Realtek Ethernet LAN Card Stopped Working after Upgrade to Windows 10

[Atte]

Hello All,

I recently upgraded my laptop to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1. After that, my Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (ethernet) randomly stops working. After a reboot or "fixing" the problem, the card works for anywhere from 1 minute to 4 hours, then fails again.


Sometimes "failing" means that in control panel it shows that it is still connected, but doesn't actually work, (http://gyazo.com/5851e6acdc0b526947cc1e94b0038d12),

or other times it just shows that it is unplugged, when that is certainly not the case (http://gyazo.com/d154deef358776847419324d6a0306e3).

Troubleshooting the problem with Windows troubleshooter yields three errors, seemingly random when they each appear.

The three errors are "The Default Gateway is not Available", this error (http://gyazo.com/fd97077f10eaa6a637be32da61b94c3b), and then finally a DNS error that shows up on Chrome and the Windows troubleshooter (http://gyazo.com/4f80c18c329d4e10001d59a11db2bf58). The way the internet stops working is Chrome will stop loading web pages and give me a DNS error, shown in the most recent gyazo.

So far I have tried rebooting numerous times, (which USUALLY fixes it for a few minutes), troubleshooting with Windows troubleshooter, and changing the DNS servers to Google's (which I have now changed back to the automatic setting since my ISP, Time Warner Cable, isn't too happy about working on an external DNS server. I have also tried eight different ethernet cables, over two different networks and routers. All of this has begun after I upgraded to Windows 10.


I have tried three different drivers for the ethernet card; one from Realtek's website, one from my laptop manufacturer's website (Sager), and lastly Window's generic one, none of which have worked for me. It could be a coincidence, but it seems that if I have constant load on my ethernet card, it lasts for much longer without failing.

For example, I ran a test where I opened a live stream from twitch.tv and ran that for an extended amount of time. I have tried that 3 times, and every single time the card has not failed, with over 12 total hours of live stream watching in total now. Could be a coincidence, but I highly doubt it as the card usually fails within a few minutes otherwise. All replies are appreciated as I am extremely lost with this issue.

- Atte

 

[th_muller]

Hi,
I have exactly the same problem apart from that some websites are not accessible, and some not ...
E.g. www.msn.com/sv-se works while www.google.com does not, OneDrive works not and so on.
It is only the Real Teak Ethernet LAN card that has this problem, the wireless connection work fine.

Actually, I had the same problem in Win 7 Home Premium, a very long time (I suspected a HW fault on the LAN board) but managed to upgrade to a newer driver ver 7.50.1123.2011 (recommended on the dell support site). And it seemed to work.

Then quite soon I upgraded to Win 10 and the problem became obvious to me - again.
I tried to install both ver 7.50.1123.2011 and 9.1.402.2015 (not 9.1.401.2015 as mentioned as the"working versions for some) but it failed according to the same pattern as described in this thread. Maybe I should try to find the ver 9.1.401.2015 ...

I have tried out all the recommendations except for updating the BIOS.

Thomas M

 

[GamingInsider]

Hi,
I have exactly the same problem apart from that some websites are not accessible, and some not ...
E.g. www.msn.com/sv-se works while www.google.com does not, OneDrive works not and so on.
It is only the Real Teak Ethernet LAN card that has this problem, the wireless connection work fine.

Actually, I had the same problem in Win 7 Home Premium, a very long time (I suspected a HW fault on the LAN board) but managed to upgrade to a newer driver ver 7.50.1123.2011 (recommended on the dell support site). And it seemed to work.

Then quite soon I upgraded to Win 10 and the problem became obvious to me - again.
I tried to install both ver 7.50.1123.2011 and 9.1.402.2015 (not 9.1.401.2015 as mentioned as the"working versions for some) but it failed according to the same pattern as described in this thread. Maybe I should try to find the ver 9.1.401.2015 ...

I have tried out all the recommendations except for updating the BIOS.

Thomas M

Have you tried this?

If you can access some websites but not all of them, here are some possible causes:

Your browser could be attempting to connect through a proxy server. If so, try connecting with the proxy server turned off.

