Onboard network adapter keeps disconnecting and also disappearing/reappearing in Task Manager... confused.

GravyMonster

GravyMonster

GravyMonster

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Hi all. I've got a really weird problem with my network adapter. It's the onboard NIC on my Asus Maximus Hero X motherboard.

For some reason, seemingly randomly, it will drop its connection. At the same time it does this it will also disappear/reappear multiple times from Task Manager. It's always shown as available and connected in Device Manager.

A video of what happens in Task Manager is here: https://i.imgur.com/lUTCnFR.mp4.

If I leave the machine alone for a couple of minutes it generally tends to sort itself out without me doing anything.

Has anyone seen this before? I've tried reinstalling drivers (which Windows claims are the correct ones for my device), manually removing from Device Manager and reinstalling. I've tried various netsh/ipconfig commands. Not sure what else to try?
 
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GravyMonster said:
Hi all. I've got a really weird problem with my network adapter. It's the onboard NIC on my Asus Maximus Hero X motherboard.

For some reason, seemingly randomly, it will drop its connection. At the same time it does this it will also disappear/reappear multiple times from Task Manager. It's always shown as available and connected in Device Manager.

A video of what happens in Task Manager is here: https://i.imgur.com/lUTCnFR.mp4.

If I leave the machine alone for a couple of minutes it generally tends to sort itself out without me doing anything.

Has anyone seen this before? I've tried reinstalling drivers (which Windows claims are the correct ones for my device), manually removing from Device Manager and reinstalling. I've tried various netsh/ipconfig commands. Not sure what else to try?
Click to expand...
Have you tried disabling all the power settings on the NIC from device manager?

Have you checked to see if there is any further NIC settings in the bios at all?

Have you tried the drivers from the manufacturers website and not using the ones from Windows update? Ther maybe more up to date drivers on there site to what Windows updates has.

Also, how often does it happen? is it when the PC is left along for a period of time or can this happen during gaming or while the PC is in use?
 
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Thanks for the suggestions :)

ED209 said:
Have you tried disabling all the power settings on the NIC from device manager?
Click to expand...
Have now - I unchecked 'allow this device to be turned off to save power'.
ED209 said:
Have you checked to see if there is any further NIC settings in the bios at all?
Click to expand...
No, although the BIOS hasn't been messed with in ~2 years since I set this machine up. This issue started in the last couple of weeks. I'll check
ED209 said:
Have you tried the drivers from the manufacturers website and not using the ones from Windows update? Ther maybe more up to date drivers on there site to what Windows updates has.
Click to expand...
Good call, also suggested by @bimbleuk, so downloading them while typing this.
ED209 said:
Also, how often does it happen? is it when the PC is left along for a period of time or can this happen during gaming or while the PC is in use?
Click to expand...
It happens at least once per day, and once it starts it's up and down like the proverbial. I use this machine all day, every day as I work from home. From 9-5 it's solid as a rock, downloading files, video calls etc. - no issue whatsoever.
However in the evenings when I'm gaming or even just watching some YT or Twitch is when it tends to start. For example, it happened yesterday while I was playing PGA 2k23 and watching a Daytona 24h live stream. So far today it's been fine, but I've just been sat browsing.
 
Disappearing from Device Manager (rather than dropping to an error state, or an unknown device) would suggest that it’s dropping off whatever bus it’s attached to (likely PCIe these days). So it’s likely to either be a faulty device (NIC), faulty connectivity to the bus (motherboard) or faulty PCIe lanes themselves (CPU).

An outside chance that firmware will fix it (drivers are very unlikely to, given the drops out of Device Manager), but to me it’s indicative of a hardware problem.
 
I updated the drivers using the Intel link above and unfortunately the issue happened again, also while playing PGA and watching a stream. I'm starting to think it may be an issue with the NIC overheating, perhaps? It only seems to occur when the GPU is under heavy load and generating a lot of heat, and also the NIC has a constant load going through it.

GPU load and 200-300kbps normal traffic is fine, but a consistent 8-17mpbs when watching a video and also GPU at full tilt = issues. I've got a few spare EEPROM heatsinks knocking about so I'll try sticking one on the NIC chip. If that fails I'll just bite the bullet and buy a new gigabit card.
 
paradigm said:
Disappearing from Device Manager (rather than dropping to an error state, or an unknown device) would suggest that it’s dropping off whatever bus it’s attached to (likely PCIe these days). So it’s likely to either be a faulty device (NIC), faulty connectivity to the bus (motherboard) or faulty PCIe lanes themselves (CPU).
Click to expand...
To be clear on that one, it's always visible in device manager. It only disappears from the 'Performance' tab of Task Manager.
 
Any firmware updates to the bios at all?

does the LAN lights on the NIC stay on or do they go off as well?
 
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Caged said:
Is the port physically damaged at all?
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Port appears completely fine to my eye. Externally it's fine, and all contacts in place internally
ED209 said:
Any firmware updates to the bios at all?

does the LAN lights on the NIC stay on or do they go off as well?
Click to expand...
Already on latest BIOS (2701). Haven't checked the lights - will keep an eye out next time it happens.
 
In addition to my previous post about cables and equipment.

What is on the other end of the network cable?
Do the windows eventlogs show anything?
 
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My theory of it being heat/high load related went out the window this morning as it happened within 2 minutes of starting the PC, as it sat idling. That's the first time it's happened so quickly.

Caged said:
If the motherboard is under warranty still I'd try and RMA it
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Unfortunately not, 3yr warranty on a 6.5 year old board.
CaNsA said:
What is on the other end of the network cable?
Do the windows eventlogs show anything?
Click to expand...
A powered network switch. All other equipment in the switch (raspberry pi, CCTV) is working fine.
Quartz said:
A loose or faulty network cable will do this. Check both ends of the cable; maybe one of the retaining clips is damaged. Try replacing the cable.
Click to expand...
This seems to be the last thing to try before buying a new NIC. Unfortunately it's a 5m long cable and I don't have any spares so I'll have to make do until a new one gets here.

Thanks for the help this far guys.
 
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CaNsA said:
Do the windows eventlogs show anything?
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Just checked, lots of instances of 'e1dexpress' throwing a 'Network link is disconnected (27)' then a few seconds later the same source logging 'Network link has been established as 1Gbps full duplex (32)'. This ties in with the behaviour in Task Manager of the connection appearing/disappearing.


To be clear, while this was happening I was doing nothing - wasn't even in the room. The cable wasn't moving and I'm not interacting with the PC at all.
 
If swapping out the 5m cable doesn't resolve the issue, try swapping to a different port on the switch.

I'm always reluctant to look at the network port on the device until all other avenues have been explored.

The switch may be up the creek, we've had some funky weather going on and power dips and micro surges can cause the item to show funky behaviour.
 
Can you clarify whether you've swapped the cable or not? I completely skipped past that as I assumed that it had been changed, but it seems like it might not have been.
 
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