Connecting to a LAN with a Loopback adapter

[foam]

I got this computer (pretty good) from my step dad's work, I installed XP on it and reinstalled the network adapter, which was a loopback adapter. My question is (And I'm almost sure you can) How do you connect to a lan on a loopback adapter?

If I go to network connections/properties/configure, The two options are "Medium" (which apparently is just how I'm connecting; ethernet, pl, etc.) and Network adress, which is just blank.

I understand that if I go to my ipconfig on this computer that I should be able to get a network adress/mask/myown ip, but when I do that on the computer with the loopback, it'll only show what I've put in manually. Are there any specifics I should be putting under IP on the loopback controls, anything under "network address" (I've tried submask/my own/routers), What should I do? A step by step lesson or tutorial would be nice :(

Thanks.

Edit: And before you ask, I've pinged 127.0.0.1, it works fine.

[foam]

Hmm, it would appear I've done all this for nothing. From what I understand loopback is just a virtual network adapter and doesn't physically exist. But, I do have a network adapter installed into my motherboard already, yet it's not being detected and isn't selectable from the list when I do it manually. the only network adapter that shows up is Loopback adapter. NOW I'M GETTING PISSED. Any help would be appreciated.

[foam]

Okay, after sticking my head into the computer tower I've found out that the network adapter is:

3COM 3C9050 Fast Etherlink (XL-PCI), with 10/100base TX.

Information I got out of it that might be useful:

3C9050
FAST ETHERLINK
XL-PCI
3COM
10/100BASE TX
"3COM 40-0483-004"
"LUCENT 40-0483"
"410E"

[foam]

--Sorry for the spamming, but I can't edit for 30 minutes.--

I just downloaded the network driver from 3COM's official site. It was a 3C905B Network driver, and after putting it on disk/installing, and the past 4 hours of work I've done, it seems it's all gone to waste. Apparently it doesn't work with Windows XP, or something like that. "Cannot start device (error 10)" Or something along those lines. Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated.

[MartyMcFly]

Depending on how your PC is working, you could either try a reinstall of windows or a repair. I'm only speculating, but this might configure the device automatically, and would be what I might do in your situation.

Not much help I admit.

[Libertate]

If that NIC is truly a 3c905, XP would have found it, and would have had the drivers. It comes with the core XP OS.

But.

1) uninstall all the garbage stuff from 3COM. Reinstall just the drivers into a directory (something simple off the root).
2) remove all network devices from the device manager
3.1) let XP search for it (might happen in a few seconds after you remove it from the dev. manager), or use the auto add wizard
4) if it does not find it, and this isn't second time over, check hardware setup
4.1) power down box, remove card, and reseat in slot
4.2) double check if there are any jumpers on 3c905 that needs added/removed
4.3) go back to step 2
5) must be second time over, so restart the add hardware but this time tell XP NOT to search for hardware, and point it to the directory where you installed the 3C drivers

Let us know what happened.