"Failed to install network adapter - check WINBOM"

[cyran]

Hello,

two weeks ago my network adapter and my soundcard ran away. I brought the laptop to an IBM premium partner, where the mainboard was changed with a notice all would be ok, but with a hint of the service technican that I should try to recover; the problem is still not solved.  Yesterday I recovered from a very old version, when the network adapter and sound card worked properly. Since then my sound card works, but only with cracks. That is of course not acceptable. The network card does not work anyway. 

When I boot my laptop with the ACCESS IBM button I get an error message from FACTORY.EXE "Failed to install network adapter -- check WINBOM"

I checked them, but there is no factory.exe on my hdd, as well as there is no winbom.ini on my hdd. I only found the and empty entry winbom in the registry. 

In the system manager there is no network adapter listed (instead of the wireless ones). No way to install one.

I do not know what to do now. May someone think there is a solution available for my thinkpad or should I sent it to IBM/Lenovo?

The machine is a T43p 2668 PEG.

Cheers,

Herwig

[cyran]

Nobody has an idea, right?

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm surprised that the Business Partner hasn't offered to re-install the OS for you, but then again it may be a local practice that I wouldn't be familiar with.

Try borrowing/downloading a copy of a "live" Linux CD (Mint works out of the box on any T43/p with ATi) and see whether the issues persist there.

If they do, hardware is defective and you'll need to send it back in for another repair.

If they don't, re-installing XP from scratch, after saving the important stuff on media, is the way to go IMHO.

Good luck and let us know. 

[cyran]

Hello George,

after trying an Ubunut Live CD I gave it back to the Service Partner. The problems were the same, sound scratching and no ethernet adapter. I am not confident of getting my original laptop back, because also the first mainboard change did not help.

Cheers,

Herwig

[cyran]

The laptop is now since the 11th of August in service. That makes it over 3 months and 1 week. Is there any possible to complain about that point directly to lenovo? The common "Submit a request" form seems as dead as the phone/eMail contact person at ADDAG, the company where the laptop is in service.

That really pisses me off.

[norbertosoares]

Hi

I just experienced the same problem when trying to recover a T61.

After calling support and swapping drives between 2 laptops from the same type, we nailed it down to the Recovery CD being damaged. They will send me a new one, which should arrive in... 10 days!

Luckily, I have a manually created (through Lenovo Rescue & Recovery) 6-CD+boot backup and this one seems to be able to recover the computer correctly! I should have this computer back by the end of the day.

cheers

norberto

[cyran · Accepted solution]

Hi Roberto,

meanwhile the problem is solved. In fact it was the Wireless Lan Adapter which caused the problem. After 3 months and 2 weeks the laptop is finally repaired. But I had no chance to check it yet, since I am still in Ireland an will be back in Germany at christmas.

Cheers,

Herwig