network adapter suddenly unrecognized by Windows (7 x64)?

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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i thought this might be a thread for either the Motherboard Forum of the Networking Forum, but i though i'd start here, and if the thread needs to be towed somewhere else that's fine...

so like the title says, my network adapter suddenly went missing from the device manager under Windows 7 x64. here's the evolution of the problem from start to finish (i'll do my best to make a long story short). yesterday after work, i shut down one of my dual GPU machines to swap out an HD 7950 for an HD 7970 (the other GPU is a 7970, so i'm upgrading to dual 7970's). everything started up fine at first, but then i shut down again to throw to BIOS switch on one of the 7970s, and my system froze just as the Windows desktop started to appear. i switched the GPU's BIOS switch back to where it was before the freeze, and everything started normally again. i then restarted again and tried the BIOS switch on the other GPU, only to get a system freeze again just as the Windows desktop starts to appear. again i put the switch back in its original position, and the system started up just fine. by the way, it is interesting to note that one of the GPU's switches is in position 1, while the other's is int position 2...its almost as though the stock BIOS doesn't work on one GPU, and the OC Boost BIOS doesn't work on the other...but i digress. i also wasn't crazy about my GPU temps while crunching, so i shut it down again and swapped slots (i put the lower card above, and the upper card below), and that also caused the system to freeze just before getting to Windows.

meanwhile, after resetting the machine just after it froze, a message box saying something about the BIOS would pop up during POST (i don't remember what it said...possibly something about BIOS corruption), and the system would then either freeze, or render the keyboard unusable. i'm suggesting both possibilities b/c after having entered the BIOS, my keyboard wouldn't work, yet i could see the real time clock ticking away, so i know the system wasn't frozen at that point. i finally got around the constant keyboard failure by unplugging it from the KVM switch and plugging it directly into my dual 7970 machine. this only allowed the keyboard to work intermittently while in the BIOS, leading me to think that this might in fact be a corrupt BIOS problem.

the other issue is of course the fact that my network adapter has disappeared from my device manager in Windows altogether, and i can't get online. now i know i didn't physically do anything to damage the onboard NIC chip, either while adding/removing a GPU or otherwise...and i made sure that the onboard NIC was enabled in the BIOS. does anyone here think that a corrupt BIOS might be responsible for Windows' failure to recognize any networking hardware, particularly an integrated NIC? i'm currently running an up to date BIOS, but i figured i could just flash right over it w/ the same BIOS, and that it would overwrite the corrupt BIOS (if that's in fact what i have)...what do you all think?

TIA,
Eric
 

Bubbaleone

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2011
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BIOS settings can get F'd up when switching data from the GPU's ROM BIOS. I'd start with the basics and clear the CMOS.
 

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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yeah, pretty stupid of me to overlook that...i'll let you know if that does anything later tonight.
 

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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ok, so i cleared the CMOS, but no dice. the network adapter is still completely unrecognized by Windows, and keyboard functionality in the BIOS is hit or miss (works for 5 seconds, stops working for 5 seconds, and carries on this way). i'm really not sure what to make of it.

can a corrupt BIOS chip be flashed over with a working BIOS, or must a corrupt BIOS chip be physically replaced? b/c after clearing the CMOS failed, i tried flashing the BIOS, which was successful, but obviously didn't fix any of my problems.

i suppose there's the possibility that the integrated network chip just took a crap. it wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened to me, even though it only happens once in a blue moon. at any rate, i'm already contemplating using this as an excuse to get rid of this mobo, sell off one of my Phenom II X6 CPUs, and make the jump to a multicore intel CPU and mobo. in the mean time, if anyone has any other suggestions, i'm all ears.

thanks,
Eric
 

Spydermag68

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2002
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Driver problem?

When I built my current machine I bought a Linksys 300 n and wireless n router about 3 months before the Win 7 was released.

Everything worked fine while I installed the new Win7 64-bit OS and then all of the mandatory updates. In the optional updates there was a newer Broadcom 802.11n network adapter. I installed it and then BAM. I could not get connected nor could I rool back to the older driver.

I ran a hard line to the computer to get on the internet and then finally chatted with linksys customer support who told me that I would have to shell out for a new wireless adapter that is made for Win 7.

A reload of the OS and never update the driver for the wireless card I was back in business.
 

Z15CAM

Platinum Member
Nov 20, 2010
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You could have a Driver conflict but that usually BSOD's but could Freeze.

I would try disabling any Hardware I/O you don't use on the MB which can free up IRQ's so Drivers can link too. YOu may even have to assign IRQ's to your ports manually. If you get booted I would consider flashing the 2 7970's with the same Firmware versions and upgrading the MB BIOS plus LinkSys Router firmware to the latest versions. Load latest MB VGA ChipSet, USB and NIC drivers as well.

IRQ addressing and Driver Conflicts can be a fuddle sometimes.
 
