When NICs and Mice Collide

So it turned out that this problem seems to have been caused by either a network card that got subtly fried, or possibly a hardware conflict that shouldn’t really be possible.  It started, after all, when I switched from USB to PS/2 mouse, and the server in question acted funny and required a reboot after inexplicably “installing software for the new hardware.”

As of when I left them yesterday, they could ping each other.  Previously I was getting one-way pings, which is why I said “subtly fried.” I have to test again when I get there this morning to confirm my findings, and someone pointed out a utility I apparently can use to diagnose it as well.  I’m prepared to replace the network card, but for all I know, removing the mouse and forcing the existing primary network card to reinstall will do it.

Of course, I’ve mangled active directory and DNS thinking it was a settings problem, before I noticed event log errors starting at the time I switched mice.  It might still be best to start over, armed with what I’ve learned.  But we’ll see.

<< Back to main