[SOLVED] Why are my ethernet ports/devices dying?

[Mediq]

I built a new pc in April 2020. After about 3 months my ethernet connection stopped working. I tried endless versions of drivers and swapping cables and modems, without solving the issue. Restarting my PC does nothing. The error I get when running the troubleshooting is telling me that there is no cable plugged in. It refuses to detect the cable for some reason. I also tested the connection using my laptop and it worked perfectly, so the issue lies within my pc somewhere. I should also mention that all other devices such as laptops and phones have not had any issues while on wifi, so the internet itself appears to be working normally. I found a workaround by using an ethernet to usb adapter for my PC, but again after about 3 months that adapter died. I bought a new adapter and that one worked for only 2 days. I then bought a PCI network card and once again it worked great, for one month... I repurchased the same NIC and the second one died after less than 24 hours. I'm guessing I need a new motherboard, but was waiting until it was a last resort. I know basically nothing about networking, so if anyone has any other solutions or information about what is causing this and how to fix it I would greatly appreciate it.

Specs:
AMD Ryzen 3700X
Gigabyte X570 Gaming X
XFX 5700XT
G.Skill Trident Z RGB

 

[bill001g]

Unless you have some strange power issue with your machine I can't see you having that many bad nic cards. It would be much more likely the cable is bad. Just because it works on one machine and not another is not really a valid test. Some machine are much more tollerant of bad cables that others. The meters to really test cables for performance are out of the price range for home users.

There is a massive amount of fake cable on the market. It has gotten to the point that more of it is fake than cable that is actually certified on sites like amazon and ebay. You need cat5e or better but more important the cable must be pure copper (no cca) and have wire size 22-24 (no flat or thin cables). A new cable is going to be much cheaper thing to try that replacing a motherboard.

What happends if you plug the USB nic cards into your laptop. Did they somehow get physically damaged. I can't see how. The USB bus is extremely low voltage and you would think it would fry the ports. If there was say something wrong with your router or switch you would think it would damage the laptop also.

 

[Ralston18]

What make and model network adapters have you been purchasing? Source?

PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition?

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer for any error codes, warnings, or even informational events leading up or just preceding the network adapter failures.

Noted that you have swapped cables and modems.

Do you have a router? Are the connections to the router direct or are the connections via wall jacks, switches, an access point?

 

[Mediq]

Unless you have some strange power issue with your machine I can't see you having that many bad nic cards. It would be much more likely the cable is bad. Just because it works on one machine and not another is not really a valid test. Some machine are much more tollerant of bad cables that others. The meters to really test cables for performance are out of the price range for home users.

There is a massive amount of fake cable on the market. It has gotten to the point that more of it is fake than cable that is actually certified on sites like amazon and ebay. You need cat5e or better but more important the cable must be pure copper (no cca) and have wire size 22-24 (no flat or thin cables). A new cable is going to be much cheaper thing to try that replacing a motherboard.

What happends if you plug the USB nic cards into your laptop. Did they somehow get physically damaged. I can't see how. The USB bus is extremely low voltage and you would think it would fry the ports. If there was say something wrong with your router or switch you would think it would damage the laptop also.

I have tried the USB adapters using my laptop and they do not work. I get the same result telling me that there is no cable plugged in. I suppose I could try buying another cable again.

 

[Mediq]

What make and model network adapters have you been purchasing? Source?

PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition?

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer for any error codes, warnings, or even informational events leading up or just preceding the network adapter failures.

Noted that you have swapped cables and modems.

Do you have a router? Are the connections to the router direct or are the connections via wall jacks, switches, an access point?

The USB adapters are Insignia brand model no. NS-PU98635/NS-PU98635-C, purchased at Best Buy.
Network adapters are TP-Link "Gigabit PCI Express Network Adapter" model no. TG-3468, purchased from Amazon.

PSU: Seasonic Focus GX-650 Gold, was brand new when installed in April of this year.

As far as the Event Viewer goes, there's a lot of stuff going on. 1 critical error and 12 other errors in the last 24 hours. I'm not sure what I am looking for here.

My modem is an all-in-one modem/router from my ISP. Connected directly to modem/router.

 

[Ralston18]

In Event Viewer you look for error codes - sometimes the codes are helpful. Other times not so much.

What error codes are are being captured? Errors, Warnings, and even informational events may prove helpful.

Reliability History is much more user friendly and the timeline format can provide a clear indication of when a problem began. Especially if the problem start time corresponds with a known hardware or software change.

