PSA: Intel I226-V 2.5GbE on Raptor Lake Motherboards Has a Connection Drop Issue: No Fix Available

[lovingbenji]

I can confirm that for me the new "patched driver 2.1.3.3" released today on various manufacturer web site does NOT work at all (Asus Z790 Hero here)

 

[W1zzard]

I can confirm that for me the new "patched driver 2.1.3.3" released today on various manufacturer web site does NOT work at all (Asus Z790 Hero here)

View attachment 286338

Thanks! I've updated our news posts with your findings

 

[trparky]

I can confirm that for me the new "patched driver 2.1.3.3" released today on various manufacturer web site does NOT work at all (Asus Z790 Hero here)

Sadly, I knew that it wasn't going to fix things. Intel needs to recall this piece of crap already and go back to the design room.

Good going Intel, you're really making yourselves look good in the eyes of the consumer. NOT!!!

 

[Nanochip]

Aquantia. Is. Better.

 

[Berfs1]

I can confirm that for me the new "patched driver 2.1.3.3" released today on various manufacturer web site does NOT work at all (Asus Z790 Hero here)

Just curious, are you having these issues on other computers as well? Like, if you were to connect your other computer to the same ethernet cable that was connected to your Z790 board, do you still have the same issue?

 

[lovingbenji]

Just curious, are you having these issues on other computers as well? Like, if you were to connect your other computer to the same ethernet cable that was connected to your Z790 board, do you still have the same issue?

I'm sorry I can't say as I have only one computer with an i22x card on it :-/ all other devices are iPhones or Macbooks.

 

[Berfs1]

I'm sorry I can't say as I have only one computer with an i22x card on it :-/ all other devices are iPhones or Macbooks.

Do you have any other computers with an ethernet port? And is your computer connected directly to your modem, or maybe through a switch or router?

 

[lovingbenji]

Do you have any other computers with an ethernet port? And is your computer connected directly to your modem, or maybe through a switch or router?

My computer is directly connected (through a wall plug) to one Eth port of my UNIFI Dream Machine Special Edition .

Edit : My UNIFI Dream Machine is the main router and the modem (directly connected to the fiber module through a Cat6 UNIFI Network cable)

The network cable in the walls is a Cat5E F/UTP and therefore the computer's speed is set at 1Gb/s.

 

[Berfs1]

My computer is directly connected (through a wall plug) to one Eth port of my UNIFI Dream Machine Special Edition .

Edit : My UNIFI Dream Machine is the main router and the modem (directly connected to the fiber module through a Cat6 UNIFI Network cable)

The network cable in the walls is a Cat5E F/UTP and therefore the computer's speed is set at 1Gb/s.

Hmm, are your other computers also having similar intermittent disconnects? I looked online and it seems several other users were having intermittent disconnects with your Dream Machine, so see if your other devices are also having intermittent disconnects. Also, which version of the Dream Machine OS do you have installed? It seems there was a new update 24 days ago, maybe it could fix your issue?

 

[thestryker6]

Sadly, I knew that it wasn't going to fix things. Intel needs to recall this piece of crap already and go back to the design room.

Good going Intel, you're really making yourselves look good in the eyes of the consumer. NOT!!!

Except for the fact that there's nothing wrong with the controller itself so that would be a waste of time and money. It's very tiring to see people incessantly repeating incorrect information like this. I said it before in this thread and will say it again there are only three potential causes that could be related to the controller itself: a bad batch, poor motherboard implementation and/or a software problem. This is not to say there aren't potential problems with bad cabling, some odd incompatibility with other hardware (though this seems rather unlikely) or another piece of hardware that is falling. The controller itself is perfectly fine and operating correctly with other implementations.

For anyone still having problems: go physical first and swap cables/directly connect as that eliminates the easiest thing when troubleshooting.

 

[Berfs1]

there are only three potential causes that could be related to the controller itself: a bad batch, poor motherboard implementation and/or a software problem.

Yeah um... that's exactly why Intel is releasing new drivers..? which is considered software??

 

[lovingbenji]

Hmm, are your other computers also having similar intermittent disconnects? I looked online and it seems several other users were having intermittent disconnects with your Dream Machine, so see if your other devices are also having intermittent disconnects. Also, which version of the Dream Machine OS do you have installed? It seems there was a new update 24 days ago, maybe it could fix your issue?

As I said earlier I have unfortunately no other computer available with the exception of a MacBook. However I will have access to a 10m Eth cable Ugreen Cat8. I will then connect my computer directly to the DM without going through the cable in the walls. Later this week I will also buy a PCIe eth card and plug it in the computer, will see if it happens again.

Edit : And concerning the disconnections issues that may happen with the Dream Machine they are totally different and are logged into the DM system log, here for those issues the DM logs nothing, it is not the same type of issues

 

[robb]

Are you still sure about that now?

Intel Releases Windows Workaround and Patch for Ethernet Stuttering and Disconnects

At the end of January, we reported on issues with Intel's i226-V 2.5 Gbps Ethernet controllers, which are used on a wide range of motherboards with both Intel and AMD CPUs, where users were having issues with stuttering and connections dropping. Intel has now released a workaround and a patch...

www.techpowerup.com

And if you had bothered to read more about it, Intel even acknowledges this is NOT a fix and only helps mitigate the issue for some.

 

[chrcoluk]

Researched this after reading this thread, seems a nasty issue, with no wholesale side recall done from the sound of it as well, so even some newer boards to this day been manufactured with the faulty revision?

