Network card cannot start (code 10)

[The Monkey]

A few days ago my internet stopped working. I went to the device manager, and it said about the network card (it's a D-Link, not sure exactly which model, didn't memorize it): "this device cannot start (code 10)". I made sure that the correct drivers were installed (from the accompyning CD), I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it several times, but to no avail. I googled the problem, but none of the solutions there helped.

This card is only about three months old, so I don't see how it could possibly start malfunctioning already. The card has stopped working before, but then a simply reboot has usually helped. The D-Link support line cost a fortune, so any help would be much appreciated. Being without internet is a real drag, especially now when it has started to rain.

 

[No Limit]

D-link blows, atleast in my experiance.

I'm guessing it's PCI, can you try plugging it in to a different PCI slot?

 

[VirusType2]

I would take it out and take a look at it (inspect it), blow some air in the PCI slot like an old Nintendo cartridge, then put it back in. You have compressed air?

If you receive the Windows error "This device cannot start. Code 10 in audio driver", it means that you have a bad, missing or incompatible audio driver.


Microsoft recommends that when this happens, you click "Update Driver" to update the drivers for the device. You can also start the Windows troubleshooting wizard by going to the general properties tab of the device, and clicking on "Troubleshoot".

Before doing this, be sure that you have the correct and most up-to-date versions of the driver(s) for that device. You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling the device, using the disk which came with it. When doing this, make sure to run your anti-virus program and anti- Glossary Link spyware program and restart your computer. This may help clear up the problem.

Finally, you can go to the website of the device's manufacturer, and check their download or support section for current, up-to-date drivers and patch kits.

http://www.tech-faq.com/this-device-cannot-start-code-10.html

 

[No Limit]

When using compressed air make sure you don't use an air compressor but canned air designed for computers. Compressors not only spew oil but also blow a shit load of static electricity directly on to your components. But you would need to have one hell of a dusty machine or some kind of metal shavings in your machine for you to be affected by dirt.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Based on what Virus found the message to be...uninstall the drivers (through device manager) & network card utilities (through CP add/remove progs). Remove the card from it's slot (while PC is off obviously). Restart PC, install latest drivers for network card from manufacturers website, turn off PC, put network card back in, configure with your network. Report back to hl2.net!

 

[VirusType2]

But you would need to have one hell of a dusty machine or some kind of metal shavings in your machine for you to be affected by dirt.

Not at all, it really doesn't take much to cause a malfunction. It can go unnoticed even when looking at it. However, it is not usual.

Perhaps the process of re-seating a card is most important, and can fix it on its own. Haven't you even owned a NES?

 

[No Limit]

Lol, NES. Those were the days. But the connector type on that was quite a bit different from PCI's edge card connectors.

 

[VirusType2]

Lol, NES. Those were the days. But the connector type on that was quite a bit different from PCI's edge card connectors.

Huh? Or... almost identical?

NES

 

[No Limit]

You have to look at the socket too.

When Nintendo released the NES in the United States, the design styling was deliberately different from that of other game consoles. Nintendo wanted to distinguish its product from those of competitors and to avoid the generally poor reputation that game consoles had acquired following the video game crash of 1983. One result of this philosophy was a front-loading zero insertion force (ZIF) cartridge socket designed to resemble the front-loading mechanism of a VCR. The ZIF connector worked quite well when both the connector and the cartridges were clean and the pins on the connector were new. Unfortunately, the ZIF connector was not truly zero insertion force. When a user inserted the cartridge into the NES, the force of pressing the cartridge down and into place bent the contact pins slightly, as well as pressing the cartridge’s ROM board back into the cartridge itself. Repeated insertion and removal of cartridges caused the pins to wear out relatively quickly and the ZIF design proved far more prone to interference by dirt and dust than an industry-standard card edge connector.[27] Exacerbating the problem was Nintendo’s choice of materials; the slot connector that the cartridge was actually inserted into was highly prone to corrosion.[44]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System

PCI, AGP, PCI express all use the edge card standard, NES didn't.

 

[VirusType2]

Lol - wow, you know your connectors.

Regardless, compressed air cleaning and then re-seating the network card is not a radical suggestion. In fact, it has worked for me in similar situations, for example RAM.

