Strange Issue NIC

[DaveLembke]

So I had my dual-network adapter server running dual-boot as well for a while now with no problems. OS is Windows XP Pro SP3.

I installed Fedora 20 to the Linux allocation that I have on the first hard drive and Windows XP SP3 ran fine with no problems. And both network adapters worked with no problems both the nVidia integrated and the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC.

I then decided to switch Linux Fedora 20 for the latest Mint 16 instead, and grub took the changes fine. Windows was unaltered on its other partition. Both Mint 16 and Windows XP Pro SP3 still work fine.

I went to access data on this system which acts with shares over a cross over cable to my other system and its now no longer working. Look in Network Properties and the Intel Pro 100+ Managed is listed, but the nVidia integrated NIC is gone. Looking in Device manager no second NIC is listed.

Now here is where it really gets strange. The integrated nVidia NIC is the one that  is connected to the router for internet traffic, and the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC is the one that has a cross over cable to the other system. I can access the internet and I see traffic at the rear of the computer at the nVidia NIC port, yet the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC shows no activity. In the system properties it shows that the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC is the only NIC available, yet the system is communicating through the integrated nVidia NIC.

Also, I flashed the ROM on this Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC years ago to enable PXE, and also in the boot order, it does the cartwheel at DHCP looking for PXE and I hit ESC key to bypass this. So the NIC is functioning at the lowest level.

Has anyone ever seen a hardware failure or Windows corruption where it claims its communicating through one Network Adapter and Lists that one network adapter in Device Manager and is clearly using the other?

I am thinking that i am going to have to just wipe this drive and start fresh again because I feel that it may not be hardware related and may be somehow a corruption to the Windows install as a result of the swap of Fedora 20 for Mint 16. Although it makes no sense that Linux would touch the other Windows NTFS partition at all.

Also IPconfig shows the dynamic IP to the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC, yet it should have a static IP since that is a cross over cable connected NIC to the other system.

Posted this here in case anyone seen this before to point out the cause. Its a real head scratcher, although I have a feeling that a clean install of Windows and then Linux to the empty HDD space will cure it.

Never ever have I seen one device acting as the other etc, especially when the chips are so different, so its not like the Intel Driver should function as the nVidia chip. *Also I tripple checked my network cables to make sure that what I was seeing was what i really was seeing. The cross over is direct between the file server with this issue and the gaming rigs 2nd NIC. * Also the gaming rig is not set up as a gateway and the traffic is clearly running through the nVidia integrated NIC which shows linked and blinking activity.

[BC_Programmer]

I honestly couldn't figure out your current setup. You mention switching to Fedora, but then you talk about ipconfig and Device Manager, and then there is some other computer involved across the network (?)

[DaveLembke]

Sorry about that... was pressed for time when posting this earlier, but can explain better now.

System that has this issue is a system that I have running as a file server mainly, among other duties it serves for processing  video encoding raw video files so that my main system isnt lagged out through processing videos of captured online game events in which I take like 20GB Fraps video files and vdub process them to a better smaller avi format to share online on youtube.

The 2nd NIC's of these systems is used mainly as a direct network connection to transfer large amounts of data between the systems without affecting the rest of my home network with others who are streaming netflix or trying to use the Vonage phone at the same time.

System Specs are:

Computer #1 - Acts as a File Server / Processing of Large Video Files etc

Athlon X2 215 2.7Ghz
2GB DDR3 1333Mhz
GeForce GT430 PCIE16 video card with 1GB RAM
Drive 1 = 60GB SATA ( Laptop Hard Drive Multi Partition for Linux and Windows XP Pro SP3 and Grub managing the bootloader)
Drive 2 = 500GB SATA II ( Data & Data Processing Drive )
Network Adapter # 1 = nVidia Integrated NIC ( Connected to Router with IP Reservation / Internet Access )
Network Adapter # 2 = Intel Pro 100+ Managed PCI NIC ( Cross over Cable to gaming Computer #2 Static IP )



Computer #2 - Gaming System / Capturing Live Game Content with Fraps

Athlon II x4 620 2.6Ghz
8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
ASUS ATI HD5450 PCIE16 video card with 1GB RAM
Drive 1 = 240GB SATA II Corsair SSD ( OS Windows 7 64-bit & Games )
Drive 2 = 500GB SATA II (Data & Location that Fraps saves large video files to that are captured from in game )
Network Adapter # 1 = Realtek 100 NIC Integrated ( Connected to Router dynamic IP no reservation / Internet Access )
Network Adapter # 2 = Intel Pro 100+ Managed PCI NIC ( Cross over Cable to Server Computer #1 Static IP )

So computer #1 states that its using the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC, yet its clearly using the integrated nVidia NIC. NIC #2 which is the Intel Pro shows no link and no activity. Computer #2 can not ping Computer #1 through the cross over, because the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC is not functioning. Yet Computer #1 is communicating through the nVidia NIC and yet in Device Manager and IP config it states that its the Intel Pro 100+ Managed NIC that its using.

Never ever have I seen such an oddity with Windows XP Pro SP3 and a NIC not functioning and another functioning as it. 

Lastly Linux is on this Computer #1 system so that when I am not processing files or using it as a file server, it acts as my Linux Workstation.

Everything was working fine up until I decided to replace Fedora 20 with Mint 16 on a different partition of Drive #1. Upon the reboot after this is when this strange Network Hardware/OS issue occurred with Windows XP Pro SP3 on that same system to where the system is seriously confused. And the strangest part about this is that Linux should not have affected the Windows partition to cause any corruption.

One process I was thinking I could try before a full rebuild is to remove this NIC #2 from Computer #1 and boot the system and then shut down and then reintroduce the NIC #2 and maybe it will detect the hardware change and straighten itself out. Otherwise its looking like a clean install of Windows to the first partition and then Linux Mint build its partition(s) to the unallocated space is what I will have to do.

[DaveLembke]

If anyone ever has a similar problem, repair install of Windows XP Pro SP3 fixed the problem.

Here are steps I tried before the repair install:

1.) Remove Intel Pro 100+ Managed PCI NIC and reboot system
2.) With Intel Pro 100+ Managed PCI NIC removed, I reinstalled the driver for the nVidia Integrated NIC and driver complained that hardware was not found.
3.) Reinstalled the Intel Pro 100+ Managed PCI NIC
4.) Booted to the Linux Mint 16 and both NICs found, as well as both will uplink

Decided to perform repair install instead of clean install.

Performed Repair installation to Windows XP Pro SP3 and problem solved.

[patio]

So actually it was fixed before the Repair Install it seems...

[DaveLembke]

4.) Booted to the Linux Mint 16 and both NICs found, as well as both will uplink

This refers to "only" Linux Happy with both NICs, but Windows XP Pro SP3 still didnt know that the nVidia Network adapter existed, yet it was communicating through this adapter and displayed that it was actually the Intel Pro 100+ Managed, that was not connected physically through troubleshooting process, but otherwise was connected to cross over cable with other computer.

Good thing is that the issue was resolved via a repair of Windows XP Pro SP3. After the OS repair Device Manager showed the missing network adapter and I was able to install the driver and get it to work like it did before. Because the Intel Pro 100+ Managed adapter has its drivers built into the Windows XP installation disc, this adapter did not require any manual driver installation, however the nVidia chipset is not bundled with XP and so the driver was required to get the integrated nVidia NIC to operate after repair install.

[patio]

I thought of that after my observation that The Linux side was happy and Win side still needed schmoozin...thanx for the clarification.