Killer E2200 lan port errors

[vailr]

Hello,
I'm experiencing some weird connection problems when using a Z170 motherboard's Killer E2200 wired ethernet port. Some web sites connect okay, while many other sites show a browser error about the site having "https is mis-configured" and refusing to connect.

Example: "The owner of forums.anandtech.com has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website."

The same system also has a PCIe card with an Aquantia 5Gb LAN port, so that the ethernet cable can be switched between the two LAN ports while the system is up and running. The Aquantia LAN port never has a problem, while the Killer LAN port may or may not give the above-mentioned type of error, depending on the particular web address. The Killer Ethernet Controller driver is version 9.0.0.46, dated 8/31/2017, which is the latest available, AFAIK. Win10 x64, version 1803, build 17134.5. Have tried all available Killer LAN port drivers, with same results for each driver version.
Would like to have the on-board Killer LAN port be up and running, as reliably as the Aquantia LAN port, but cannot determine what the failure point is?
Maybe the Killer E2200 would need a firmware update??
Note: already tried "ipconfig /flushdns" at a command prompt.
Note: Windows 7 x64 on a separate hard drive (multi-boot system) is having the same type of browser errors whenever using the Killer LAN port.
TIA

 

[Ketchup]

Make sure your time, date, and time zone are correct. Have you seen this error with browsers other than Firefox?

 

[vailr]

Yes, same result with IE11 & Chrome browsers.
Time, date & time zone are accurate.

An example using Chrome browser:
Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from forums.anandtech.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). Learn more

NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID

 

[Ketchup]

Look in the network settings when using the killer nic and make sure's set in Windows as a private network.

 

[vailr]

Look in the network settings when using the killer nic and make sure's set in Windows as a private network.

The Killer and the Aquantia LANs are both shown as being "Private".

 

[Ketchup]

Hmm.... what Antivirus are you running?

 

[vailr]

Hmm.... what Antivirus are you running?

Windows Defender on Win10, Avast Free AV on Win7.

 

[Ketchup]

I have read that Avast's HTTPS scanning can cause problems like this. Turn off that feature and see if you notice a difference.

 

[vailr]

Avast is installed on Win7 on a separate hard drive, and it's presence there would have no effect on the Windows 10 installation.
Each drive is independently bootable, via the F12 boot menu, so that there would be no way for Avast to be influencing the Windows 10 installation in any way. Both Windows installs were performed while no other drives were connected.

 

[Ketchup]

This is true. I have not seen that error apart from what I have mentioned, but I'll poke around and see what I can find.

 

[vailr]

Update: the "Killer E2200" LAN controller is also known by another name: "Atheros AR8161". The "Killer" version is designed for online gaming speed, where the "Atheros" controller is a normal LAN port. The latest AR8161 driver version is 2.1.0.27, dated 9/18/2017.
However, even with that AR8161 driver installed (in place of the E2200 driver), the same type of browser errors continue.

This page:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...2200-nic-into-qualcomm-atheros-ar8161.198899/
references Windows 8, since it was written prior to Windows10 release. But the same general procedure (using the newer 2.1.0.27 driver):
http://www.station-drivers.com/inde...ory&Itemid=353&func=startdown&id=3398&lang=en
still works with Windows10.

Note: Windows Update recognizes it as the "Killer E2200", unless manually changed to "Atheros AR8161".

 

[Ketchup]

What local ip address are you getting with the killer nic? Does it match the range of the ip address you are getting from the Aquantia card?

 

[vailr]

 

[Ketchup]

That part looks good. Has it done this ever since you got the board? If not, any approximation as to when it started?

 

[vailr]

Since the Gigabyte Z170 board was first purchased, the Killer NIC was simply disabled in bios, with a Realtek Gigabit PCIe card installed in place of it. Never attempted enabling and using the Killer NIC port until very recently.
The odd thing about it is: some web sites are working fine, but then others (such as these forums, for example) give the above-mentioned error notice.
I'll try later: physically removing the Aquantia NIC, and see if maybe the behavior gets changed.
My best guess at this point is: a firmware update would maybe fix the problem. Either that, or something is inherently defective in the E2200 controller chip, and can't be fixed.
Updated Killer LAN controller chips found on newer motherboards are now: E2400 & E2500, so maybe the E2200 version was found to be defective somehow (?)

 

[ChippyUK]

So http://news.bbc.co.uk works vs https://news.bbc.co.uk doesn't? (You only have an issue when browsing secure sites like this forum?)

Sounds like a software issue rather than a hardware or driver issue (I'm sure others with the same hardware would be posting somewhere if it was an issue between your nic and windows 10). Have you tried to scan your pc with Anti-Malware bytes - https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/? Worth a shot.

Perhaps try booting into safe mode with networking support and see if it's something additionally loaded that's causing the issue.

Good luck!