Please help... Can't get on internet...

[fmonte]

I just bought a used Acer Desktop(Model Aspire T180). It did not come with an OS installed so I freshly installed XP Pro. I can't get on the internet and although I'm a noob, I know it must be a driver. I went out to their website but could not find it(see list below). I called Acer support but they would not help me because when I installed XP it voided out any warranty or support for this machine(originally manufactured with Vista). Their website for support is www.acerpanam.com I was hoping someone could walk me through step by step how to get this working so I could get on the internet.

FYI, I went to the device manager and here is where the yellow question marks are:

?Ethernet controller
?PCI Device
?PCI Modem
?SM Bus Controller
?Video Comtroller(vga compatible)

Of the 5 items listed I figured the Ethernet controller is the driver I need but I don't see it anywhere listed in the list below. By the way, I can't do a fax or get any sound either and if it is not to much trouble I need some help for that also but right now I am concentrating on getting the internet working. Thank you in advance. Frank PS. If I download a driver and execute it and it is the wrong one, will it cause any harm to the machine?

Aspire T180
Acer eDataSecurity Management
Windows Vista
Acer eDataSecurity Management.zip
Acer eMode Management
Windows Vista
Acer eMode Management.zip
Acer Empowering Technology for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Acer Empowering Technology.zip
Acer ePerformance Management for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Acer ePerformance Management.zip
Aspire E380/T180 ATI Video Driver
Windows XP
Aspire_E380_T180_UD_ATI.zip
Aspire E380/T180 Audio Driver
Windows XP
Aspire_E380_T180_AUDIO.zip
Aspire E380/T180 Chipset Driver
Windows XP
Aspire_E380_T180_CHIPSET.zip
Aspire E380/T180 CPU Driver
Windows XP
Aspire_E380_T180_CPU.zip
Aspire E380/T180 LAN Driver
Windows XP
Aspire_E380_T180_LAN.zip
Aspire E380/T180 Modem Driver
Windows XP
Aspire_E380_T180_MODEM.zip
ATI VGA driver for Desktop
Windows Vista
ATI VGA driver for Desktop.zip
BIOS Update vR01-B1
Windows XP
AST180-R1B1.zip
eNet Management v2.6.3005
Windows Vista
eNet v2.06.3005_pvl.zip
Lifeview LR306 SW Encoder 1.4.3353
Windows Vista
Lifeview LR306 SW Encoder 1.4.3353.zip
Lifeview LR306 TV Tuner Card 13.35.02.000
Windows Vista
Lifeview LR306 TV Tuner Card 13.35.02.000.zip
NTI CD-DVD Upgrade Patch for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
NTI CD-DVD Upgrade Patch.zip
nVidia VGA driver for Desktop for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
nVidia VGA driver for Desktop.zip
Power DVD Upgrade Patch for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Power DVD Upgrade Patch.zip
Pronet Modem Driver v6.12.04
Windows Vista
Pronet Modem Driver 6.12.04.zip
Realtek Audio v6.0.1.5322
Windows Vista
TM5620_Audio_6_0_1_5322.zip
RealTek HD Audio Driver Ver. 5.10.0.5413
Windows XP
VTx661_x461_HDMIAudio_Realtek_v5.10.0.5413.zip
Realtek High Definition Audio Driver for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Realtek High Definition Audio Driver.zip

 

[technicks]

Do you know which motherboard you have?

try right click on the things you need to install and choose update driver.

 

[fmonte]

Thank you for the quick reply. Here is the link to the specs.

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/forms/portal20.cfm?recordid=478&formid=3404&website=AcerPanAm.com&siteid=7117&words=all&keywords=&areaid=2

A lot of this terminology is over my head. I hope this answers your question. Also, I went and right clicked as you suggested and a wizard came up and it gave a choice to go connect to windows update or not. Since i can't get on the internet, I chose no and then it asked me to insert a disk that I don't have. Please advise.

 

[ktr]

all the drivers are here: http://www.acerpanam.com/flex/acerdrivers/bin/drivers.html?CFID=5239007&CFTOKEN=87533563

select desktop, then aspire t180, and install the missing drivers.

Executing the wrong driver does no harm. Also LAN drivers are also know as Ethernet drivers.

 

[fmonte]

Okay, downloaded the LAN driver from the website since I did not see anything listed for an ethernet driver. When I unzipped the folder it gave me five files, none of which appeared to be exucute files. Please advise.

 

[ktr]

You have to manually update those drivers. First extract the files in a folder on the desktop. Then go the device manager, right click ?Ethernet controller and update driver. They specify the location of the driver to that extracted folder on the desktop you made.

 

[fmonte]

Thank you, the yellow ? mark is gone and I see it jumped from being listed under "other devices" to "Network Adapters". I noticed that there is second listing their called "1394 net adapter". Should I delete that one?

Now that I know the secret, I think I can fix my modem but I am confused why I am not getting any sound. Under the sound, video and game controller heading, I am not getting any yellow ?'s. Any ideas.

Also, if your computer appears to be working good, do you recommend updating drivers that are listed whether they are yellow ? or not.(ex. video, chipset, bios). Thanks again.

 

[ktr]

leave 1394 net adapter as is. To get sound, download the realtek audio drivers and install it. I believe it would be executable. If the computer is working for you, there is no point in update drivers.

