TCP/IP Does Not Function After Adding a Second Adapter (151280)

SYMPTOMS

If TCP/IP is installed and working correctly under Microsoft Windows NT and you install additional network adapters of the same model, the computer may not be able to communicate with other hosts on either network.

CAUSE

The binding order of the network adapters may be influenced by bus slot number, I/O port address, or IRQ number. When one or more adapters of the same model are added to an existing configuration, the driver may bind to another network card instead of the adapter it was bound to in the previous configuration. As a result, the IP addresses configured for each adapter may not be assigned correctly. The adapters initialize properly, but do not communicate with other hosts on the network using TCP/IP. Other protocols may not exhibit this behavior.

RESOLUTION

Disconnect all but one one of the network cables, then use PING to determine which network IP adddress is still operational by pinging both local and remote hosts. Once this is determined you can either swap the IP addresses and default gateway on the affected adapters by using the Network tool in Control Panel, or physically swap the network cables between the affected network adapters.