Windows 7: NVIDIA nForce Network Controller Problem

Hey All,

This is my first ever post so please go easy on me:-)

Ok, here's the deal...

I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 and my PC has a ASUSTeK M2N32 WS Professional motherboard.

ALL IS WORKING PERFECT!!!!....except...my nForce network controller!

Consider this scenario, and maybe it'll explain my issue a little better:

1. I turn my PC on
   
   
2. Windows 7 OS loads
3. I open IE8 but I can't connect to the net
   (note: at this point, I go to 'Network and Sharing Center' and the network picture under 'View you basic network information and set up connections' on the right side it says 'no internet connection'
4. I then go to Device Manager and expand Network Adapters
5. Under Network Adapters, i right click on NVIDIA nForce 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet #2 --> select 'Disable' --> then I click on yes when the message appears to confirm that i want to disable the device
6. After that, I simply right click the same device and select 'Enable'.

....THEN THE INTERNET WORKS AGAIN!!!...Until I restart the PC then I have to disable/enable the adapter again!

What the heck is that all about? I have tried uninstalling/reinstalling the drivers and made sure i have the latest drivers.



Can any1 help? Much appreciated!

Hello Asuccar. Welcome to the Forum.

That motherboard has 2 Marvell 88E1116 LAN Chipsets on it.
If you are only using one LAN connection then go into the Network Connections and disable the one you are not using (#2?) and plug in to the one you are using (#1) and run it like that.

I suspect the IP addresses are changing each time you boot, a common issue using DNS and two NICs.

If you are trying to use both, then post back.

Seems like a simple driver issue but cant tell till we get more info from you.

We need your Network setup and what version of win 7.

Thanks in advance


Ken J

Hi asuccar, Welcome to the forums, Here is the link to the drivers NVIDIA Driver Downloads - Automatically Detect NVIDIA Products only install the network adaptor controller , I have the M2N32 sli deluxe mobo these are the drivers i use

In addition to what pebbly said do not install the "network management tools"; and if it is already installed open Programs and Features, locate Nvidia Drivers and perform a custom uninstall and remove it.

Thanks for all your help guys!

I tried everything you guys suggested but, alas the problem remains!

I have no idea where i should go from here...

OK, asuccar, I did a little research this morning and have come up with this from a Gigabyte forum:

The issue was corrected when the user tweaked the BIOS. They were guessing it had something to do with verifying the DMI Data Pool.
There are two ways to try this:

The first is to note all of your BIOS preferences. Then go into the BIOS and reset the BIOS optimized defaults. Reboot, go back into BIOS and reset your preferences. See if the LAN controllers are properly recognized now.

The second is to go into the BIOS and disable Quick Boot.

You can test those and let us know. This is all dependent, of course, on having the most recent chipset drivers from Asus properly installed first.

Well, did exactly that...same problem! BTW, when i disabled quick boot it took forever to load:-) after 3 reboots i almost slit my throat:-)

So, what now? What could it possibly be?

When you say "it took forever to load", do you mean "to load the BIOS"?
Or "To load Windows".
And by forever, do you mean 30 seconds instead of 15, or 3 minutes instead of 15 seconds?

A Quick boot just skips some basic enumerations. But a regular boot should not take much longer to go through the BIOS startup.
Long boot delays can be caused by incorrect, corrupted, or conflicting drivers.

It would help if you gave us your Network Setup as ZigZag asked.

No no...you know when you boot your pc and it does the 'count-up' of your RAM...well normally it takes like a few seconds to do it...but with quick-boot disabled, it takes a few minutes to 'count-up' my 8Gigs of RAM...about 5 mins! But once it finishes counting, the boot process is normal from there on.

Network Setup? What do you actually mean? Sorry, i'm not too techy...see my attached screenshot of 'Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center'...is this the info you need? I have cable internet, my pc connects to a Netgear WNR2000 router (to which my cable modem is plugged into).

My set up has been running perfectly for over a year, but when i upgraded to Windows 7 my problem started!