Your browser connection settings could be incorrect. To change connection settings, follow these steps:

Open Internet Options by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Internet Options.

Click the Connections tab.

Your router could be attempting to proxy DNS requests and failing. Refer to the documentation that came with your router for instructions on disabling DNS proxying.

Parental Controls, Family Safety, or some other parental control software could be blocking access to certain websites.

Or this?

The most common cause I've seen for this kind of thing is the adblock plugin, cached DNS information or overactive antivirus/antimalware. I'd advise doing three things:-

Clear the windows DNS Cache, cookies, browser cache and all other saved website data.

Check for weird entries in the computers hosts file, there could be an old entry redirecting the site.

Check for sites blocked by local or network antivirus/anti-malware, the users could have seen an alert and hit the wrong button.

I am running driver version 10.7.107.2016 of the Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller Ethernet Adapter with no problems.

 

[TheEdCase]

Hi,
I have exactly the same problem apart from that some websites are not accessible, and some not ...
E.g. www.msn.com/sv-se works while www.google.com does not, OneDrive works not and so on.
It is only the Real Teak Ethernet LAN card that has this problem, the wireless connection work fine.

Actually, I had the same problem in Win 7 Home Premium, a very long time (I suspected a HW fault on the LAN board) but managed to upgrade to a newer driver ver 7.50.1123.2011 (recommended on the dell support site). And it seemed to work.

Then quite soon I upgraded to Win 10 and the problem became obvious to me - again.
I tried to install both ver 7.50.1123.2011 and 9.1.402.2015 (not 9.1.401.2015 as mentioned as the"working versions for some) but it failed according to the same pattern as described in this thread. Maybe I should try to find the ver 9.1.401.2015 ...

I have tried out all the recommendations except for updating the BIOS.

Thomas M

After trying all the solutions I could come across, without success, I eventually gave up and installed an Intel LAN PCIe card to replace the Realtek one.

Since then, no problems.

The issue is very obviously one of inadequate Realtek drivers.

Ray

 

[th_muller]

@GamingInsider:
Have done all this when I was on Win 7 level - and it did not help. The situation was resolved when I installed the 7.50 version of Realtek driver. However, I am not sure if I passed the 3 days time period (or not) before I upgraded to Win 10. So may be the problem still remained, who knows. Guess my disappointment, when having upgraded to Win 10 and the problem was back ...
I will try to get hold of the version 10.7.107.2016. Hope it will work together with my Dell XP 8500. Thanks for your advice!

@ TheEdCase:
Yes, I have considered this as well ...

 

[Obamaupton]

I have exactly the same problem. Nothing worked for me till now. I had manually installed the newest driver but it didnt work. I reinstalled win 7 to test my erhernet connection and it worked fine there. I didnt apply the "reset" solution mentinoed above. I dont want any temporarily solutions since i work from home and the disconnection while working is last thing i want. I dont get how windows can ignore so many people. There are thousends of posts about that issue on web.

 

[th_muller]

I bought a new Ethernet LAN PCIe board (Intel Gigabit CT 9301CT) an it works rather fine ...
Some times a hick-up occurs and I have to switch to the Wireless Network Connection. Which, by the way, cannot be enabled at the same time as the Ethernet LAN Connection. This was not either the case before.
Now it turned out that they interfere with each other: the LAN card stopped working and the wirelessless connection toggled between on/off several times a second ... The solution to this annoying issue is to only have one connection enabled in the adapter settings - what a marvellous environment !

 

[SSRSGuru]

I had this problem when I upgraded to Windows 10 as well as after the Windows 10 Anniversary update. Here is my solution:

1: Open Device Manger and go into "Network adapters"
2: Right click on your Ethernet Controller and select properties.
3: Go into the Advanced Tab.
4: Scroll down to Speed & Duplex and select it.
5: Click the Value dropdown. It's probably set to Auto Negotiation.
6: I used 100 Mbps Full Duplex your Controller may be different.
7: Click OK.

