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Odd Ethernet Problem


Lacius

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Hello, all. I've encountered a strange problem with my friend's laptop's ethernet connection. He's got an old Toshiba laptop (came with Vista and upgraded to Windows 8.1), and I noticed the ethernet wasn't working with a new AT&T U-Verse router; the NIC lights wouldn't even come on, and the OS says the network cable is unplugged (it's not, and I've tried various ethernet cords).

Obviously, I figured it was a driver issue and made sure to update to the latest Realtek ethernet drivers for the operating system (RTL8101E, driver version 8.032). That didn't work.

I tried power cycling the laptop. That didn't work.

I checked the Toshiba website for the ethernet drivers uploaded specifically for the laptop model. I found an old Vista driver, and it worked. I figured there was something hardware-specific that only wanted to work with it. Problem solved, right? Wrong. The ethernet would work inconsistently. Sometimes, particularly after awaking from sleep mode, the NIC lights wouldn't come on and the ethernet wouldn't work again. The driver was still the supposed working one, but I would typically have to reinstall the old Vista driver to get it working again.

After awhile, I took the laptop to my apartment for an unrelated issue and, on a whim, decided to mess with the ethernet again. I installed the latest version of the Realtek driver software I tried originally (8.032), and to my amazement, it worked perfectly with no issues. When I took it back to my friend's house, however, the NIC still refused to come on.

With the 8.032 driver, the only variable between it working and not working was the different routers. Using 8.032, the ethernet would work with my router consistently, but it would not work with his router ever. Using the old Vista driver, the ethernet would work inconsistently with his router (but it would always work immediately after freshly installing the old Vista driver).

Does anyone have any thoughts? I honestly have no idea how to fix the problem if it's router-specific while simultaneously appearing to be dependent on the driver.

Edited by Lacius
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I had a similar issue with a router from Sky. I could connect to it via a switch, but not directly. I never did solve the problem, but as Sky's service was so poor I moved from them.

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Well you have realy much trouble with it.

About that problem: I know it is not popular but which firmware your routeros use?

Try to flash it with never version (you will not lose nothing) and try again.

Did you try any of the programs for automatic driver detection (driver genoius and similar)?

Maybe you chould try DriverPack Solution (use drivers section only!).

And, yes, give us laptop model to try to help you.

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Sounds weird. What brands and models of routers are you and your friend using?

My router is a Motorola SBG6580. My friend's is from AT&T U-Verse, but I don't know the specific model.

About that problem: I know it is not popular but which firmware your routeros use?

Try to flash it with never version (you will not lose nothing) and try again.

I'm pretty sure AT&T automatically updates its U-Verse routers, but I'll look into it.

Did you try any of the programs for automatic driver detection (driver genoius and similar)?

Maybe you chould try DriverPack Solution (use drivers section only!).

Yes, during my original troubleshooting, various driver detection programs all pointed to the latest 8.032 driver mentioned above (the one that works flawlessly with my router but not my friend's).

And, yes, give us laptop model to try to help you.

The laptop is a Toshiba Satellite A215-S5815, but I've already tried the old 6.207 ethernet driver offered on the Toshiba support page. I also updated the BIOS to no avail.

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