Built-in ethernet port not working in unibody Mac Mini

Question

Hi,
So ever since I acquired this new mac mini I haven't been able to get it to recognize any devices connected via ethernet. I obviously checked the cables and all is good there. I tried connecting it to another mac, and while the other machine was detecting a device (the mac mini) at the other end of the cable, the mac mini kept saying that the cable is unplugged or the device off.
After several days of having the issue I decided to remove the ethernet service from the network preference pane to set it up again but to my surprise, the built-in ethernet option was not available (I only got airport, firewire, bluetooth DUN, VPN, PPPoE and 6 to 4). At this point I tried removing the networkinterfaces.plist file form the system configuration folder in the system preferences folder to no avail. I then tried to zap the PRAM, NVRAM, reset the SMU, SMC and all that kind of things to get the port recognized by the system but no luck.
When I look at the system profile I get these weird results in Ethernet Cards:
pci14e4,4353:
Type: Other Network Controller
Bus: PCI
Vendor ID: 0x14e4
Device ID: 0x4353
Subsystem Vendor ID: 0x106b
Subsystem ID: 0x0093
Revision ID: 0x0001
Link Width: x1
BSD name: en0
Kext name: AppleAirPortBrcm43224.kext
Location: /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleAirPortBrcm 43224.kext
Version: 425.16.2
Comparing it to other macs I have It should read "ethernet" rather than that strange pci name on top and the kext name shouldn't read airport but something like AppleIntel and in location it shouldn't direct to the IO80211Family.kext package but rather to the IONetworkingFamily.kext.
So I popped in the system install DVD and fired up System profiler and at that point I didn't even get an "ethernet cards" option in the left side pane. So this is leading me to believe that the hardware is not being recognized at all, so maybe it's damaged. I did replace the HDD with a bigger one and change the RAM modules to bigger ones but I don't think I could have damaged the hardware in these processes, also I don't see how this would affect the ethernet port as it's integrated to Motherboard and didn't messed with it at all (I was very careful, to say the least!).
The last thing to do is reinstalling the system but I don't think it'll help (after seeing that the ethernet port is not even being detected by the install OS) but I need to offload all the data from my internal disk and at the moment I don't have an spare drive to do it.
So, what's the recommendation? A field trip to an Apple Store? Closest one is like 3,000 km from where I am right now, so...
Well, thanks for any pointers, suggestions and help in general.

Answer 1

I do not have any answers for you. Yes it appears to be reading what should be an ethernet card as an AirPort card. Have you played around with trying to install another version of Mac OS X other than the version that shipped with the Mac mini? Apple has long told us that we should not install a version of Mac OS X that was older than the shipping version. With the Mid 2010 Mac mini, the Restore DVD has the only version of Snow Leopard that will work with this Mac mini's specific hardware. At least until Apple releases 10.6.5. If you have installed other versions of Mac OS X, then erasing the HDD and installing the OS from the Restore DVD(s) that shipped with the mini may get you back to the point you need to be.
Unfortunately I think that you voided your Apple Warranty when you installed the different HDD. That was always a question in the past when folks wanted to open the former version of Mac minis and upgrade the RAM. But with the 2009 models folks started reporting here in the Apple Discussions that Apple was informing them that they had voided their warranty by opening their Mac mini. This new model made the RAM user upgradable, but the User Manual specifically states on page 43, 54 and 61 that there are no user serviceable parts in the Mid 2010 Mac mini except the memory.
Dah•veed