Hope this helps!

 

[Travelling Hat]

[qIuotemsg=16416348,0,1565911]Does anyone know anything about this issue? or even if you have the same problem please post![/quotemsg]

 

[Travelling Hat]

I had this problem regularly after a Windows 10 upgrade,& frequently had to reboot my router and/or turn off the restart the plug-in network Realtek units- NONE of the fixes worked for long (anything from a few hours to a few days).After several months it occurred to me that the power line plug-ins were getting fairly warm!When I visited a Maplin store and recounted my experience,the fact that the Realtek units were over 2 years old seemed a significant factor to them.They suggested a Devolo Powerline LAN starter kit (for Windows 10).I bought one,fitted it ,and hey-presto...INSTANT SUCCESS and no more problem of any kind.This is also a very fast and effective item with a 3 year guarantee.- I`m not trying to sell anything ,-I`m just keen to share my experience.

 

[2dumb2care]

After trying all the solutions I could come across, without success, I eventually gave up and installed an Intel LAN PCIe card to replace the Realtek one.

Since then, no problems.

The issue is very obviously one of inadequate Realtek drivers.

Ray

My problem was not Realtek LANs not working, it was the WOL function stopping.

I too found the only solution was to install an Intel PCI card (GTXPro/1000) after trying everything, all settings, latest 2016 Win10 Realtek drivers. I have a 7 year old EVGA X58 SLI Mobo with two on-board Realtek LAN adapters which worked fine on WOL/WOW in Win7, but Win10 upgrade killed that ability. They would no longer stay on after shutdown, I set BIOS power management to wake on PCI, rolled back drivers several generations trying each iteration, no joy. Every setting configuration on several forums including this one tried, no joy.

My conclusion is my Realtek on-board LAN adapters are really old school and too old to be upgraded properly by Realtek or Win10 latest drivers and rolling back to old drivers just didn't solve the problem. Also, as Ray said, "issue is very obviously one of inadequate Realtek drivers." Still found I had to turn off the Win10 fast startup option as that also seemed to turn off the newly installed Intel PCI NIC after shutdown. WOW works just fine now, only difference is I had to set app to send 5 successive magic packets in 1 sec. intervals to get a WOL response, just one packet didn't work. Probably because the LAN is plugged into a slot rather than built on-board I'm guessing making it slower to respond. Instead of instantaneous response it takes 15 secs. I can live with that.

 

[Mathew_T]

Does anyone know anything about this issue? or even if you have the same problem please post!

hello atte,
having the same ethernet lan card and having the same problems, while wireless stays working.
Tried several drivers, even older ones but problem stays the same, very anoiing.

martin

I'm not having any success with the card even reading a connection - Like it's powered off. Worked just fine in Windows 8.1, now it doesn't exist (but wireless works

 

[srewobwj]

Initial Response: Thank you. This worked for me. In my case, I set my controller to 1.0 Gbps Full Duplex (100 Mbps Full Duplex worked, as well).

Update #1: After about 24 hours my ethernet connection stopped working, again. I'm back to square one (troubleshooting mode). My gut tells me it has to do with the power being supplied to the adapter. Windows 10 seems to be shutting it off.

Update #2: In my case, the root cause of the problem is power management. There really is no rhyme or reason as to why or when, but Windows 10 randomly cuts power to the ethernet adapter. Based on what I've read elsewhere, the problem is prevelant with "older" hardware (HP has not and will not be releasing Win 10 compatible drivers for my laptop).

To test my theory, I purchased a USB ethernet dongle and it too powered down after about 24 hours. I then unchecked the option on the Power Management tab for the Network Adapter under Device Manager that reads "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." After making that change and cold-booting, the USB ethernet adpater stayed up and running, indefinitely.

I've since removed the USB dongle and reverted back to using the built- in (integrated) ethernet adapter, having made the same change as noted above. So far it remains up and running, but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think it was going to fail, again. If/when it does fail, I'll permanently revert to using the more stable USB adapter.

Your mileage may vary.