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Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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well the catch is that there is no recognizable hardware for which driver must be installed. in fact, when i run the driver installation program, it presents me with 3 options: add/remove parts of the software suite, repair the installation, and uninstall. i've only tried the repair option so far, and when i do that, the program seems to do its thing for 5-10 seconds and then tells me that there is no network adapter present, and the only option is to quit at that point. i suppose i could try the other two options first before i make any more assumptions, but it sure seems to me that its not so much a software (driver) issue as it is a hardware issue.

as for Windows updates, i only install the important ones, and i screen all the optional ones before i choose which ones to install. i have not made any changes to the network adapter software through Windows Update on this machine...ever...so i know that's not the source of the problem.

all my system-reliant drivers are up to date as well (chipset, USB, SATA, NIC, etc).

i understand that the least expensive option involving the purchase of new parts would be to just buy a PCIe NIC card, but the problem with that is that this machine is a dedicated GPU cruncher, and so i need all the PCIe slot space i can get in order to maximize PCIe lane bandwidth for my mutliple GPUs.

in the mean time, i guess i'll try to either remove specific components of the driver or try to remove the entire driver, and see if that had anything to do with the disappearance of the network hardware in Windows...of course there's always the possibility of either of those operations failing just like the "repair" operation failed due to the lack of recognition of hardware. i'll get back to you and let you know how it goes...
 

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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ok, so i ran the driver installer again, and it turns out that the option to add/remove individual driver components was grayed out and "unclickable," which left me with only one other option - to uninstall the driver completely...and that worked successfully. but it unfortunately did not make the network adapter magically reappear in the device manager. reinstallation of the network driver was also a success, but again did nothing to help Windows detect that actual hardware.

something else i did was move my OS drive over to another computer, and Windows had no problem detecting the integrated network adapter on the mobo in that machine. this is further evidence that Windows itself is not the culprit (i.e. Windows is not failing to recognize a perfectly functioning network adapter). so its looking more and more like either the integrated network adapter took a crap, or the BIOS is corrupted and unfixable, or both.

either way, despite that that i don't really want to spend money on a replacement mobo or a CPU/mobo upgrade, i also don't care to do that much more troubleshooting. the one thing that does remain a concern of mine though is this:
BIOS settings can get F'd up when switching data from the GPU's ROM BIOS.
i wouldn't say that my BIOS settings got messed up so much as the BIOS itself became corrupt. nevertheless, what would one suggest i do differently next time around when playing with the BIOS switches on my GPUs? will physically removing the GPUs before throwing the BIOS switch prevent this sort of thing from happening?..or am i doomed the instant that i plug the GPU back into a PCIe slot? if you'll recall, one of my 7970s arrived with the switch in position 1, the other in position 2. the card running BIOS 1 ran at 950mhz core, while the one running BIOS 2 ran at 1000mhz core. i don't remember how the memory clocks or voltages compared, though i'm sure there differences. regardless, both cards are voltage unlocked, so i could simply OC the core and increase the voltage on the card running BIOS 1 if i wanted to...so i can avoid ever having to throw the BIOS switch on either card if i have to...i'm just wondering if there's an explanation for and/or solution to this kind of behavior.

thanks,
Eric
 

Gorthan

Member
Feb 11, 2010
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Just a quick question, do you get link lights on the NIC when it's plugged in? I've been having similar issues with Dell Vostro's and if you have no link lights it's time to look at a warranty claim (if applicable) or throw a PCI-E NIC in there if you have the space. Regardless of drivers etc, link lights should come on even in the BIOS stage of boot up.
 

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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81
Just a quick question, do you get link lights on the NIC when it's plugged in? I've been having similar issues with Dell Vostro's and if you have no link lights it's time to look at a warranty claim (if applicable) or throw a PCI-E NIC in there if you have the space. Regardless of drivers etc, link lights should come on even in the BIOS stage of boot up.
well i have a link light - the solid green one...and it is lit up pretty much as soon as i power on. however the amber link light blinks maybe 3 times (individual pulses) during the boot process, and then not at all once i'm into Windows, indicating that there is absolutely no network activity going on. in my experience, the single network link light (or sometimes one of two link lights) blinks much more frequently than that. i don't know if that means my integrated network chip is still alive or not...in fact i have no idea what it means. i'm gonna check the BIOS one more time for missed settings (even though i've been through it a million times already)...
 

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
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well i bought a no-frills NIC (specifically, the TP-Link TG-3468) for only $13 b/c i wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on a CPU & mobo upgrade. i know i was initially concerned with having enough room for multiple GPUs, but it turns out that this tiny little NIC fits in the very top slot (a PCIe x1 slot) without interfering too much with the airflow between the uppermost GPU and the CPU.

now here's the kicker - as soon as i fired her up and got into Windows, the new NIC was auto-detected (no surprise here), but upon Windows having installed a generic driver to enable the device, it also immediately went back to recognizing my mobo's integrated NIC! not only is it recognizable, but it works like nothing had ever gone wrong with it in the first place. so i had to install a discrete NIC in order to make my mobo's integrated NIC recognizable again!?! i'm annoyed by it, but i'm not letting it ruin my day b/c i think there are more positives than negatives - i only spent $13 shipped on the discrete NIC, it restored my network connection, and now i have essentially have dual gigabit LAN (and in the worst case only single gigabit LAN if the integrated NIC ever decides to disappear again). and while i am curious to see if my integrated NIC will still function if i remove the discrete NIC, i'm done troubleshooting now that i have my connection back.