Win 10 disables network adapter

[GWB]

This occurs randomly .. not sure why. The adapter is a 82574L and it is windows 10 professional. Are there any known issues with this combination?

[n_scott_pearson]

Unfortunately, yes, there *are* issues with this adapter.

Because of its EOL status at that time, Intel chose not to support the 82574L on Windows 10. The driver you are running on is an old Windows 8.1 driver that Microsoft ported and carried inbox for compatibility.

For more information on the status of the various LAN adapters, consult these pages: Supported Operating Systems for Intel Ethernet Controllers (LOM) and Supported Operating Systems for Retail Intel Ethernet Adapters.

My suggestion would be to add a PCIe (if you can) or USB (if you can't) LAN adapter to your system.

Hope this helps,

...S

[GWB]

Well, that’s not the answer I was hoping for, but thank you. Would running it in comparability mode make it more reliable? I have ordered a usb Ethernet adapter

[n_scott_pearson]

The 82574L silicon was launched in 2008, 12 years ago! Your motherboard is likely of a similar age -- or the motherboard manufacturer used dead stock to save money and increase their profits at your expense. Either way, you shouldn't have an expectation that 12-year old parts are going to be actively supported.

This isn't an app; it's a device driver. There's no compatibility mode at the device driver level. Either it's supported or it isn't. These inbox drivers come from Windows 8.1 are were ported to Windows 10 early on. As Microsoft has updated and enhanced its driver support, these inbox driver are getting more and more incompatible. Usually, before they reach the point of inoperability, Microsoft drops support for them.

If you have PCIe support, an add-in PCIe LAN card is going to offer higher performance and have lower overhead than any USB-based solution.

...S