"Unplugged" message immediately followed by "Now Connected"

[MClif]

Hi,

I have a 7.5 year Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R motherboard running Windows XP service page 3. It has an integrated "Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet NIC" connected to Verizon FiOS.

Once or twice a year a message will pop up over the LAN icon in the task bar (the notification area in the lower right hand corner) saying the cable is unplugged. I humor it and check and as usual it is not. I move the cable to another PC and it was fine. If I wait a while or disable/re-enable it, it comes back.

I decided to buy a PCI-e ethernet adapter so I got:

• Intel EXPI9301CT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express Desktop Adapter Gigabit CT
• aka: Intel® Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter
• http://ark.intel.com/products/50395/Intel-Gigabit-CT-Desktop-Adapter# @specifications http://ark.intel.com/products/50395/Intel-Gigabit-CT-Desktop-Adapter# @specifications

I downloaded the latest XP drivers (2013, version 18.3). The installation was painless.

But, periodically, throughout the day, the following messages are displayed in rapid succession:

• cabled is unplugged
• now connected

I haven't been patient enough to sit and star and not do anything with the network.

Question: is there any debugging I can do to figure out why this is happening.?

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

Thank you for contacting Intel.

Can you please provide more information regarding your physical connection? From the adapter, to which port on Verizon modem/router was it connected?

We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for responding.

I have an ethernet cable running from the Intel ethernet adapter to port # 1 on the FiOS router.

This the the FiOS Router:

firmware version : 40.21.10.3 07/06/2014

router brand : ActionTec

model : MI424WR-GEN3I

hardware version : I

serial number : CSXI4140218738

Regards,

Bill

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for providing the details.

Make sure that your computer (with the EXPI9301CT adapter) is connected to the LAN port. The LAN port should have 4 ports. You can try to move the connection to another port. To further isolate the issue, you can try this:

1. Run Diagnostic Test on EXPI9301CT. Go to Device Manager, then right-click on the Gigabit CT adapter then select Properties. Click on Link Speed tab, you should see the Diagnostics option. Run the test.

2. Try to connect the system to another device and see if you also experience the unplugged issue.

We will wait for your test results.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

On 7/15/2015 I gathered 22 pairs of Windows Events (ID = 27 & 32) while the ethernet card was connected to LAN port 1.

On 7/16/2015 I gathered 12 pairs while connected to LAN port 2.

In both cases there were many pairs of "unplugged/plugged" messages displayed by the Local Area Connection in the Task bar's Notificaiton Area.

For your item # 2: in your reply, I don't have another device (router) to connect the system(pc) to.

The onboard NIC, i.e. not the Intel Ethernet car, would periodically result in the same unplugged/plugged messages but only a few time a year.

With the Intel etheret, card it is happening has I write this.

For your item # 1:

Summary: Today I ran those diagnostics. Everything looked normal ...

Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager

right clicked on "Intel Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter" and selected Properties

Link Speed tab:

Speed and Duplex: 1.0 Gbps Full Duplex

clicked on Diagnostics

Connection tab: clicked on Run test

Connection test passed.

Test details

This connection obtained an IP address from a DHCP server.

Ping Gateway 192.168.1.1: Passed

Cable tab

for Test signal quality

No cable problems detected.

Test details

Polarity : Normal

for Test cable connections and frequency response

Cable Offline Test

Good quality cable detected.

Test details

Cable Quality

{ This test results in 27/32 event pair }

Hardware Tab

{ takes a 30-ish seconds }

Register Test : Passed

EEPROM Test : Passed

FIFO Test : Passed

Interrupt Test : Passed

Loopback Test(s) : Passed

{ This test results in 27/32 event pair }

Regarding the Events ...

Yesterday there were 22 pairs and today there were 12 (when I stopped looking).

Event: 27 { appears first }

Type: Warning

Category: e1qexpress

User: N/A

Computer: WINXP

Description:

Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter Network link is disconnected.

Data as bytes:

0000: 00 00 04 00 02 00 5e 00 ......^.

0008: 00 00 00 00 1b 00 04 a0 .......

0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

0028: 1b 00 04 a0 ...

Data as words:

0000: 00040000 005e0002 00000000 a004001b

0010: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000

0020: 00000000 00000000 a004001b

Event: 32 { appears after event 27 }

Type: Information

Category: e1qexpress

User: N/A

Computer: WINXP

Description:

Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter Network link has been established at 1Gbps full duplex.