 

[fmonte]

Thanks KTR. Having a little trouble. I went out to device manager and under sound controllers there were no yellow ? and the speaker icons that related to audio were:
Audio Codecs, Legacy audio drivers, medial control devices, unimodem half duplex audio device. So I did not do the update driver thing like I did with the ethernet and the modem. What I did is download the Realtek hD driver for XP and unzipped the file and clicked on all the icons to see if they would load the driver but nothing happened. Please let me know what I did wrong. Also, I noticed in the list above that they also listed a XP audio driver for the Aspire T180. Should I try that one. I'll wait to here from you. By the way, while I was waiting to here back from you I was able to test the ethernet and modem and they are working fine. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Darren]

Didn't Acer provide driver discs for motherboard, chip set, graphics, and sound etc. Most established manufactures will, so look in the box a bit harder. It's probably laying around somewhere!

Yellow indicates that the device has not been properly installed, red means that the device is disabled. Green indicates that the device is installed and functioning. So if you not getting yellow or red, but instead your getting a listed device name in green, its all good.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Thanks KTR. Having a little trouble. I went out to device manager and under sound controllers there were no yellow ? and the speaker icons that related to audio were:
Audio Codecs, Legacy audio drivers, medial control devices, unimodem half duplex audio device. So I did not do the update driver thing like I did with the ethernet and the modem. What I did is download the Realtek hD driver for XP and unzipped the file and clicked on all the icons to see if they would load the driver but nothing happened. Please let me know what I did wrong. Also, I noticed in the list above that they also listed a XP audio driver for the Aspire T180. Should I try that one. I'll wait to here from you. By the way, while I was waiting to here back from you I was able to test the ethernet and modem and they are working fine. I really appreciate your help.

You may have to install the Microsoft HiDef Universal Audio Architecture SP2 hotfix.

 

[fmonte]

Thanks everyone, I have internet acesss, sound and fax capability now. It seems my computer is working okay now but I still have the last 2 yellow question marks still showing because in the list of drivers I could not find the "sm bus controller" or the "video controller(vga)". Could you please be so kind to look through the dropdown list and steer me in the right direction. I'm thinking that the "ati" driver may be for the video update but I am not sure and I don't want to load the wrong one. As far as the sm bus controller, I don't have any idea what that is or its function. I will wait to hear from you before going any further.
Thanks again.

 

[Grimskull]

http://www.acerpanam.com/flex/acerdrivers/bin/drivers.html?CFID=5256241&CFTOKEN=54327018

SM bus controller is chipset driver.

download the Aspire E380/T180 ATI video Driver, that should sort all of ur problems out.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[fmonte]

Thank you. I downloaded the ATI driver but I still had the yellow ? I tried to install it 2 ways.

1. went to device manager and browsed to file and highlighted it but the "next" button was not activated so that was the end of that.
2. went to the folder directly and clicked on the setup file. ATI came on the screen and I went through the entire setup and it said successful, and click finish to reboot and I did, but when I went to device mangager I still had the yellow ?

I looked in the add/remove folder and all I saw their is an ATI Uninstall folder.

So at that point I started to work on the sm bus controller(chipset driver) yellow ? I went through the same steps as above but midway through the setup I got a copy error that said can not copy the file nvsc32.exe so that is where I ended.

I went back into the device manager and this time the video controller had jumped from "other devices" to display adapter and now it was a yellow exclamation point. The sm bus controller stayed where it was and still had the yellow ? Below I am attaching the
readme file if that gives you more info to work with.

This WinXP nForce (MCP61) driver package consists of the following components:

Ethernet Driver MCP61 (v65.21) "WHQL"
Network Management Tools MCP61 (v65.23)
SMBus Driver (v4.57) "WHQL"
Installer (v5.12)
IDE SataRAID Driver (v6.77) "WHQL"
IDE SataIDE Driver (v6.77) "WHQL"
RAIDTOOL Application (v6.77)
Display Driver (v91.36) "WHQL"


OS Supported :
XP/2K

PLEASE NOTE: The Display Driver is not signed for 2K in this package.

 

[JrRacinFan]

download the Aspire E380/T180 ATI video Driver, that should sort all of ur problems out.

I think it actually just installed the display drivers without the SM Bus drivers. You will need to install the SM Bus drivers for the display drivers to completely work like they should.

 

[fmonte]

Thanks Jr, I think I already tried that, however unsuccessfully. I tried using the both the device manager update and going directly to the chipset folder on my desktop and clicked on the setup file. As i mentioned above the install started but then about midway through I started getting error messages so I aborted. Do you think you could walk me through it or tell me where I went wrong.

 

[JrRacinFan]

WIthout having screenshots of the errors I really can't help. Sorry.

 

[fmonte]

Do you think I executed the correct setup file?

 

[Deleted member 24505]

if you can get into the bios,disable the 1394(firewire) unless you use it.

 

[fmonte]

Thanks Tigger, being a noob I will try. I don't know what a firewire is so chances are I don't use it.

 

[fmonte]

could not find firewire. Please advise.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

In the bios it mite be under intergrated devices.

My board has firewire,but i dont use it either,most people use usb.

 

[fmonte]

Yes, I found it integrated peripherals/onboard device setup and I disabled something called "onboard 1394"(it was the only thing closely resembling 1394 firewire). Went back out to the device manager. Still have the yellow exclamation point(video controller) and the yellow ? for the sm bus controller. By the way should I keep the "onboard 1394" disabled?

 

[Deleted member 24505]

keep the 1394 disabled.Use the link someone posted for your board to download the driver for the video controller(your onboard video card).I believe the sm bus is a system device on your motherboard.

 

[fmonte]

I already did that, please read my psot #14. what if I uninstall those two items? Would that be bad since my computer seems to be working okay.