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Post by risman on May 9, 2020 14:44:29 GMT -5
Running Win 10 64-bit latest version. I keep losing my wired network connection. ISP is fine: I can access it on my laptop. After rebooting, everything is fine for a few minutes and then the connection disappears. Checking ethernet card in Device Manager right after booting shows everything functioning normally, but when the connection is lost, it says no drivers are installed for the card. Does this suggest bad ethernet card?
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Post by risman on May 9, 2020 15:40:15 GMT -5
I should add that I'm also using a USB plug-in wifi adapter, and the same thing sometimes (not every time) happens to it, i.e., it stops connecting and Device Manager shows there are no drivers installed.
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drcard
Software Review Panel
Posts: 580 
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Post by drcard on May 9, 2020 18:06:15 GMT -5
Hi risman,
Is this a recent issue? If so, I suggest you look at your Windows Update history and see if the date of the last update coincides with the start of this issue. If so, you might uninstall the last update and see if problem continues. The last update may have updated to a new network driver that is causing the problem.
In addition, return to the Properties of the Network adapter with "no drivers" message. What is the Code number to the right of the message of no drivers installed.
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Post by risman on May 10, 2020 11:10:36 GMT -5
I did look at my update history and last update was 4/28, but I didn't start noticing this until a few days ago. Everything is working at the moment so will have to wait until it fails again to get the code number.
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Post by risman on May 10, 2020 12:21:15 GMT -5
Same problem recurred shortly after I sent the last message. At first, Device Manager showed both the ethernet and wifi adapters as working properly (even though neither was). But Network Status showed no network access for ethernet. Network Properties showed ethernet as operational and wifi not operational (although neither were). Ran Troubleshooter, which fist said it was resetting the ethernet adapter (but didn't), then said to investigate router or broadband modem issues (but I know the router is working properly because both wired and wifi work on my laptop). Detecting additional problems found that the default gateway is not available. I tried to check wifi status and the page froze. Rechecked Device Manager: for ethernet adapter said no drivers are installed, but there was no code number to the right. For wifi adapter, still showed it was working properly!
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drcard
Software Review Panel
Posts: 580
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Post by drcard on May 11, 2020 9:13:20 GMT -5
Hi risman, Thanks for all the details as that makes figuring out the problem much easier. First, I do not think your ethernet card is bad. Why? When electronic components go bad, they simply do not work anymore. It is Extremely rare for an electronic component to develop an intermittent problem…electronic hardware either works or it doesn’t work. This leaves software as the source of the problem. Software that works for a long time doesn’t suddenly stop working unless it has been changed, which points to a recent software change….Windows Update is high on my suspect list. The problem may not show for days following an update as the actual conflict make take days of use before it manifests as a problem. The key to this problem is the default gateway not available, which is in the router (which is working for a different PC). This means the ethernet adapter is looking for the default gateway with a wrong IP address or is being prevented from connecting to the default gateway. Whatever the problem was to start, it has caused other problems including not being able to find installed drivers. Don’t feel alone as many others have reported this same “default gateway not available”. It is difficult to zero in on exactly what change caused the problem, so the best way to fix it is to try the fixes that others have used to fix their PC. The link below is a web page containing the various fixes that have fixed the default gateway not available problem. It contains instructions for each fix, but the instructions may not be detailed enough for you to follow. If so, let me know and I’ll provide more details for that fix. I suspect that one of those fixes will fix your problem, and if not the process of performing many of the fixes is the process I would use to zero in on the problem. www.auslogics.com/en/articles/fix-default-gateway-is-not-available/DO NOT click the link...redirects to a payment site. Copy the above address and paste into the address window of your browser. I tried to post this address without becoming a link; however, the software of this forum automatically converts it to a link that redirects to some payment site. This address as a link in documents such as a Google page or a Word document does not redirect. I wonder what this forum's software does to the link to allow this redirection. |
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Post by risman on May 11, 2020 18:14:53 GMT -5
Well...I tried going back to previous version of Windows. Ethernet seemed to work ok for a while, but wifi crapped out again. I subsequently found out that an AV program I'd recently added was the ethernet culprit. Uninstalling it seemed to solve the ethernet problem, although I don't know why it worked at all with that blocking feature activated. Then, following the advice in the link you sent, I looked for another driver for my wifi dongle and found there was both a Microsoft one and the Realtek one that I'd been using. The Realtek one had a 2019 date, while the MS one had a 2018 date but I switched to the MS one anyway, and that seemed (fingers crossed) to do the trick. I figured the Windows update must have replaced the MS wifi driver with the Realtek one. I reinstalled the current Windows update and looked to see what wifi driver was installed, and lo and behold it was the MS one! I'll never figure this stuff out, but all seems to be working ok...at least for the time being. Thanks for your advice.
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drcard
Software Review Panel
Posts: 580
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Post by drcard on May 11, 2020 19:57:58 GMT -5
Hi risman,
Glad you found the problems (AV and driver). Both of these were some of the steps at that site. Those steps are part of the diagnostic steps I take to fix such network connection problems which is why I posted the site (rather than type each of those instructions). The sad truth about Network connection problems is there are so many things that can cause you to lose your connection. Of the numerous "lost network connection that used to be there" problems (some even posted on this forum) that I have seen, the cause 99.9% of the time is change in security (new software or updates) or change in drivers. These two areas is where I would advise anyone with this type of problem to look to first.
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