GA-X58A-UD3R network problem

[ageNtreachery]

I have a GA-X58A-UD3R rev 2.0 that I have been experiencing intermittent network connection issues with since I purchased it about 3 months ago.

The problem appears after a restart where the Realtek adaptor is not detected and missing from the hardware list. To make it appear in the hardware list the only way I have found to reliably work is to go into the bios and use the lan test in the integrated peripherals page.

After doing this and restarting the adaptor will then appear in the hardware list but will have an error code 10 (unable to start). To clear the error I have found that by disabling the adaptor, disconnecting the ethernet cable and restarting the adaptor mostly works but Windows 7 (64) is unable to find a network at that stage.(yes i plugged the cable back in)

I have tried uninstalling and reloading the driver with varying results. Sometimes the driver installation program cannot find the adaptor and asks if its in some sort of sleep mode (using the lan bios test wakes this up) and then it always has the code 10 (cannot start)

I have tried 2 different drivers from Gigabyte and 3 others from the Realtek page but it doesn't seem to make a difference as once the adaptor starts to work it will work with any of the 5 drivers.

I have tested with 3 different routers and a switch, multiple different cables and none provide a solution as once the adaptor starts to work it works with any of the hardware.

This has happened about 10 times since I got the card and takes about 2 hours to be able to get it working again so any help would be appreciated.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.

It was not 100% clear but I take it that you are using the onboard network ports. If that is correct I would advise clearing the CMOS completely by unplugging from the wall and then pressing the power button. Next remove the motherboards's battery for ten minutes after which replace it and plug back into the mains.

Boot up and load optimised BIOS default settings. You can also make any changes to the BIOS to suit your self. Save and exit.

You haven't said what BIOS version you are running but we will try this first.

[ageNtreachery]

Thanks for the reply.  I will try to force the problem to happen tonight and see if it fixes it.

[Vortical]

I have exactly the same problem with the rev2.0 X58A-UD3R with FB Bios (latest non-beta)

I contacted Gigabyte support who proceeded to tell me to pull my work pc apart even after advising them I don't have the authority to do it. So I gave up and tried whatever I could without having to open the box.

In my efforts I actually found a fix that has worked twice so far without any need to do anything in the bios settings. It only happens once every few weeks and for me it's impossible to replicate.
And like the op it started happening with about a month of buying the pc.

Anyway on to the fix i found which hopefully helps and may help Gigabyte provide a fix for everyone.
1. Switch the power supply off at the back of the pc
2. Pull the power cord out from the back of the pc
3. Wait for the Blue Led CMOS CLR button to go off
4. Put the power cord back in
5. Power on the power supply at the back of the pc
6. Turn on the computer.

Your network should now be be back on and working.

I sincerely hope Gigabyte get this fixed as it's a really frustrating problem. Dead Network = Dead PC in our office.

These are my pc specs too

- Intel Core i7 960 Nehalem CPU
- Gigabyte i7 GA-X58A-UD3R rev2.0 Mainboard
- 12Gb Triple DDR3 1333 Memory Kingston KVR1333D3N9K3/12G i7 Triple Kit For Intel X58 i7
- 300Gb Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS
- Leadtek Quadro FX1800 PCI-E
- LG CH08LS10 Blu RAY Combo
- Antec P183 Performance One Case
- Corsair 650W HX-650 ATX
- MS Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
- Noctua NH-U12P-SE CPU Cooler

[Dark Mantis]

Thanks for your input. What you are suggesting is basically a complete power down and then a reboot. This does cure a lot of problems of this nature and is always worth trying. 

[ageNtreachery]

Mantis, I have done what you recommended and it fixed the problem first try.
I'm not sure of bios version but when it starts its says X58A-UD3R FA and the box the MB came in says rev.2.0

Is this a permanent fix and is there any value in going to the FB version that Vortical mentioned?

[Lsdmeasap]

I'd update the BIOS for sure, FA is the initial BIOS and those are always really buggy.

Latest BIOS for your board is FC
http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/BIOS/mb_bios_ga-x58a-ud3r_2.x_fc.exe

Please use Qflash to update, DO NOT USE @BIOS!

[Dark Mantis]

Mantis, I have done what you recommended and it fixed the problem first try.
I'm not sure of bios version but when it starts its says X58A-UD3R FA and the box the MB came in says rev.2.0

Is this a permanent fix and is there any value in going to the FB version that Vortical mentioned?