I don't know why you enjoy quibbling so much about things.

 

[No Limit]

Yes, as a matter of fact I do thanks to my line of work. And I didn't need Google to tell you any of this information.

 

[VirusType2]

Yes, as a matter of fact I do thanks to my line of work. And I didn't need Google to tell you any of this information.

It was obvious, that's why I said you really know your connectors.

 

[The Monkey]

Thanks for the advice, people.

I lack an air compression blower or whatever, and will have to rely on my faithful mouth to do the job, wish me luck. I might also try to remove the card, but I'm really inexperienced with that sort of "hands-on computering", as one might call it, and fear disaster will be the inevitable result.

I might have to buy a new computer anyway, it has only been up to mischief recently. I get BSoDs or other errors every two hours, it seems.

 

[No Limit]

Who installed this card for you originally?

Any troubleshooting will require you to get down and dirty by removing components. The main thing to remember when doing that is always take static electricity seriously and never try to force anything. If something is hard to remove or insert you are probably missing a screw or lever somewhere or inserting the component at a wrong angle.

To avoid static try to do your work in an area with tile or wooden floors, stay away from carpets. Once you have your computer in the place you will work on you will need to discharge any static electricity that has built up between you and the ground. To do this all you have to do is plug your computer in to the AC outlet and touch the back of your power supply. You can then unplug the computer and try not to move around on the ground too much after this until you are done doing your work as new static electricity will built up.

In the case of the PCI slot you will need to simply remove the screw for the slot you are working with or if you computer case doesn't have screws for the PCI slots you will need to find a way to remove the bracket. Then the PCI card just pulls right out and can be put right back in. Nothing really to worry about and if you are thinking about getting a new computer anyway this would be a good idea to learn to do something like this.

My advice again would be to simply try another PCI slot. And before you go out and spend money on a new computer the last measure you might want to take is reformatting your drive and reinstalling windows from scratch.

 

[VirusType2]

Thanks for the advice, people.

I lack an air compression blower or whatever, and will have to rely on my faithful mouth to do the job, wish me luck. I might also try to remove the card, but I'm really inexperienced with that sort of "hands-on computering", as one might call it, and fear disaster will be the inevitable result.

I might have to buy a new computer anyway, it has only been up to mischief recently. I get BSoDs or other errors every two hours, it seems.

What? You better be joking. Don't blow in it man, you're going to spit all over it. Get a can of compressed air from the store or don't bother with this step.


Get some computer skills or you will be paying ~$60 an hour for someone who doesn't actually care very much about your computer to work on it. That's never good.


Have you any latex gloves? If you wear those, you can handle the card with no worries.

I might have to buy a new computer anyway, it has only been up to mischief recently. I get BSoDs or other errors every two hours, it seems.

Is it all dusty and shit in there? I'm telling you, this can cause your computer to suddenly reboot and all kinds of shit. Get some compressed air.

 

[No Limit]

Regular latex gloves do not protect against ESD as static can be built up in latex just as it can in your skin. Latex can also develop very tiny tears very easily which will allow static to flow right through.

And I don't know how he got the crazy idea to blow in to it.

I would take it out and take a look at it (inspect it), blow some air in the PCI slot like an old Nintendo cartridge, then put it back in. You have compressed air?

 

[VirusType2]

Oh, lol. Oops. I didn't mean to suggest that.


And I thought rubber was a good insulator. Er, it is, it can't conduct electricity. I thought latex was just ..***bber. And I thought that's what these guys are wearing:

Guess not?

Good information, thanks No Limit!

I don't know. Well, I always use a Anti-static wrist strap as well. At least the latex will protect from skin oils.

 

[No Limit]

Anti-static wrist wraps are the way to go, they minimize ESD threats. If you want to get really fancy you can ground the computer case as you wear the wrist wrap for total protection.

The way static electricity works is it discharges electrons that get built up through friction. Rubber is just as capable of building up electrons as any other material. Like you said rubber is not conductive so many people make the natural assumption that it must be ESD safe. But ESD doesn't actually need a conductive material, all it needs to do is get rid of those excess electrons whereever it can. Many people don't know but plastic is one of the worst materials for ESD build up. So if using rubber gloves the static built up in those rubber gloves will happily discharge on the electronic components that you touched on your motherboard.