Data as bytes:

0000: 00 00 04 00 02 00 5e 00 ......^.

0008: 00 00 00 00 20 00 04 60 .... ..`

0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

0028: 20 00 04 60 ..`

Data as words:

0000: 00040000 005e0002 00000000 60040020

0010: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000

0020: 00000000 00000000 60040020

Regards,

Bill

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

You may try to update the adapter's Boot Agent. The Boot Agent acts like the adapter's firmware. Updating it refreshes the adapter's controller and it may fix the issue. Please find the update procedure here - http://www.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/bootagent/sb/CS-008362.htm Intel® Boot Agent — How to Update Intel® Boot Agent

In case you still encounter the "Cable Unplugged" issue, if possible, use another system to test the network card and see if you encounter the same issue. Because it is possible that your network card is defective and needs a replacement. If you don't have other system, try to contact your place of purchase for assistance. You may contact us for live support - http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contactsupport Contact Intel Customer Support

We look forward to your test results.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Look at this page:

www.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/bootagent/sb/CS-008362.htm

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Regarding installing a new boot agent ...

Look at this page:

www.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/bootagent/sb/CS-008362.htm

Step 1 says "Select the network adapter to update", I presume it meant to say "right click and select Properties".

Looking at the "Boot Options" tab, step 4 says "Click the Flash information button".

I have no "Flash Information Button."

I only have an "Update Flash" button.

I downloaded PRO2K3XP from here last week:

downloadcenter.intel.com/download/18717/Network-Adapter-Drivers-for-Windows-XP-Final-Release

The Device Manager "Link Speed" tab say PROSet Version 18.3.62.0

I was afraid to just click on "Update Flash".

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Bill

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

The tests we recommend allow us to identify the cause of the issue and if possible, fix them.

As mentioned earlier, re-flashing the boot agent can fix the issue. Please do not worry and just proceed with updating the flash ROM.

After clicking "Update Flash" it will prompt you to create a backup which serves as a "backup" should the procedure fail.

Then select the image file - BootIMG.FLB.

In case updating flash failed or caused adapter to fail, please contact our customer support team for assistance.

Sincerely,

Intel Customer Support

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Short Story: updating the boot agent did not eliminate the Unplugged (event 27), Connected (event 32) messages.

Long Story:

I had no problems following your directions.

After updating the boot agent I rebooted the system.

The adapter immediately appear with a red X.

I went to Control, Network Connections

and right clicked on the Local Area Connection

it showed Disable as an option, versus Enable

I clicked on Disable

the icon disappeared from the Notification Area

I clicked on Enable

msg: enabling

msg: enabled

I could access the internet.

But: From 3:27 am to 3:41 AM the Events 27/32 pair has occurred 7 times.

It is now 4:07 am and no events.

Question regarding operating system requirements:

I wondered if Windows Professional XP SP3 was supported:

This says yes: gigabit-ct-desktop-adapter-brief.pdf, page 3

That is what gave me the warm fuzzies that the adapter was compatible with my system.

BUT this says no: the Adapter_User_Guide.pdf, page 11, which I found in the DOCS folder after executing PROINFO.exe.

Those documents do not agree.

Which one do you think is correct! I.e. is XP supported or not.

Question regarding the cable unplugged event

Might it be the the adapter that is "unplugging the cable" and something magically reconnects it.

!OR! could it be my ActionTec MI424WR-GEN3I router that is "unplugging" the cable and it magically gets reconnected.

I logged into the router and did not immediately see anything useful.

If the router is a possible culprit, what smart question can ask of ActionTec?

Thanks for the help,

Bill

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

The Intel® Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter can support Windows* XP System with the final driver release version 18.3.

To further troubleshoot the compatibility issue, we recommend to try connecting the Gigabit CT adapter to another device.

I understand your system comes with an integrated network card, please disable it since you have installed the Gigabit CT Adapter.

We look forward to your test results.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for confirming that XP SP3 is ok.

I do not have access to another PC with PCIe slots.

The integrated network card has been disabled. Device manager properties shows:

This device is disabled. (Code 22)

Device Usage: Do not use this device (disable)

In Network Interfaces, when I right click on it, the only choice is to enable it.