Generally it is only necessary to update the BIOS if you either have a problem that the update is known to fix or it will give you added features that you don't have at present. However as you are still running the very first BIOS that was released with the board on manufacture I think it would be prudent to update it. As has already been mentioned use the QFlash utility that is part of the BIOS for the update and NOT @BIOS program.

[JackF]

I also have the same problem even with the lastest FC BIOS. The trick with the unplugged powercord works but it is ver very annoying ! I hope there will be a fix for this .

[shikae]

Where there any updates on this? I am running the latest FE bios.

My computer was working normally these past few weeks. Turn it on this morning and my network adapter is nowhere to be found, with the same symptoms as the original poster.

Unfortunately my experiences with the BIOS of this board has been very negative. I gave up on using a RAID setup using the gigabyte hardware. Now this problem has happened with the network adapter. To make things worse, the BIOS will periodically disable legacy USB ports when rebooting, which forces me to clear the CMOS because I cannot use my keyboard to get into the BIOS... lol

Why am I experiencing these problems with the BIOS? Is it a hardware problem and should I contact their customer support? I had a lot of problems with the first BIOS version, and I thought I was done with problems when updating to the newest BIOS.. unfortunately that hasn't been the case.

[HonzaK]

Hi,
I think these problems are very similar to my problem which I mentioned in this thread:

http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,3927.0.html

I also use the "solution" with unplugging the cord and then plug it again and trun the PC on. I also wrote to GIGABYTE supprot and they replied:

"About the issue you mentioned, please first install the latest LAN driver then try again later. And the USB ports and PS/2 detection problem, please  follow the steps below taking off the on-board battery to leak voltage to clear CMOS then try again later.

1) Turn off power.
2) Remove the power cord from MB.
3) Take out the battery gently and put it aside for about 10 minutes or longer. (Or you can use a metal object to connect the two pins in the battery holder to make them short-circuited.)
4) Re-insert the battery to the battery holder.
5) Connect power cord to MB again and turn on power.
6) Press DEL to enter BIOS and load fail-safe defaults setting.
7) Save changes and reboot the system.

But, If the problem still occurs, then there may be a problem with the BIOS. A further testing or examination to your system might be required. We suggest you to contact your supplier for further assistance to see if they can help you do further testing on the system. If they cannot help you, please contact us again and we will try our best to see how we can assist."

I will try it but I am not sure it will help...

It looks like that this problem does not occur if I turn off the PC from safe mode (it is of course not usable as a solution better then unplugging the power cord but it looks like that could be caused by some driver/utility which is not used in safe mode and which, when the PC is shutting down, does not end end working with network adapter correctly. But I tried thi only about 5 times so I am not sure if it really never occurs.) As you probably know, all the peripherals with which we have problems (network adapter, USB) are connected to ICH10 southbridge.

I have BIOS version FB.

[shikae]

Thank you for sharing this Honzak. Yes it sounds like you have the exact same problem as me. This is quite frustrating. In your thread it didn't seem like there was much of a solution offered either. Quite a few others are having this problem as well.

I tried installing the newest drivers for the realtek lan network device that were offered on the gigabyte website, but perhaps there are newer ones on realtek's website. I REALLY hope this problem is alleviated with updates in the future.

Once I am able to use my computer again (sigh) and check again for updates, I will see if that helps. If not I will be contacting customer support.

[shikae]

Well after removing the battery and clearing the CMOS my computer is functioning as it should. I double checked my Realtek Lan driver, and I have the newest available according to gigabyte's download section for my mobo.

One thing that I did come across on Windows 7 forums, is that other people have had problems with their network adapter disappearing. Although I still think there are problems with the gigabyte BIOS, this might be of note:

Dark Mantis or anyone else, do you think that within Win7 Device Manager -> Realtek Network adapter -> properties -> power management -> unchecking "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" could be a solution?

[Dark Mantis]

Dark Mantis or anyone else, do you think that within Win7 Device Manager -> Realtek Network adapter -> properties -> power management -> unchecking "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" could be a solution?

Personally I always do this anyway.  There are a lot of problems that occur with computer systems that can be laid at the feet of Power Management Settings.

[shikae]

Even after changing the power management settings, this same problem happened again =[

This time I unplugged my PSU and switched it off, and left it off for several hours as I was cleaning/moving things around my room. After rebooting I experienced the earlier problems of:

rebooted to windows then no network adapter
restart and then unable to enter bios bc usb drivers no longer working lol
had to take out mobo battery, wait 10 minutes, reboot into bios and load optimized defaults...

grr