I had this problem when I upgraded to Windows 10 as well as after the Windows 10 Anniversary update. Here is my solution:

1: Open Device Manger and go into "Network adapters"
2: Right click on your Ethernet Controller and select properties.
3: Go into the Advanced Tab.
4: Scroll down to Speed & Duplex and select it.
5: Click the Value dropdown. It's probably set to Auto Negotiation.
6: I used 100 Mbps Full Duplex your Controller may be different.
7: Click OK.

Hope this helps!

 

[iLoveMyWife12]

Hello All,

I recently upgraded my laptop to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1. After that, my Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (ethernet) randomly stops working. After a reboot or "fixing" the problem, the card works for anywhere from 1 minute to 4 hours, then fails again.


Sometimes "failing" means that in control panel it shows that it is still connected, but doesn't actually work, (http://gyazo.com/5851e6acdc0b526947cc1e94b0038d12),

or other times it just shows that it is unplugged, when that is certainly not the case (http://gyazo.com/d154deef358776847419324d6a0306e3).

Troubleshooting the problem with Windows troubleshooter yields three errors, seemingly random when they each appear.

The three errors are "The Default Gateway is not Available", this error (http://gyazo.com/fd97077f10eaa6a637be32da61b94c3b), and then finally a DNS error that shows up on Chrome and the Windows troubleshooter (http://gyazo.com/4f80c18c329d4e10001d59a11db2bf58). The way the internet stops working is Chrome will stop loading web pages and give me a DNS error, shown in the most recent gyazo.

So far I have tried rebooting numerous times, (which USUALLY fixes it for a few minutes), troubleshooting with Windows troubleshooter, and changing the DNS servers to Google's (which I have now changed back to the automatic setting since my ISP, Time Warner Cable, isn't too happy about working on an external DNS server. I have also tried eight different ethernet cables, over two different networks and routers. All of this has begun after I upgraded to Windows 10.


I have tried three different drivers for the ethernet card; one from Realtek's website, one from my laptop manufacturer's website (Sager), and lastly Window's generic one, none of which have worked for me. It could be a coincidence, but it seems that if I have constant load on my ethernet card, it lasts for much longer without failing.

For example, I ran a test where I opened a live stream from twitch.tv and ran that for an extended amount of time. I have tried that 3 times, and every single time the card has not failed, with over 12 total hours of live stream watching in total now. Could be a coincidence, but I highly doubt it as the card usually fails within a few minutes otherwise. All replies are appreciated as I am extremely lost with this issue.

- Atte

I am having the same issues, but what is going on for me is that I cannot remote into my computer from anywhere off of my network. I work in the IT Department at a school and I normally can remote into my computer to troubleshoot but I cannot anymore. I also get an error trying to log into Battle.net as well as Synapse Razor login errors as well. I was on chat help with a Support technician from Microsoft for 3 hours today and a few days ago and all they told me was that I could have an incompatible driver... Thanks for the help Microsoft. I've just gone back to the previous version till they clear up all this crap.

 

[2dumb2care]

I am having the same issues, but what is going on for me is that I cannot remote into my computer from anywhere off of my network. I work in the IT Department at a school and I normally can remote into my computer to troubleshoot but I cannot anymore. I also get an error trying to log into Battle.net as well as Synapse Razor login errors as well. I was on chat help with a Support technician from Microsoft for 3 hours today and a few days ago and all they told me was that I could have an incompatible driver... Thanks for the help Microsoft. I've just gone back to the previous version till they clear up all this crap.

You went back to a previous version of Windows or a previous version of the Realtek driver? Is your login to a running PC or do you Wake-On-Lan? I use the latter method for remote login. After upgrade from Win7 to Win10 I didn't have any luck with converting back to the old Realtek driver(s) that worked in Win7 so gave up and installed an Intel NIC adapter PCI card. That worked for remote WOL, but just uploaded the new Win10 Anniversary Update which killed the ability again even for the Intel NIC. I rolled back to previous NIC driver (no luck) and then rolled back to last build of Win10 (now can WOL again) and turned off further Win10 updates. I like Win10 OS but unfortunately cannot work around the Win10 upgrades at this time. Incompatible drivers, sheesh! If a tweak upgrade of Win10 by Microsoft can kill my newly installed NIC, what does that tell ya Microsoft, its your OS.