They do make special gloves that are ESD safe as you see in that picture (I think you actually need a special suit and floor for really sensative ESD protection seen in that picture from clean rooms). But for your average user they aren't needed, a wrist strap is great if you want to buy one, if not simply touching your computer case when it's plugged in is usually good enough if you stay away from carpets and then don't move around the floor too much after touching the case.

If you really want to get geeky about this look around for ESD training materials for IPC certification.

 

[VirusType2]

Yeah, the wrist strap was cheap assurance, at $3.50.

I got this one, because it was cheap and had good reviews: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1005&cm_re=wrist_strap-_-99-261-005-_-Product

Here are some others: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...H&Description=anti-static+wrist+strap&x=0&y=0


The shipping is killer, but if you buy it with other stuff, the shipping makes more sense.

 

[The Monkey]

Yeah, I figured blowing into it wasn't a very good idea. So the plan is this?
1. uninstall the card, 2. remove the drivers, 3. turn off the computer, 4. manually remove the card, 5. install the drivers, 6. reattach the card to a different PCI slot.


I am so ****ing annoyed with this ****ing computer. ****ing Acer shit, it's not even two years old, and already everything is failing. The store took it away for three weeks to fix the video card, but failed at that simple task. I'm gonna avoid the large retail chains in the future, they will **** you in the ass any chance they get.

 

[No Limit]

This computer is only 2 weeks old? Don't mess with it then, use the warranty. That or return it for a refund.

If it was used and you can't return it and have no warrenty I wouldn't mess with the hardware, I would guess whoever had it before you screwed it up on the software side. A complete comptuer reinstall using the acer recovery disks would be the way to go. It's as easy as popping in a CD and rebooting. Just keep in mind it will delete all the data on the drive.

 

[VirusType2]

Yeah, I figured blowing into it wasn't a very good idea. So the plan is this?
[strike]1. uninstall the card, 2. remove the drivers, 3. turn off the computer, 4. manually remove the card, 5. install the drivers, 6. reattach the card to a different PCI slot.[/strike]

1. Uninstall the drivers, 2. shut down the computer, 3. remove the card, 4. look that there is nothing obviously wrong with the card, 5. write down the number written on the card (see below in bold).

6. Put the card back in the computer

7. Start up the computer

8. Download and then Install the drivers from D-Link website for your EXACT card with the same exact code written on the card (there are usually quite a few revisions, and they don't use the same drivers).

I am so ****ing annoyed with this ****ing computer. ****ing Acer shit, it's not even two years old, and already everything is failing. The store took it away for three weeks to fix the video card, but failed at that simple task. I'm gonna avoid the large retail chains in the future, they will **** you in the ass any chance they get

OK, be fair; Acer didn't give you a D-Link PCI card, did they? So it doesn't really make sense to blame them.

 

[The Monkey]

This computer is only 2 weeks old? Don't mess with it then, use the warranty. That or return it for a refund.

If it was used and you can't return it and have no warrenty I wouldn't mess with the hardware, I would guess whoever had it before you screwed it up on the software side. A complete comptuer reinstall using the acer recovery disks would be the way to go. It's as easy as popping in a CD and rebooting. Just keep in mind it will delete all the data on the drive.

Two years.

1. Uninstall the drivers, 2. shut down the computer, 3. remove the card, 4. look that there is nothing obviously wrong with the card, 5. write down the number written on the card (see below in bold).

6. Put the card back in the computer

7. Start up the computer

8. Download and then Install the drivers from D-Link website for your EXACT card with the same exact code written on the card (there are usually quite a few revisions, and they don't use the same drivers).



OK, be fair; Acer didn't give you a D-Link PCI card, did they? So it doesn't really make sense to blame them.

No, but the computer in general has been ****ed up. And the original network card broke too.