For both tools, you can right click any given error for more "technical details". Likely to be cryptic and uncertain diagnostic value. Barring (perhaps) a consistent error or error pattern.

The physical failures make me suspect a PSU problem - even if the PSU is only 8-9 months old.

Are you able to test any of the failed network adapters in another known working and connecting computer?

Another suggestion I will make is to check everything once more.

Power down, unplug, open the case.

Clean out dust and debris.

Re-seat all connectors, cards, RAM, and jumpers using both sight and feel. Ensure that all are fully and firmly in place.,

Check all wires going into the connectors - wiggle gently to ensure that none are loose. Look for signs of bare copper showing. Crimped, kinked, or pinched wires. Any signs of physical damage.

A bright flashlight will help.

 

[Mediq]

In Event Viewer you look for error codes - sometimes the codes are helpful. Other times not so much.

What error codes are are being captured? Errors, Warnings, and even informational events may prove helpful.

Reliability History is much more user friendly and the timeline format can provide a clear indication of when a problem began. Especially if the problem start time corresponds with a known hardware or software change.

For both tools, you can right click any given error for more "technical details". Likely to be cryptic and uncertain diagnostic value. Barring (perhaps) a consistent error or error pattern.

The physical failures make me suspect a PSU problem - even if the PSU is only 8-9 months old.

Are you able to test any of the failed network adapters in another known working and connecting computer?

Another suggestion I will make is to check everything once more.

Power down, unplug, open the case.

Clean out dust and debris.

Re-seat all connectors, cards, RAM, and jumpers using both sight and feel. Ensure that all are fully and firmly in place.,

Check all wires going into the connectors - wiggle gently to ensure that none are loose. Look for signs of bare copper showing. Crimped, kinked, or pinched wires. Any signs of physical damage.

A bright flashlight will help.

I rechecked through everything and there don't seem to be any physical issues, loose connections, etc.

I tested both network cards in another working pc and they both are dead. No internet connection.

If my PSU is bad, would it be as simple as buying a new one and going? Or since it seemingly damaged the port on my mobo, I would have to replace that too right?

In regards to the Event Viewer, would I be able to save it and attach the file here? There are certificate warnings, Windows Remediation errors, Realtek Audio errors, some sort of System 32 LSM service buffer size error. There's no real pattern. I was sleeping the last 2 times I lost my internet connection so it's hard to pinpoint what time it happened. Are there any specific major errors I should be looking for?

The Reliability History shows successfully installing the drivers when I replaced the network card and after that the only critical events are windows not shutting down properly and Corsair iCUE display stopped working.

 

[Ralston18]

With regards to the last two paragraphs in your preceding post( #7 ) your description of multiple and varying errors is (in my mind) a good indication of a problem PSU.

Try turning off all power savers.

Run the Windows built-in troubleshooters. The trouble shooters may find and fix something.

Run "sfc /scannow" and "dism" via the Command Prompt.

https://www.howtogeek.com/222532/ho...-system-files-with-the-sfc-and-dism-commands/

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-use-sfc-scannow-to-repair-windows-system-files-2626161

Remember that a PSU provides different voltages to varying components and that if only one voltage rail has problems then the entire system can be impacted.

You have eliminated physical connection problems for the most part. (There still could be a problem somewhere that is not physically able to be checked.)

First try the troubleshooters and the Windows 10 "repairs".

Next, if nothing is found/fixed, then the next step is to test and/or swap in another PSU.

 

[Mediq]

With regards to the last two paragraphs in your preceding post( #7 ) your description of multiple and varying errors is (in my mind) a good indication of a problem PSU.

Try turning off all power savers.

Run the Windows built-in troubleshooters. The trouble shooters may find and fix something.

Run "sfc /scannow" and "dism" via the Command Prompt.

https://www.howtogeek.com/222532/ho...-system-files-with-the-sfc-and-dism-commands/

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-use-sfc-scannow-to-repair-windows-system-files-2626161

Remember that a PSU provides different voltages to varying components and that if only one voltage rail has problems then the entire system can be impacted.

You have eliminated physical connection problems for the most part. (There still could be a problem somewhere that is not physically able to be checked.)

First try the troubleshooters and the Windows 10 "repairs".

Next, if nothing is found/fixed, then the next step is to test and/or swap in another PSU.

Troubleshooting and running the Command Prompt scans/fixes did not help with my issue. Looks like I will be swapping the psu in a day or two. Thanks for the help so far, I will update again after trying a different psu.