 

[iLoveMyWife12]

I am having the same issues, but what is going on for me is that I cannot remote into my computer from anywhere off of my network. I work in the IT Department at a school and I normally can remote into my computer to troubleshoot but I cannot anymore. I also get an error trying to log into Battle.net as well as Synapse Razor login errors as well. I was on chat help with a Support technician from Microsoft for 3 hours today and a few days ago and all they told me was that I could have an incompatible driver... Thanks for the help Microsoft. I've just gone back to the previous version till they clear up all this crap.

You went back to a previous version of Windows or a previous version of the Realtek driver? Is your login to a running PC or do you Wake-On-Lan? I use the latter method for remote login. After upgrade from Win7 to Win10 I didn't have any luck with converting back to the old Realtek driver(s) that worked in Win7 so gave up and installed an Intel NIC adapter PCI card. That worked for remote WOL, but just uploaded the new Win10 Anniversary Update which killed the ability again even for the Intel NIC. I rolled back to previous NIC driver (no luck) and then rolled back to last build of Win10 (now can WOL again) and turned off further Win10 updates. I like Win10 OS but unfortunately cannot work around the Win10 upgrades at this time. Incompatible drivers, sheesh! If a tweak upgrade of Win10 by Microsoft can kill my newly installed NIC, what does that tell ya Microsoft, its your OS.

Yeah, for now I have just been rolling back to the previous Windows 10 that I have had. I tried all of the fixes that these people have offered but I get to Driver Version 9.1.404.2015, but I cannot find the 9.1.401.2015 version online to try it out manually. Not sure where to find it to try and troubleshoot. Another thing to add is that I have access to the internet, I just don't have access to Battle.net Log in and Synapse Razor Login. I get different errors. Also, on some websites now it says that it is not safe or it shows no detail on the web page just words and links. Also, the not being able to remote into my computer from somewhere off the network.

 

[Dennis_71]

Hello all,

I had the same issue with getting no internet connection so I emailed realtek about it and they simply stated that they aren't going to make a windows 10 driver for it. So only option is to replace it

 

[Ivan_47]

PLEASE someone can say me where can i find the versione 9.1.401.2015? Its impossible to find...if someone has it please share it with the community.

 

[Bruggelink]

I have the same problem. The Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller lan card was always flawless using Windows 8.1. I always had a 1 gigabit connection in the office. Now 10 megabit, and it takes forever to connect. Not workable, the wireless functions properly, but now the client I work for has blocked wireless connections for external contractors, so I am totally lost.

 

[assodyos]

I also have the same problem with pci family controller but I also have a "code 10" device cannot start issue. I somehow found 9.1.402.2015 in my list of drivers but windows cannot start the device. Any help ?

p.s. sorry for my English

 

[Lukasz_12]

Try this latest drivers: http://realtek-download.com/realtek-pcie-gbe-family-controller/

 

[Cody Willis]

It's called 'Win10 Auto Installation Program'. I found mine from the official site at:
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=13&PFid=5&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false#1

The drivers for us are two days old.
Greetings from Kattekop.

 

[djemkitso]

I ran into a similar problem with my desktop and its Ethernet connection. The machine was built by AVA Direct using an Asus motherboard with RealTek Ethernet.

Upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 was mostly uneventful. But once Microsoft pushed the Windows 10 "Anniversary Upgrade" to me yesterday, my system lost all Internet functionality.

I tried multiple reboots, then went through all the Windows Troubleshooter scripts, and they were of no help at all.

I went to the Microsoft Store, and they told me I had to bring my machine in. I returned home, disconnected everything from the box, loaded it into the trunk and drove back to the mall. Then I carried my (very heavy) machine all the way into the Microsoft Store, waited for a tech, only to be told that they do not offer help on "custom" machines.