Anyway, I did what you said (except that I installed the drivers from the CD, not the newest from the website), and I ****ed up as expected. The card won't now even be recognized by the computer, and as far as I can tell it is properly inserted in the PCI slot (I've tried both a new and the old one). It is possible that I might I have damaged it somehow in the process, but I really doubt it. I've also dusted everything off with an air compressor. Any suggestions now? Can't really see what good new drivers will do me if the computer doesn't even pick up that the card is there.

 

[No Limit]

Again, using an air compressor on electronic components is a no no.

But I doubt you damaged the card anymore than it might already have been damaged. Does it show up in the device manager?

 

[VirusType2]

.

It happened to me when I got my new power supply just a few days ago, I had to re-seat my audio card 2 times. It had me a little nervous because it wasn't recognized by the computer.

Just try re-seating it again. Make sure it's fully seated. The metal backplate should be flush; then screw it down (don't overtighten).

 

[The Monkey]

Aye, I reseated it, and now it shows up in the device manager, but it still won't start. I've downloaded the newest drivers from the d-link website, will try it again later today. But I really don't understand why they would work when the old drivers didn't, they worked fine for a while, why would they suddenly stop working?

 

[VirusType2]

My only experience with D-Link was a wireless router that nothing could make work, even the telephone helpline couldn't explain it (but I guess that's not saying much).

I really couldn't tell you. Shit's complicated, bro. We'll do our best to help you.

At least you have learned to install a PCI card, so worst case scenario, you can replace it with a different one for ... (I don't know, they aren't expensive here, can be $14 USD or less online)


In my experience the wireless card drivers are total shit. They crash all the time or don't work at all, are overly complicated and bloated.

If you can't get D-Links downloaded drivers to work, you should try letting Windows install a driver (and let Windows control the card) - in fact, that's what I've always used. What version of Windows do you use anyway?

 

[The Monkey]

I really appreciate all of your help.

I'm so fed up with this shit right now. I spend two hours yesterday reinstalling drivers, putting the card in and out (in different PCI slots), and using every procedure under the earth to get it to work. The strange thing is that windows starts installing the drivers after I've put in the network card, even though I manually installed them before putting the card in. Then that installation fails for undisclosed reasons. When windows attemps to install the newst version (v6.0), it says that the drivers are "missing or damaged (code 39)", and when installing v5.0 it says the installation was unsucessful, but doesn't state a reason.

I called some tech store, and they say they will get a new card and install it for me for $25, so I'm leaning towards that option.

 

[unozero]

wait what u cant use compressed air to clean GPUS or other PC gut cards????

 

[VirusType2]

I really appreciate all of your help.

I'm so fed up with this shit right now. I spend two hours yesterday reinstalling drivers, putting the card in and out (in different PCI slots), and using every procedure under the earth to get it to work. The strange thing is that windows starts installing the drivers after I've put in the network card, even though I manually installed them before putting the card in. Then that installation fails for undisclosed reasons. When windows attemps to install the newst version (v6.0), it says that the drivers are "missing or damaged (code 39)", and when installing v5.0 it says the installation was unsucessful, but doesn't state a reason.

I called some tech store, and they say they will get a new card and install it for me for $25, so I'm leaning towards that option.

Well, keep in mind that when you change the PCI slot, you have to reinstall the drivers/software. And since the drivers will already be installed, it might tell you it's already installed (even though it might not work right), or it might Uninstall the current ones instead. But it would tell you something.

I've personally never benefited from trying a different slot, and don't recommend it, but many tech support pages will tell you to try it.

Of note:

I think it's always good to uninstall the drivers before removing the device. Of course, the next time you boot up, windows will reinstall drivers of its own if you haven't physically removed the device yet. So that's the whole thing with the steps I gave you on the last page.

Almost always, you need to put the card into the PC and boot up before installing the drivers. (occasionally, there will be some devices that instruct you to install the drivers first) So normally, don't install the drivers until the device is plugged in.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Based on what Virus found the message to be...uninstall the drivers (through device manager) & network card utilities (through CP add/remove progs). Remove the card from it's slot (while PC is off obviously). Restart PC, install latest drivers for network card from manufacturers website, turn off PC, put network card back in, configure with your network. Report back to hl2.net!

See Kris, I posted this because this is what you should have done.

