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Likes: Originally Posted by rthonpm
I have the disk that came with the motherboard that has all the drivers but I installed and still nothing showing up under network adapters. I've got to come up with something.
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I have the disk that came with the motherboard that has all the drivers but I installed and still nothing showing up under network adapters. I've got to come up with something.
Sounds like a PCI Ethernet card is in your future. Long term it's probably the best solution since that way you can at least be sure the card supports Server 2016.
For the rest of the system, all bets are off.
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I had to study up on Ethernet Cards. You'll have to overlook my ignorance. I think I understand what you're talking about now. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Because this is a homemade sever, the Ethernet Card must support Windows Sever 2016 and the correct drivers must be installed. Correct.
And you're saying that instead of trying to find a driver that will work, it will be easier to install PCI Ethernet card? Correct?
I'll probably do that but it's bugging me that I can't get this one to work.
I'm finally starting to understand the gravity of the situation.
This server was built with components (motherboard) that wasn't designed to run Windows Server 2016, thus there are no drivers that are designed to work with it.
I did read a workaround that was very involved. I'm not doing all of that. PCI Ethernet card it is.
You've understood correctly. The PCI card connects to the motherboard like a video card or other add-on component. I used to keep one or two of them in stock just in case of a bad NIC, or for an upgrade from an onboard 10/100 connection to a gigbit (10/100/1000) connection.
As a bonus, if you still want to do dig into the issue, you can always use the card to get them back up while still trying to figure out what happened, though really it sounds like the onboard NIC was dying and just needed an extra push to finally stop working.
Desktop motherboards aren't build anywhere with the same durability as a server's components, which are built with the intention of running 24/7 with minimal downtime for reboots or other upgrades. There's also a reason that the support time for servers is considerably longer than any desktop system.
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Was the customer ever able to access the internet or connect to a local network?
I can see 2 possible problems, the on board interface has failed or it has been turned off in the bios. Windows find new hardware will only find on board devices that are enabled. If you can access CMOS settings at power, check to see if you enable the network interface. Otherwise an add on interface is the only way, either PCI or USB.
When I arrived, there was yellow triangle by the network adaptor symbol at the bottom right of the screen. I ran the network troubleshooter and the suggested fix was to reset the network adaptor...so I clicked on "apply this fix".
When the PC rebooted there was now a red x by the network adapter symbol and no network adapter is being recognized.
The thing is that before I applied the fix at least other computers could access the server...now they can't.
It's kind of a mess because the motherboard isn't designed to run Sever 2016 and there's no telling what drivers were installed to make it work. And they were already having problems with the sever losing connectivity. I think a PCI NIC card is gonna be the best solution.
I learn a lot from these experiences but damn it's stressful. lol
I see what you mean about the NIC being turned off in bios. I just looked at those settings on my PC. I didn't even know that was a thing. I need to check that out on the problem machine. I wonder how it would have gotten turned off? Any ideas?
Power glich. Is it plugged into at least a surge suppressor?
No, it's not plugged into a surge suppressor.
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