My next step was to call AVA Direct. Their tech support person pointed me to the proper driver on RealTek's website:
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=13&PFid=5&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false
The specific Windows 10 Ethernet driver is Win10 Auto Installation Program (SID:1883933), version 10.010.

I uninstalled the existing driver and ran the setup.exe to install the latest driver. This did NOT solve my problem.

The only thing that worked for me was to restore my system to the previous Windows 10 build (1511). The Internet came up like there had never been a problem. I don't know what to do when Microsoft pushes their update to me again.

 

[2dumb2care]

I carried my (very heavy) machine all the way into the Microsoft Store, waited for a tech, only to be told that they do not offer help on "custom" machines.
....................................................... I don't know what to do when Microsoft pushes their update to me again.

@Djemkitso: You are now at the point where I'm at, just turn off the Microsoft pushed updates. Here is how:
https://mspoweruser.com/turn-off-windows-update-windows-10/

Maybe in the future the Realtek and other peripheral equipment makers will catch up with the Win10 drivers. But in the interim, they are just havoc to deal with. I too have a "custom built" machine with a 7 year old EVGA X58 SLI Mobo with two on-board Realtek LAN adapters killed initially by Win10. The August 2016 Anniversary Win10 upgrade killed a newly installed Intel PCI card (GTXPro/1000) which I had to do to replace the Realtek on-board controllers. I rolled back to the previous Win10 build and, like you, everything worked again.

Just a following note: Every-time Realtek rolls out a new Win10 driver update, I install it out of curiosity, just as mentioned today in this thread. To date currently have installed version 10.10.714.2016, but as always, they never bring my two Realtek on-board controllers back to full function where I can WOL again using them. My problem is I'm guessing is my Mobo on-boards are just way too old to upgrade after 7 years.

 

[madmuso]

I had what looked like this problem after the KB3194496 update yesterday. But I actually realised that no networking was working at all after I installed a wireless adaptor to my PC and this failed to connect to wireless. For me the answer above - whichw as to repair my AVAST AV installation was the solution. So if anyone has Nvidea or Realtek NIC, AVAST, and KB3194496 (or any network adaptor) then have a go with the AVAST repair option and see how that works for you.

 

[fedupwithwindows]

I carried my (very heavy) machine all the way into the Microsoft Store, waited for a tech, only to be told that they do not offer help on "custom" machines.
....................................................... I don't know what to do when Microsoft pushes their update to me again.

@Djemkitso: You are now at the point where I'm at, just turn off the Microsoft pushed updates. Here is how:
https://mspoweruser.com/turn-off-windows-update-windows-10/

Maybe in the future the Realtek and other peripheral equipment makers will catch up with the Win10 drivers. But in the interim, they are just havoc to deal with. I too have a "custom built" machine with a 7 year old EVGA X58 SLI Mobo with two on-board Realtek LAN adapters killed initially by Win10. The August 2016 Anniversary Win10 upgrade killed a newly installed Intel PCI card (GTXPro/1000) which I had to do to replace the Realtek on-board controllers. I rolled back to the previous Win10 build and, like you, everything worked again.

Just a following note: Every-time Realtek rolls out a new Win10 driver update, I install it out of curiosity, just as mentioned today in this thread. To date currently have installed version 10.10.714.2016, but as always, they never bring my two Realtek on-board controllers back to full function where I can WOL again using them. My problem is I'm guessing is my Mobo on-boards are just way too old to upgrade after 7 years.

So I have been searching for over a week for a solution and found this site the best and most interested in the problem with Realtek Lan controller. My problems started with the Windows 10 anniversary update Sept 4, 2016 Got most things working and then windows tried to instlall the 9... something update that didn't work and put everything in the garbage. I have the Realtek version 10 that's out there and it fails on install with an error "configuration registry data corrupt" I'm assuming the registry. I've uninstall Realtek, delete everything I can find on my hard drive for Realtek and try again and still get the same answer. I have not found anything on the web dealing with registry errors due to the Realtek pcie gbe family controller