WAG54G LAN connection problem - help!

I'm really stuck with trying to get my PC to talk to my WAG54G - can
anyone help please? Details as follows:

I've plugged my WAG54G into the built-in (and enabled) PCI Gigabit
LAN/high-speed on my Asus A7N8X-E motherboard using a straight through
RJ45 to RJ45 cable. I'm running Windows XP Pro. Note: I've also tried
the other built-in LAN port on the motherboard with the same results.

At this stage I'm assuming this LAN port is fully working as I have no
way to test it independently.

Note: the gateway is not connected to ADSL yet as I'm not yet on ADSL!
- at this stage I'm just trying to get the gateway to talk to the PC,
and I assume that an ADSL connection isn't essential to do this. Is
it?

Anyhow ......... I can't get the PC to permanently connect to the
gateway - at first it used to try and connect about once every minute,
its' main state (according to the tray icon) being the error

'A network cable is unplugged'

- but as mentioned, about once a minute it would try and connect to
the gateway, the relevant LAN port LED on the gateway would come on,
then the LED would go off, the network port would (very briefly!)
report:

'Acquiring network address'

I checked the troubleshooting section of the gateway manual and set
the TCP/IP settings as described (although I left the DNS settings
blank seeing as it's not connected to the 'net and hence doesn't have
a DNS address to enter).

Now though, despite changing those settings back to what they were
(after they failed to make any difference) it won't try and
automatically connect about once a minute. However, I CAN 'force' it
to try and connect by going into the Gigabit (a Marvell Yukon
88E8001/8003/8010) LAN cards' Advanced configuration settings and
change the 'Speed & Duplex' settings to, well, any value then I click
the 'Okay' button - in the Network Connections window the entry for
the Gigabit LAN connection will, for about a second or two, say
'Connected' BUT will then drop back to being 'Network cable
unplugged'. One difference though to before - the LAN connection LED
on the Gateway does NOT light up as it used to at first when it was
trying to connect automatically.

The gateways' Power LED constantly flashes too.

I've tried all the options in the troubleshooting section of the
gateway's manual but no joy.

I believe that I have the first release of the WAG54G, ie it's not V2.

Is this likely to be a problem with my LAN connection on the PC
motherboard or the gateway itself?

How can I verify which is causing the problem?

Thanks

.

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