I've run into a weird problem with the network port on my Acer H320: The network port appears dead, but its not.
This started when the server crashed and mid-way through a recovery the recovery DVD was removed from the drive (yeah, I know....) Afterwards it wouldn't boot, but the DHCP log showed an entry for the server (not the usual WHS name, something cryptic)
Tried to recover a couple times and it wouldn't. Ultimately the network link lights didn't come on and no DHCP entry was shown, so I assumed the NIC was dead and put it in the corner to deal with later. (Wife not happy about lost photos etc. I said, "They're not lost they're just inaccessible." Didn't go over well....)
So I started digging. Found the info about holding the recovery button a reallllly loooong time. After holding the button in for about 3-5 minutes, the link lights started blinking! Started the recover process and it succeeded! System rebooted and....
No link lights, server not found, no DHCP request. The NIC is obviously not dead, or the recovery would not have worked. But the link lights never come on and there is no sign of network activity.
I'm in the process of building a VGA cable so I can watch the boot process. Maybe reset the BIOS or something. There was a post about doing a full re-install but I'd like to save the data on the 1st drive (not all shares were mirrored.) But since the NIC isn't turning on during POST, I question if a full re-install will resolve the problem.
In the mean time, does anyone have any ideas what's doing on? Or how to resolve it?
Thanks,
-markr