1. Uninstall the drivers, 2. shut down the computer, 3. remove the card, 4. look that there is nothing obviously wrong with the card, 5. write down the number written on the card (see below in bold).

6. Put the card back in the computer

7. Start up the computer

8. Download and then Install the drivers from D-Link website for your EXACT card with the same exact code written on the card (there are usually quite a few revisions, and they don't use the same drivers).

Yet you did this which is always going to go wrong. Never ever install a network card before you install the drivers...because.....

The strange thing is that windows starts installing the drivers after I've put in the network card, even though I manually installed them before putting the card in.

Windows starts searching for generic drivers which will break everything. It's standard practice with any network cards.

I can't really be bothered to keep reaffirming the process I recommended. All I can see is please read it. Please remove all the drivers first through device manager. turn off. remove card. turn on pc. install latest from website. turn off pc. install card. turn on pc. configure.

And if your PC is dying on you do a factory reset / format and it'll be good as new. You've caused yourself a lot of wasted time.

 

[No Limit]

wait what u cant use compressed air to clean GPUS or other PC gut cards????

Canned air for electronics, yes. Air from an air compressor, no.

 

[VirusType2]

Never ever install a network card before you install the drivers...because.....

That's not true:

http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/linksys.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=4084
http://www.cheap-computers-guide.com/installing-PCI-wireless-card.html
http://lifehacker.com/135479/hack-attack-how-to-install-a-pci-card

(can't find the instructions for D-Link, it probably has instructions on the disc that came with the card.)

Also, I guess it didn't occur to you that some wireless adapters are built into the motherboard? Makes it hard to install the drivers first, ay?

And I guess you didn't read correctly, that when he had a problem, it was when he installed the drivers first, like you suggest?

even though I manually installed them before putting the card in.

But what he should really do is follow the instructions that came with the card and not our best guess.

And honestly, I can testify that it won't make a difference of the order, other than getting prompted to look for the right driver, of which, you can cancel.

As for Windows breaking everything, that's humor, surely. Windows will use the most applicable driver available. If you give it a better driver, it will use it. Have you ever used Device Manager to update drivers? Couldn't be more straightforward 'update driver'.


Finally, I still recommend to not use the D-Link software unless a windows driver can't be used. You still haven't told me what Operating System you are using, so I haven't been able to give you detailed help.

 

[The Monkey]

I did install the new drivers before putting in the card, Glenn.

Please remove all the drivers first through device manager. turn off. remove card. turn on pc. install latest from website. turn off pc. install card. turn on pc. configure.

I did exactly this.

Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore, the computer crashed completely, it can't even start anymore. I had to buy a laptop anyway for next spring, so I guess it's not that big loss.

 

[VirusType2]

So are you just going to give up and throw it in the bin?


Is this an unrelated problem? What's it doing now? Windows won't start? no power?

 

[No Limit]

Just try doing a total system restore. There is probably a recovery partition on there you can boot from and it will take less than an hour to do. If the recovery partition doesn't exist hopefully you have a windows XP disk (assuming you are on XP since I'm too lazy to read back) that you can use to do the same thing.

 

[The Monkey]

So are you just going to give up and throw it in the bin?

Yepp.

Is this an unrelated problem? What's it doing now? Windows won't start? no power?

It gets stuck on the loading screen to windows.

 

[VirusType2]

Do you think that it's related to the wireless PCI card?

If so, remove the card and see if it starts.

If not, do you have any idea what could have caused it?

 

[The Monkey]

Yes, I tried to remove it, without any effect. But as I said earlier, I've been getting a lot of BSoDs and other errors recently, so I figure it's some major that went wrong this time, possibly the motherboard.

 

[VirusType2]

What kind of errors? It's good to write them down as the error codes tend to tell you what's wrong!

Did you buy any compressed air, or no? Hows it look? Super dusty machine?

It gets stuck on the loading screen to windows.

It's most likely a Windows error if Windows fails to boot. It could be RAM or some other hardware malfunctioning, but this doesn't always mean it is broken.

I figure it's some major that went wrong this time, possibly the motherboard.

Failed SS (solid state) hardware is rare unless you are playing around with the voltage/clocks/extreme temperature, and the like.