reply #4 on:** January 21, 2011, 02:36:37 PM »

Not what i was suggesting. In device manager under "networking devices" do you still see your device listed? If you do right click on it and remove it from there. truenorth

Blue Baron · « **Reply #5 on:** January 21, 2011, 03:47:00 PM »

To Accessless: Yes it does have a network boot option.

To Truenorth: We seem to be using different terms. I am running XP and cannot find the device manager you are talking about. However, under Network Connections, the Wireless Network icon is gone.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #6 on:** January 21, 2011, 03:56:14 PM »

Under the system Device Manager under Network Adapters, It has been removed. Maybe this is what Truenorth meant?

Blue Baron · « **Reply #7 on:** January 21, 2011, 04:00:18 PM »

In the Device Manager, under Other Devices, it shows a yellow question mark next to the Network controller. I assume that is because the wireless card is in, but it has not been installed by the system and there are no drivers associated with it.

truenorth · « **Reply #8 on:** January 21, 2011, 04:56:43 PM »

Blue Baron, I too am using a version of XP to base my suggestion on for you. My route to the device manager is: Start/Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager. I am including a link that relates to your "yellow question mark" beside "network controller". I hope that following the guidance there that your issue will be resolved.
http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-5493-network-controller-is-not-working
truenorth

Blue Baron · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2011, 09:36:50 AM »

When I reinstall the drivers for the card, the "Other Devices" item disappears from the Device Manager and there are no more yellow question marks.

I have tried going into the BIOS and resetting it to default values. I have reset the ESCD configuration data and removed the CMOS battery and reinstalled it. Nothing has worked.

Accessless · « **Reply #10 on:** January 22, 2011, 11:14:39 AM »

Quote from: Blue Baron on January 21, 2011, 03:47:00 PM

To Accessless: Yes it does have a network boot option.

To Truenorth: We seem to be using different terms. I am running XP and cannot find the device manager you are talking about. However, under Network Connections, the Wireless Network icon is gone.

Is it disabled?

Blue Baron · « **Reply #11 on:** January 22, 2011, 11:19:13 AM »

I think when I started all this it was disabled, but since setting everything to defaults, it is now enabled.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #12 on:** January 22, 2011, 11:22:23 AM »

Quote from: Blue Baron on January 21, 2011, 01:24:35 PM

...I have uninstalled the drivers and software for it, but after I removed the card, the system would not boot....

It is never necessary to uninstall drivers before (or after) removing the hardware. Just remove the card.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #13 on:** January 22, 2011, 11:27:17 AM »

But the computer will not boot with out the card physically installed, with or without drivers.

mroilfield · « **Reply #14 on:** January 22, 2011, 12:06:48 PM »

Why are you removing the card?

Are you replacing it with a new one if so what happens when you put the new card in?

Accessless · « **Reply #15 on:** January 22, 2011, 12:17:42 PM »

Quote from: Blue Baron on January 22, 2011, 11:19:13 AM

I think when I started all this it was disabled, but since setting everything to defaults, it is now enabled.

Wants to be disabled. Also, is this just a run of the mill wireless adapter (plugs into a PCI slot) or a Mini PCI expansion card provided by the motherboard manufacturer? [I think they're called mini PCI slots, I could be mistaken]

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #16 on:** January 22, 2011, 01:40:01 PM »

P.31
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/Alw_dt_Area_51/en/dm/dm_en.pdf

Integrated Devices
LAN1 & LAN2 Option ROM - Disable network controller boot option

Inserting card could turn this off, removing card could turn it back on. It's the only thing that could stop the OS from booting. It's trying to boot from a network that's not there.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #17 on:** January 22, 2011, 04:41:51 PM »

I have replaced it with a USB connected wireless adapter. I did this after trying to remove the old card.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2011, 08:49:28 PM »

The ability to boot from the network is disabled and stays that way whether the card is in or out.

Accessless · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2011, 05:12:58 PM »

What happens if you unplug your hard & disc drives with the wireless adapter pulled out? Does the system stop after completing the POST or do you receive the no boot device error?

I'm not to sure what this would mean at the moment but it might give us some leads to work with.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #20 on:** January 24, 2011, 11:31:36 AM »

I have set the hard disk as the first boot device and then under the hard disk boot options, set the add in cards as then boot device. As a result I got the no boot disk error.

patio · « **Reply #21 on:** January 24, 2011, 05:18:51 PM »

Quote from: Blue Baron on January 24, 2011, 11:31:36 AM

I have set the hard disk as the first boot device and then under the hard disk boot options, set the add in cards as then boot device. As a result I got the no boot disk error.

Not sure what this means at all...

Blue Baron · « **Reply #22 on:** January 24, 2011, 05:45:34 PM »

It was an attempt to see if somehow the computer had made the card a boot device.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #23 on:** January 24, 2011, 10:24:17 PM »

OK, the problem has been solved. I don't really understand what it was, but it seems that there was a conflict with SATA controllers, maybe because of the Promise RAID PCI card I have in there does not get along with the one that came on the mother board. In any case I went into the SATA settings and changed them from "All Enabled" to just SATA 0 enabled. The system sees my RAID as a SCSI drive even though it is SATA, but that left only the C drive as and SATA drive. I presume that by enabling only the SATA 0 controller, I was setting The C drive as the only SATA drive. What that all had to do with the wireless PCI card, I have no Idea. Thank you to all of you who tried to help me. I certainly learned a lot more about the BIOS than I did before.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #24 on:** January 25, 2011, 12:18:26 PM »

Quote from: Blue Baron on January 24, 2011, 10:24:17 PM

...1. because of the Promise RAID PCI card I have in there does not get along with the one that came on the mother board.
2. The system sees my RAID as a SCSI drive even though it is SATA ...

1. This is the 1st time you even mentioned that.
2. BIOS sees any type of add-in controller card as SCSI, even if SCSI, IDE, SATA, etc.

Accessless · « **Reply #25 on:** January 26, 2011, 06:11:36 AM »

Yeah, that would have been helpful to know but then no one actually asked for his computer specs.

Blue Baron · « **Reply #26 on:** January 26, 2011, 07:44:34 PM »

Now that you know about the RAID PCI card, can you tell me what caused the problem with the wireless card?

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Author Topic: PC will not start Windows after wireless PCI card is removed. (Read 7939 times)

Blue Baron

truenorth

Blue Baron

Accessless

truenorth

Blue Baron

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truenorth

Blue Baron

Accessless

Blue Baron

Computer_Commando

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mroilfield

Accessless

Computer_Commando

Blue Baron

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Accessless

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patio

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Computer_Commando

Accessless

Blue Baron