Compaq nc3122 intel based nic - pfsense wont boot after installing?

[tastyratz]

My pfsense box right now is a via based neoware ca2 think client with a netgear fa311 add on card. Its running embedded 1.2.2 on a DOM.

I wanted to dabble in multiwan (and just better intel cards anyways) so I picked up the cheapest intel based dual nic I could find online which was a compaq nc3122 (317450-b21) unit:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?prodNameId=406640&lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=329290&prodSeriesId=406639&taskId=135

The NC3122 is based on Intel 82558 Fast Ethernet ASIC, and should work with compaq OR intel drivers.

When I install this in the box pfsense freezes on startup. Bios boots ok, I can get to command line - but nothing via serial port as I dont have a machine with a good active serial on it.
Pfsense never actually comes up and I never get to the web interface.

Any thoughts/ideas? Am I just tanked here with a lead weight waste of money ethernet card?

[wallabybob]

If I recall correctly I've seen a few reports of problems with fxp devices over the past few months. (fxp is the Intel 10/100 ethernet.) It might be worth searching the forums for posts over the past 6 months containing fxp to see if anyone has reported something that might be helpful.

Have you tried a pfSense 1.2.3 snapshot build?