Windows 10 - random ethernet issues

jonessa · 22 Oct 2023 at 10:33

Hi folks,

I've just completed an upgrade build and i'm experiencing random ethernet disconnects (most notably when gaming). On average, it's about every 8-15 minutes. Log on the router states "admin timeout from 192.168.1.***"

Sometimes, the connectionn recovers after 30/40 seconds or more. Otherwise, the connection completely drops and states that there's no ethernet cable connected? Then comes back after 1-2 minutes.

Same cable as last build. Same router. Same scoet etc. Nothing has changed except a new build and fresh install of W10.

I did have a similar problem in the past, but I can't remember how I fixed it!

Any advice appreciated

Werewolf · 22 Oct 2023 at 13:23

What is the ethernet adaptor in use, or at least the motherboard?

It sounds like a possible driver issue, but what says there is no cable connected the router or the PC?
As a first step I'd probably try another cable and a different port on the router just to be safe, it could be that there is something either slightly loose or not quite right with the cable, but from what you're describing it sounds like it's possibly either a driver issue or something happening with the hardware on the eithernet port (I had one going back 20+ years that would just drop to something like ~10kbs, it turned out it was overheating, but that was an old realtek 10/100 PCI card).

jonessa · 23 Oct 2023 at 11:32

Werewolf said:
What is the ethernet adaptor in use, or at least the motherboard?

It sounds like a possible driver issue, but what says there is no cable connected the router or the PC?
As a first step I'd probably try another cable and a different port on the router just to be safe, it could be that there is something either slightly loose or not quite right with the cable, but from what you're describing it sounds like it's possibly either a driver issue or something happening with the hardware on the eithernet port (I had one going back 20+ years that would just drop to something like ~10kbs, it turned out it was overheating, but that was an old realtek 10/100 PCI card).

Thanks for the reply.

Embarrassingly, after messing with settings and drivers for a few hours, the problem still remained. I took your advice and decided to change the cable. In the 2 hours i've used it since, the problem seems to have gone. Thanks for your input!

Werewolf · 23 Oct 2023 at 11:47

I think we've all been there

I'm not going to mention the time I spent ages trying to get one of our computers that hadn't been used in a while to connect the network. It turned out when the boiler had been moved and replaced a few weeks earlier they'd enlarged the hole the network cable ran through to take another cable, and in the process damaged the cat5.
Or the network cable to my brothers computer that it turns out had a dodgy retaining clip at the wall socket and took me ages to find as it was the one connector i'd ruled out, because obviously it couldn't be that, it was behind furniture and hadn't been touched in years.

Glad it seems to be sorted