LinuxQuestions.org - 2 similar systems/ networking misbehavior

I am assisting a friend in installing Linux (using the Debian net installer), and attempting to connect to a Windows XP box which serves internet to us. We put the following in /etc/network/interfaces :

Code:

iface eth0 inet dhcp

Which is the same as what is in my system has, which works without problem. When we move the network cable from my system to his onboard LAN (a "Marvell 8001 Gigabit Ethernet controller" according to the manufacturor's page) , and running 'ifup eth0', the output is several lines of 'DHCPDISCOVER', with no result. Doing the same on my system gives the output:

Quote:

Listening on LPF/eth0/00:11:11:24:f2:c0
Sending on LPF/eth0/00:11:11:24:f2:c0
Sending on Socket/fallback/fallback-net
DHCPREQUEST on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67
DHCPACK from 192.168.0.1
bound to 192.168.0.105 -- renewal in 300 seconds.

When he runs WIndows, we noticed that the network also does not work until he
1) Installs the motherboard drivers and
2) Runs XP's Network Setup Wizard, disabling the firewire connection.
The problem appears to be that the firewire attempts to bridge the connection, which causes all sorts of problems (since he does not have any firewire devices or firewire/ethernet converters).

How would we go about fixing this on Linux? The obvious first step would be to install drivers for the LAN card, but googling for 'Marvell 8001 Gigabit Ethernet controller linux drivers' gives nothing of any apparent use. Am I missing a useful link in their somewhere, or is there another way to get drivers for it? Or should we be attacking this situation differently?