Before You Start
If you suspect a problem with your EtherExpress 16 adapter, first boot the system to DOS with nothing loaded in memory (see "Executing a Clean Boot to DOS" at the end of this document). Then run the diagnostic program found on the distribution diskette. For ISA adapters, this will be SoftSet.exe. For Micro Channel® adapters, this will be Mcadiag.exe (never run SoftSet.exe on a Micro Channel adapter). If you do not have a copy of the distribution diskette download E16DISK.EXE from Intel's electronic services and extract it by typing its name at a DOS prompt (e.g. E16DISK A: to extract it to a floppy diskette).
To configure the ISA adapter, use SoftSet.exe or download SOFT.EXE from Intel's electronic services and use the program ISS1.EXE included in that archive.
To configure the Micro Channel adapter, use your Micro Channel system configuration utility. Booting the system from the reference diskette supplied with the computer is the normal procedure for doing this.
To test the adapter, run SoftSet (for the ISA bus adapter) or Mcadiag (for the Micro Channel adapter) and select "Run diagnostics on board", then press enter. If that passes all tests, make sure your network cable is attached and select "Run diagnostics on network".
If your EtherExpress 16 passes all diagnostics, proceed to troubleshooting documentation for the specific operating system you are having difficulty with.
From the list below, pick the sentence that best describes the problem that you are having, and go to that heading to start.
- I plugged the EtherExpress 16 into my system, and now the system won't boot at all.
- My EtherExpress 16 displays a message on the screen before the computer starts to boot.
- SoftSet/Mcadiag reports no adapter found.
- SoftSet/Mcadiag reports that the EEPROM is corrupt.
- When I run diagnostics, the EtherExpress 16 fails "diagnostics on board".
- When I run diagnostics, the EtherExpress 16 fails "diagnostics on network".
- When I run SoftSet, it tells me that every I/O address I try is in use.
- My EtherExpress 16 was working, but then it quit.
- My EtherExpress 16 passes diagnostics on board and on network, but I can not see the network.
1. I plugged the EtherExpress 16 into my system, and now the system won't boot at all.
CAUTION: If you install any new expansion adapter into a computer and the system will not power on, or the display remains blank after power on when the computer should be running the Power On Self Test, remove power from the system immediately. Do not continue until you have eliminated the possibility of electrical short circuits.
This is usually a symptom of a conflict of resources between the EtherExpress 16 and a computer system device required for booting the operating system. If this happens, move the adapter to another computer and configure it for different I/O address and interrupt. Disable the flash chip by setting "Flash/Boot ROM address" to "No boot ROM" or "Disabled" (if the flash chip is needed for a diskless workstation, change the "Flash/Boot ROM address" to another address). Set "Amount of RAM to map" to "none mapped". Save your changes and return the adapter to the affected system.
If the system still will not boot, remove the card to see if the computer will boot with the adapter out. If not, check all cables, connectors and removable components in the system to see if you accidentally loosened something.
2. My EtherExpress 16 displays a message on the screen before the computer starts to boot.
If your EtherExpress 16 displays a message before the computer starts to boot from the floppy drive or hard drive, then it is equipped with a flash chip or boot ROM. If you do not need the flash chip or boot ROM for remote booting or Intel FlashWorks software, you can disable it.
For ISA bus cards, boot the system to DOS (see "Executing a Clean Boot to DOS" at the end of this document) and run SoftSet.exe. Highlight Manual setup and press enter, then highlight FLASH/Boot ROM address and press enter. Highlight FLASH/Boot ROM disabled and press enter. Press the F10 key to save these changes.
For the MCA bus cards, boot the system from the reference diskette to configure the adapter. Use this utility to disable the FLASH/Boot ROM.
3. SoftSet/Mcadiag reports no adapter found.
This is usually the result of an I/O address conflict. Move the adapter to another system and change the I/O address to an I/O address that is not in use in the target system. If no other system is available, try removing all other expansion adapters that are not needed to boot the system and trying SoftSet/Mcadiag again.
4. SoftSet/Mcadiag reports the EEPROM is corrupt.
If you get this message, be sure you booted the computer to DOS with nothing loaded in memory. Run a virus scan on the system to be sure there is no virus present. If the problem persists, see the RMA Request Form for instructions on how to obtain a replacement.
5. When I run diagnostics, the EtherExpress 16 fails "diagnostics on board".
Failing "on board" diagnostics is usually one of four things; a resource conflict, interference from a program loaded in memory, electrical noise within the system, or a failed adapter.
Be sure you are booting DOS with nothing loaded in memory (see Executing a Clean Boot to DOS below).
Try different interrupts and I/O addresses, and disable the Flash Chip / Boot ROM.
If the steps above do not help, remove all expansion adapters not needed to boot to boot the system to DOS and rerun the test. If the EtherExpress 16 now passes all of its tests, chances are that one of the other adapters is generating electrical noise. Add the other adapters back one and a time and retest the EtherExpress 16 each time until you determine which one is the source of the electrical noise.
