Ive just bought a new Gigabyte MA790FX-DS5 mobo but cant connect to the internet . Ive always built my own systems in the past without a hitch but this one has me stumped for almost 2 months now . I have installed XP pro , SP2 and all the supplied drivers on the mobo disk . Everything works perfectly except i just cant connect to the internet . I got so paranoid i even sent the mobo back but seeing as though the replacement did the same thing its got to be me . Ive updated the Bios and all the drivers form the Gigabyte website but still no connection. Im running through a Netgear router (wired connection , not wireless) and have 2 other pc's in the house with the same operating system and i can plug the connection into either of those and all is fine but with this computer i get nothing . Ive tried ipconfig/release/renew , checked that the DHCP and DNS are running , just about all you can think of but still get the same , limited or no connectivity ! . If i try to renew i just get 'cannot renew IP address' . Any suggestions would be welcome before i end up shelling out for a professional to look at it . Thanks guys , Steve

Gigabyte MA790FX-DS5 AM2+ Motherboard
4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 PC6400
Windows XP Pro SP2
2 x Western Digital Raptors (Raid 0)
AMD Dual 6400+ (3.2GHZ)
XFX 8800GT Alpha Dog

Make sure the NIC drivers are installed.

Go to a computer with a working internet connection, open the command prompt (Start > Run > type 'cmd' and hit enter). In the command prompt type "ipconfig /all" without the quotes. Now write down the following information:
IP Address: x.x.x.x
Subnet Mask: x.x.x.x
Default Gateway: x.x.x.x
DNS Servers: x.x.x.x
x.x.x.x

Now go back to the computer with the non-working internet connection and:

Go to your Network Connections (In Control Panel) and find the Local Area Connection (or Wireless Connection if you're wireless). Go ahead and right-click it and go to 'Properties'. Now fine 'Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)' and click 'Properties'. Now we want to "Use the following IP address:" For the IP address, type in the address you found on the other computer and add a few numbers to the last set. (Ex. If it was 192.168.1.5, change it to 192.168.1.9 or something - CHANGE NO OTHER NUMBER BUT THE VERY LAST SET OR THIS WILL NOT WORK!) Copy the subnet mask exactly as it was on the other computer, and the same goes for the default gateway and the DNS servers. (It is ok to only have one DNS address)

That should let you connect to the internet now.

If that doesnt work check the network card properties. Click the configure button next to the network card name. Now click the advanced tab. Now highlight speed & duplex play with those and see if that solves it. Some routers dont like auto on some cards others communicate with routers if they are set to 100 full or 100 half.

This should solve it.

Thanks guys , tried all the above but still no joy . If i use a static IP it does say 'connected' but i still cant access the internet . Ive done what Bravo suggested too but to no avail so have put it back to 'auto'