I would just say buy a pci-e card and save the hassle, but 2.5gbit cards are still not particuly consumer price friendly and modern boards have practically no pci-e slots these days.

 

[trparky]

2.5 Gbps? I have like 0.3 Gbps and I don't think I'll ever need more.

I thought at one point that a 100 Mbps Internet connection was all I needed but now that I have a symmetrical 500 Mbps fiber connection (that's over-provisioned to 600 Mbps), my thoughts have changed. Imagine downloading a Steam game in a fraction of the time. Yeah, way cool.

 

[R-T-B]

Aquantia. Is. Better.

You mean Marvell? Aquantia got bought out by them.

 

[lovingbenji]

I can confirm that for me the new "patched driver 2.1.3.3" released today on various manufacturer web site does NOT work at all (Asus Z790 Hero here)

View attachment 286338

Following a discussion I had with ASUS Support, I did a clear CMOS, installed the 0813 bios of the Z790 Hero and re-installed the network driver.

ATM since the 2 last days, I have only one e2fnexpress network disconnect when I start up the computer but after it seems it has stopped occuring. It's only 1 day and a half period of testing so I'll let you know after a few days if this actually fixed the issue for me.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Following a discussion I had with ASUS Support, I did a clear CMOS, installed the 0813 bios of the Z790 Hero and re-installed the network driver.

ATM since the 2 last days, I have only one e2fnexpress network disconnect when I start up the computer but after it seems it has stopped occuring. It's only 1 day and a half period of testing so I'll let you know after a few days if this actually fixed the issue for me.

Are you running auto or specifically set to 1Gbps in the controller properties?

In my ITX I have a i225v (rev2 chip) and forcing 1Gbps full duplex solved connection problems for me even with EEE turned on but I also have unchecked allow device to save power.

 

[lovingbenji]

Are you running auto or specifically set to 1Gbps in the controller properties?

In my ITX I have a i225v (rev2 chip) and forcing 1Gbps full duplex solved connection problems for me even with EEE turned on but I also have unchecked allow device to save power.
View attachment 286670 View attachment 286669 View attachment 286668

I've done those 2 changes, fixed at 1GB full duplex and deactivated save power.

Now even at restart I don't have the issue anymore. We'll keep you updated in the following days.

Thanks a lot A computer Guy

 

[WhoCares12]

Hello, I had to help a friend with this issue and we got to fix it.
-
Following the information found here: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/s...490-Chipset---Network-Connection-Issues-1981/
"According to Intel the only way to completely eliminate the issue is with a hardware fix on their end. They did resolve the issue in Q3 2020 but any devices manufactured before then will use i225-V instead of the new and improved i225-V2. We have identified a workaround that is detailed below."


TLDR: manually uninstall your network drivers and setup driver version : 1.0.2.8 (straight from the .inf) that fixes it:
-
Globally:
1- Check your network drivers version from the Device manager.
2- https://downloadmirror.intel.com/30301/eng/prowinx64_26_0.zip << You want that one ! (get also the last version of the Drivers just in case, in the process you'll loose connectivity).
(note that the path might be dead if you read this in several months, from Intel website you can get the current one looking for those:

3- Then from your "Device manager" your right click on the Ethernet Device and you uninstall it.

(right click on the intel ethernet connection and uninstall there - yours will be different - I am not running the same eth card in that screenshot)
4- You reboot. (you'll loose internet connexion - not stress. It's expected).

5- We'll install the driver from the .inf themselves.

You can either extract PROWinx64.exe and get to the .inf. If you don't know how to do that, you launch the ProWinx64.exe and click next. Then you go in your Temp files and search for this kind of folder:
C:\Users\<your username here>\AppData\Local\Temp\WZSE0.TMP (you can reach the temp using win+R and writing %temp% there then enter)
--
Then you open the PRO2500 folder:

then winx64 then NDIS68

Then right click on e2f68.inf

This should manually install the network driver.
Reboot.
6- Hopefully you drivers are now in version 1.0.2.8 (and not the one you saw at step 1) and your problem is fixed.

 

[Sora]

sir, this is an i226 thread, the 1.0.2.8 driver doesn't support it.

 

[enb141]

I can confirm that my integrated NIC has this issue and hasn't been fixed yet, I'm currently using a PCIe nic that doesn't has this issue.

 

[trparky]

I can confirm that my integrated NIC has this issue and hasn't been fixed yet, I'm currently using a PCIe nic that doesn't has this issue.

Isn't it sad that you have to spend more money to replace something on your motherboard because it doesn't work? God, this is a clusterf***.

 

[enb141]

Isn't it sad that you have to spend more money to replace something on your motherboard because it doesn't work? God, this is a clusterf***.

Actually I got this card long time ago, so I didn't had to spend more.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Isn't it sad that you have to spend more money to replace something on your motherboard because it doesn't work? God, this is a clusterf***.

My new board's got stepping B3 NICs, and they're noticeably better than the B2 stepping my old Strix B550-E had. These don't seem to drop connection at regular gigabit speeds like that one did.

Still, Foxville is a hopeless chipset. This thing is garbage and Intel should be deeply ashamed of it, and i'll reiterate that them doubling down on this trash NIC by releasing a fourth revision of it under a different model number only shows how absolutely shameless they are. After the second stepping containing the bugs it did, they should have just cancelled the entire project and developed another from scratch.