If removing the other expansion adapters doesn't help, try another slot, or another computer. If the adapter works in another computer, the system board itself may be the source of the noise. Try changing the adapter setting "Force 8-bit operation" to "yes". If it now works, then electrical noise within the system is the problem.
If the adapter continues to fail the "diagnostics on board", see the RMA Request Form for instructions on how to obtain a replacement.
6. When I run diagnostics, the EtherExpress 16 fails "diagnostics on network".
This failure can be the result of a bad cable or cabling component, such as a terminator. It can also be the result of an incorrect adapter configuration, the adapter's EEPROM connector map being corrupt, or the adapter itself malfunctioning. The adapter can only use one cable at a time; do not try to use more than one type of cable on the adapter.
Normally, the adapter should automatically detect the connector you are using. For troubleshooting purposes, you can force the adapter to use the proper connector. Run SoftSet.exe, select Manual setup, and then select connector type. Highlight the type of connector for the cable you are using (RJ-45 for twisted pair, BNC for thin coax and AUI for the 15 pin DIX connector) and press enter. Save your settings.
If the connector type you are using is not listed, the EEPROM map is corrupted. If you are using the ISA bus adapter, correct the EEPROM map with SoftSet by starting it in the following manner;
For the Combo card (has all 3 connector types) |
SoftSet /combo |
For the EtherExpress 16 (has BNC and AUI connectors) |
SoftSet /bart |
For the EtherExpress 16 TP (has RJ-45 and AUI connectors) |
SoftSet /lisa |
For the Micro Channel adapters, be sure you configure the adapter by booting the computer from the reference diskette and using the latest configuration file ( @628b.adf ) from the archive E16DISK.EXE. Use the "Copy option diskette" selection, then reboot the computer from the reference diskette and configure the connector selection.
If you are using twisted pair cabling, try rerunning the test with a known good cable attached to a known good hub.
If you are using the BNC connector, try rerunning the test with nothing but a T-connector with a terminator on each side to eliminate the cable as the source of the problem. Be sure not to plug the coax cable directly into the BNC connector; it should always have a T connector on the BNC connector with either a cable or a terminator on each end. Both ends of a cable run should always end with a terminator.
7. When I run SoftSet, it tells me that every I/O address I try is in use.
This symptom is usually the result of electrical noise within the system, but can also be caused by the ISA bus clock speed running too fast.
Try removing all other adapters in the computer that aren't needed for booting, then rerunning SoftSet. If the problem no longer exists, add the other adapters back until you isolate the problem to one adapter. If the problem persists with other adapters removed, try another slot.
Check the BIOS settings to see if the bus speed can be adjusted. This will sometimes be listed as CLKN or BUS CLOCK and will be a reference clock (usually the 33 Mhz PCI bus clock in PCI systems) divided by a numerical factor. For example, CLKN/4 would be faster than CLKN/5.
The system board or power supply can also cause electrical noise. If the adapter does not exhibit this symptom in another system, then the problem is within the computer. Using SoftSet to force the adapter to operate in 8-bit mode will make it more noise resistant and may provide a solution in this instance.
8. My EtherExpress 16 was working, but then it quit.
If your EtherExpress 16 was working, and then quit working even though you made no changes in the computer in which it is installed, then either the adapter itself or some aspect of your computer or network has probably malfunctioned.
Run SoftSet (or Mcadiag for Micro Channel adapters) to test the adapter, and follow the instructions in the preceding steps if the adapter fails.
If the problem occurred after you made a change to the computer or network, try undoing the change or troubleshooting the problem on the assumption that the change you made is the source of the problem.
9. My EtherExpress 16 passes diagnostics on board and on network, but I can not see the network.
Select the troubleshooting flow chart for the operating system you are using from the list below.
- DOS ODI driver (NetWare using VLM)
- Windows 95 or Windows 98
- NetWare server
Executing a Clean Boot to DOS
MS-DOS and PC-DOS
If you are running DOS version 5.0 or lower, rename the files CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT in the root directory of your boot disk, and then reboot the computer. If you are running DOS versions 6.0 or higher, boot the computer and press the F5 key when it is booting as soon as you see the words "Starting MS-DOS
" appear on the screen.
Windows 95
When booting, as soon as the words "Starting Windows 95
" appear on the screen, immediately press the keys Shift-F5.
Windows 98
Format a diskette and make it bootable. To do this, start a DOS session, then put a blank diskette in the A: drive and, within the DOS session, enter FORMAT A: /S. When it is finished formatting, reboot the computer from the diskette. You may have to change the computers BIOS settings to boot from the diskette. Enter your computers BIOS setup and look for settings related to booting or boot sequence. Change the boot device order so that "floppy drive" or "removable devices" is listed before the hard drive.
All Other Operating Systems
Find or create a DOS bootable diskette with no CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file in the root directory and boot the computer from that diskette.