Driver Levels

Regarding the driver level. I did download PRO2K3XP_32.exe from the download center. On that page is see "Version 18.3" that you mentioned above,

But, when I go to Device Manager, right click on the Intel adapter, select properties and click on the Driver tab, it says the driver version is 12.7.27.0 with a date of 3/27/2013.

Question: is that driver version mismatch a concern?

More data about the frequency

For those who are interested in the frequency of the drops/connects, I decided to gather more events. Yesterday after noon, I cleared the event log around 1 PM. Entries began at 12:57 PM (i.e. after noon on Thursday) and ended at 1:14 AM this morning,

Friday. I looked at it at 2:30 AM when I saw the red X sitting on the icon in the Notification Area of the Task Bar.

During that approximate 12 hour period there were 14 drops (# 27) and 13 connects (# 32).

These are the minutes between drops from 12:57 pm to 6:19 pm

15.0, 0.9, 0.3, 44.1, 17.0, 11.1, 24.8, 36.6, 76.6, 7.4, 88.8

Then there is a 296 minute gap, almost 5 hours. I had stopped using the PC around 5:30 pm

These are the minutes between drops from 11:15 pm to 11:27 pm

7.4, 3.8

After the last drop there was not "automatic reconnect".

No more events appear until about 1 3/4 hours later at 1:14 am when event # 1003 appeared:

Your computer was not able to renew its address from the network from the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address 6805CA35EAEC.

The following error occurred:

The semaphore timeout period has expired.

Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its

own from the network address (DHCP) server.

Via Network Connections I disabled the adapter which caused the red X icon to disappear. The subsequent Enable worked and I could access the internet.

Since then there were about 8 pairs of # 27/# 32 and then at 6:35 am it did not reconnect automatically and I had to manually disable/enable.

I apologize for the information overload!

Thanks,

Bill.

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for updating us on your test results.

There's no issue with the driver and software version mismatch. Our driver package contains drivers for different adapter models. That's why the adapter's driver version is usually different from the Proset Software version.

Looking at the error messages, it seems like the Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter wasn't able to hold on to the IP Address issued by the router. Let's see if it would help if you enter a fix IP address to your CT Desktop Adapter. Please see steps below:

1. When the CT Adapter is connected, open a command prompt by clicking on START , then select RUN, enter cmd.

2. In command prompt, enter ipconfig /all. This will display your IP settings. Note the IP Address, DNS Server Address.

3. Enter these IP Addresses to the CT Adapter in properties. Refer to the website: https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/howto_enable_dhcp.mspx?mfr=true Configure TCP/IP Settings

Hope this help fix the disconnection issue.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Short story: using fixed address for adapter and the DNS server didn't help.

Long Story:

Still getting the # 27/# 32 Event ID pairs.

"ipconfig /all" before switching to fixed addresses

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : winxp

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : home

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 4:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 68-05-CA-35-EA-EC

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.4

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Monday, July 27, 2015 6:19:51 AM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, July 28, 2015 6:19:51 AM

"ipconfig /all" AFTER switching to fixed addresses

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : winxp

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 4:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 68-05-CA-35-EA-EC

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.4

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

P.S. I have another problem which is lower priority than this. When connected to the internet and playing music via Firewire, I periodically get a Blue Screen of Death. I will submit another item about that.

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

I'm sorry to see that you are still encountering the disconnection problem.

Please set the speed and duplex for both the Gigabit CT Adapter and the ActionTec ports. The default settings is auto-negotiation. Try the combination 100mbps/full duplex and 1000mbps/full duplex. See if it improves the connection.

However, if you continue to experience the unplugging issue, here's what you can do:

1. Test the adapter on another system, if you encounter the same issue, the adapter is defective.

2. Contact your internet service provider for assistance on the switch.

3. Check your operating system. Event ID 27 is an error in authentication while Event ID 32 means the random disconnection.

It could be that you're getting random disconnection due to authentication failed.

Please update us on your test results.

Sincerely,

Sandy

[MClif]

Hi Sandy,

Regrading suggestion 1: I don't have another PC with PCIe slots.

Time has run out for further debugging. I have to turn the PC over to someone else for a few months and they won't be using the Intel Ethernet card.

Thanks for the help,

Bill

[SYeo3]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your reply and taking the time to run the tests. It's just too bad that we weren't able to resolve the issue. Anyway, if you should need our assistance, feel free to contact us again. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Sandy