Intel I211 works with CSM selected in Boot mode select; does not work with UEFI selected.

[TWile4]

Motherboard: MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon

OS: Windows 10 PRO, 1903 (also 2004)

Net Controller: Intel I211 Gigabit

Reproducible Error:

1) Enter MSI BIOS Mode

2) Select CSM from Boot mode select

3) Log into Windows

4) Intel I211 driver is working; Properties show Power Management tab

Status value is: 0180200A, DN_DRIVER_LOADED

5) Restart

6) Enter MSI BIOS Mode

7) Select UEFI

8) At Windows logon screen, lower right icon of World with General Prohibition Sign tells me no network connection

9) Intel I211 driver is not working; no Power Mgmt tab

Status Value is 01802400, DN_HAS_PROBLEM

Want to use UEFI instead of CSM.

Attachments:

• Driver event log showing working/not working from switching back and forth between CSM and UEFI
• SSU #1 - Intel-network_OFF-UEFI_On.txt
• SSU #2 - Intel-network_ON-UEFI_Off.txt

I have screen grabs of the driver properties pop-up but it doesn't want to attach. So I have included just two screen grabs (sorry for the quality).

[n_scott_pearson]

Sorry, but all we can do is send you back to your system vendor. Since the PXE firmware is distributed as part of the BIOS, you are reliant on your system vendor for updates. If they then need to contact Intel regarding the PXE code, they can do so through their normal escalation path (hint: that's not here).

...S

[TWile4]

Thanks but pre-boot is not the issue that I think you are thinking of. It may be a BIOS issue, but I'm not trying to use Ethernet before EFI shell hands off to the Windows 10 core.

By selecting CSM, it reverts the boot loader to "legacy + UEFI." instead of UEFI. By the way, the onboard NIC is working properly within the MSI BIOS menu.

Also, I created an Apple Catalina image on a separate drive using OpenCore. When I select UEFI and point it to that drive to boot into, Catalina loads and your Intel NIC works with zero issues.

So somewhere in the booting of Windows, the driver stops. And removing it and reinstalling the drivers do not get it to work either.

But thanks for looking at my issue. I appreciate it.

[n_scott_pearson]

Ok, but there's still something fishy going on here - and it still may be the mobo BIOS' fault (I am sure they have tested with UEFI and Legacy). Intel Customer Support will need to escalate and see what the driver team has to say...

...S

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello TWile4,

Thank you for posting in Intel Ethernet Communities. 

We will try to help you check on the issue internally. Rest assured that you will receive an update as soon as possible but no later than 3 business days.

Hoping for your patience.

Best Regards,

Crisselle C

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello TWile4,

Good day!

We sincerely apologize for the delay on this matter as we are thoroughly checking on this. Please give us more time to look into this. Rest assured that we will give you an update as soon as there is any findings but not later than 2-4 business days.

Best Regards,

Crisselle C

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello TWile4,

We sincerely apologize for the delay on this matter.

We understand that you are having issues with Intel LAN driver for your embedded I211. We highly suggest contacting your motherboard manufacturer first as the software drivers linked from our page are generic versions, and can be used for general purposes. However, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) might have altered the features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to the software or software packaging they provide. To avoid any potential installation incompatibilities on your OEM system, Intel recommends that you check with your OEM and use the software provided via your system manufacturer. This could be a BIOS related as well so it is best to coordinate with you manufacturer.

Sharing the link below where you can download the driver from MSI

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/X470-GAMING-PRO-CARBON#down-driver

MSI support link

https://www.msi.com/support

Let us know if you have additional questions and clarifications on this matter.

Waiting to hear from you.

Should there be no response, we will follow up after 3 business days.

Best Regards,

Crisselle C

Intel Customer Support

[TWile4]

Thank you. I have created a trouble ticket with MSI. Also with Microsoft since it may be a UEFI core issue.

This nic works well when booting into UEFI and running Mac OS Catalina. No issues with this OS.

If I find root cause, I will share it and hopefully a fix along with it. For now, anyone searching on this topic for this specific motherboard will have to run the BIOS as CSM.

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello TWile4,

Thank you for sharing an update with us.

With this, we'd like to check if it is alright to temporarily close this request? If in case you have any update on this, you may feel free to post it on the thread.

Awaiting to your response.

In case we don't hear from you, we will follow up after 3 business days.

Best Regards,

Crisselle C

Intel Customer Support

[TWile4 · Accepted solution]

SOLUTION FOUND!

MSI issued a new Beta driver. Also, ensure an Advanced PCI setting is set correctly.

Steps to update system:

1) Download and install BETA BIOS 7B78V2E2 from MSI website. This BIOS will work with newer AMD Ryzen CPUs, too. (This BIOS is a "slim" version with limited graphics to make room for the instructions sets needed for the newer Ryzens.)

2) The BIOS settings will most likely be reset. Run through all the BIOS settings. You can enable advance networking features ("Network Stack" in Advanced Integrated Peripherals.)

Just be sure that in the Advanced\PCI Subsystem Settings, the "Above 4G memory/Crypto Currency mining" setting is set to DISABLED.

If you a creating a Dual Boot system, you can even use another OS UEFI boot manager/environment on one drive to properly load Windows 10 GPRT on another drive.

Admins: Please mark this as solution found. Incident closed.

Thank you!

[TWile4]

Before this thread is closed officially, I'd like to leave a breadcrumb trail here for someone looking for a solution to this issue. (Read the solution first, follow those steps, and then come back to this post.)

Additionally, I found a way to successfully dual boot MacOS Catalina and Windows 10 with working Intel I211AT drivers - without having to set/reset the Advanced\PCI Subsystem Settings, the "Above 4G memory/Crypto Currency mining" setting [disabled for Win10 / enabled for MacOS].

When you build the installer image for MacOS, using OpenCore, do three things:

1. When you get to the section for creating the "config.plist" (OpenCore Guide), make sure you add, "npci=0x2000" to the boot-args string value in the NVRAM section.
2. In the MSI BIOS Advanced PCI Subsystem Settings, make sure you set the "Above 4G memory/Crypto Currency mining" option to Disabled.
3. Set the UEFI boot selection to the MacOS drive and not the Windows drive (setting the two OSes into separate drives is best practice).

The UEFI boot menu from OpenCore will give you Windows 10 first and the MacOS as the second choices, respectively. You no longer have the non-working Intel chipset in the GPT, UEFI Windows 10 disk and you no longer have to fiddle with BIOS to make the switch between the two OSes.

#Ryzentosh #Hackintosh #x470 #MSI #GamingProCarbon #I211AT #Intel #Windows10 #OpenCore

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello TWile4,

Thank you very much for sharing the issue resolution with us. This would be of great help for other customers encountering the same issue.

We will now proceed with request closure. Thank you for your time and cooperation throughout the process. Should you have any other concerns or assistance needed in the future, feel free to post a new question.

May you have an amazing day ahead! 

Best Regards,

Crisselle C

Intel Customer Support