My motherboard isn't screwing with me.. its dieing! :(

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     Alright, after writing a very thorough (and wrong) description of a problem with my motherboard/PCI W. NIC, I just realized that my PCI slots on the motherboard are dead.. ish. (See http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,94840.0.html - mistook my onboard LAN for my Wired NIC...)

Anyway.. Ive come to the conclusion that no cards are detected when inserted into the PCI slots.. as if they werent there.

However, the "Power" LED on my Wireless PCI NIC does come on when inserted..

Is my motherboard dead/dieing? Can I fix it? Could my local computer store fix it? (Or would it be better to buy a new MOBO..)

Thanks,
NNJZ
(Formerly Image)

[Computer_Commando]

...Is my motherboard dead/dieing? Can I fix it? Could my local computer store fix it? (Or would it be better to buy a new MOBO...

Not impossible, but unlikely that PCIbus is dead.  Need to determine how old your computer is, PCI has been around since 1993.
Post make & model of computer and/or make and model of motherboard.

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Thats the best news Ive heard all night..

My computer is custom made, but the motherboard is a gigabyte GA-M57SLI-S4 (rev 2).

Here's a link to the manufacturer's website: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Driver_Model.aspx?ProductID=2539

P.S. - The computer is less than 2 years old.

[Computer_Commando]

That's a nice motherboard, it's hard to believe the PCI slots are "dead", more likely the wireless PCI NIC's are not compatible for some reason.  However, there have been 6 BIOS updates in 2 years which indicates a lot of "issues".  Why not use the onboard wired Gigabit ethernet controller?  Do you really need wireless LAN on a desktop?

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Unfortunately I do. I have multiple computers, and my modem is hooked up to another computer. Running an Ethernet wire from the router to the computer isn't an option either. The only type of connection possible is through W.LAN.

I don't think that the cards aren't compatible with the motherboard; one of the cards (the first one) worked for about 2 months. It was only after I moved to another house that the card wasn't being detected.

I'm not sure why it stopped working, but I'll reinstall the chipset drivers for the motherboard anyway..

The computer didn't sustain any real damage from the move, I personally moved the computer to the new house in a separate cause to avoid damaging it..

I'll report back after I update
-NNJZ

[Computer_Commando]

The only thing I can think of is something in the CMOS Setup has changed.  Did you make any hardware changes just before the move or just after the move that you may have overlooked?  Maybe a different video card?  This setting, Init Display First, could cause issues with the PCIbus.  There is also a feature called Smart LAN, see p.41 of Manual.  You may have to turn this off.

There are so many settings in the BIOS, it may be easier to perform a reset, then install the card and see if the BIOS will auto-detect.
GA-M57SLI-S4 Manual

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Actually, there is one thing I had forgotten to mention.

After the first card stopped working, I bought another one, but it was horrible so I ended up returning it. The point to that though, was that the card was at least detected by the computer.. (The card I bought to replace that one and the original are not detected though).

I just reset BIOS and Reinstalled my chipset Drivers... No luck. I did not upgrade BIOS, only loaded the Fail-Safe Defaults..

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Is it possible that a wire has become disconnected on the motherboard to the PSU or something?

(The PCI card's "Power" LED does come blink when inserted.)

[Computer_Commando]

...(The PCI card's "Power" LED does come blink when inserted.)

I don't understand what this means.  Are you plugging in these cards without unplugging the power cord from the wall receptacle or turning off the power switch on the psu, if it has one?

If you have, you've killed something on the motherboard.

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I don't understand what this means.  Are you plugging in these cards without unplugging the power cord from the wall receptacle or turning off the power switch on the psu, if it has one?

If you have, you've killed something on the motherboard.

No, When the PCI cards are in the PCI slots the power light comes on, even if they arent detected.

I unplug the computer before removing/inserting the PCI cards]