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AC 7260 Wireless Card Fails with Windows 10 2017 Fall Creator's Update (KB4054517)

HReiv
Beginner
12,770 Views

I am having issues where my wireless card fails, often into an irrecoverable state. I am using an AC 7260 card in a Lenovo Y50-70, running Windows 10. I have tracked the issue to a specific Windows update and have found a viable short-term workaround. My intent is to post the information here, both for others to benefit from, and for Intel to be made aware of the issue, as this will require a driver fix in the long term.

SYMPTOMS

My symptoms are pretty much identical to other similarly-reported issues with previous updates. An excellent example can be found here:

A brief summary:

-Network connectivity would sporadically fail. Sometimes, it would recover on its own after a moment.

-When the network card could not recover, it would hang in a "stalled" state. At this point, the wireless claims to be connected, but without internet connectivity.

-In the stalled state, no more networks are visible (even though many are usually accessible and still functioning with my other devices).

-In the stalled state, attempting to access the AC7260 from the Device Manager would often fail, leaving to a non-responsive window.

-In the stalled state, powering down or rebooting would fail - the computer would initiate the process, but would simply freeze on a blanks screen before completing the shutdown or reboot procedure. A forced manual power down would be necessary.

-After a forced manual powerdown, the wireless card would function normally again, until failing later - usually within 24 hours, sometimes within 10 minutes.

When these symptoms present themselves, there would be similar corresponding Events in the Windows Event Log, identical to those reported in this thread:

Example event text:

-EXAMPLE EVENT ONE

"The description for Event ID 5032 from source NETwNb64 cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\Device\NDMP2

Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260

The specified resource type cannot be found in the image file"

-EXAMPLE EVENT TWO

"WLAN AutoConfig detected limited connectivity, attempting automatic recovery.

Recovery Type: 4

Error Code: 0x0

Trigger Reason: 12

IP Family: 4"

-EXAMPLE EVENT THREE

 

"The network interface "Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260" has begun resetting. There will be a momentary disruption in network connectivity while the hardware resets. Reason: The network driver requested that it be reset. This network interface has reset 1 time(s) since it was last initialized."

Investigation Steps

I have been dealing with this issue for a few months now. Combing through my system's event logs, I found the above events began occurring on Dec 13, 2017. This corresponds to the date of a Windows Update installed on my computer, "Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems (KB4054517)". I believe this is the 2017 Fall Creator's Update. Unlike other Windows Updates, this one CANNOT be uninstalled or removed.

My BIOS is up to date.

I tested multiple drivers to see if the issue could be resolved. My default AC7260 driver is 18.12.0.3 (7/16/2015). This driver did not work.

The latest driver provided by Intel is 18.33.11.2 (10/31/2017). This driver did not work.

The latest driver provided by Lenovo is 18.12.0.3 (7/27/2016). This driver did not work.

There is a Microsoft driver, 17.15.0.5 (2/22/2015). This driver DOES work.

I also tried installing the Intel PROSet wireless software package (latest version 20.30.1). This package (and the accompanying driver, 18.12.0.3) did not work.

Short Term Solution

As stated above, the driver from 2/22/2015 (version 17.15.0.5) works without issues, for several weeks now. I also have to manually prevent Windows Update from automatically updating drivers - otherwise, the only working driver I have will be replaced with a later, broken version. This should work for others in the same situation as myself.

Long Term Solution

In the long-term, Intel will need to release a new version of their drivers which is compatible with Windows Update KB4054517. I have functional internet in the short-term - however, that's with a set of drivers that is now three years out of date, which is not an acceptable long-term solution. My hope is that the information provided here will allow them to perform their own investigation so that such a fix can be developed and released.

I would appreciate it if a rep from Intel could reply to this and confirm that their software developers have been informed of this issue, provided with the above information, and are now working on a fix.

23 Replies
idata
Employee
4,206 Views

Hello haytil,

 

 

Thank you for sharing your troubleshooting steps and workaround suggestions.

 

 

Since the https://ark.intel.com/products/75174/Intel-Wireless-N-7260 Intel® Wireless-N 7260, https://ark.intel.com/products/75440/Intel-Dual-Band-Wireless-N-7260 Intel® Dual Band Wireless-N 7260, and https://ark.intel.com/products/75439/Intel-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC-7260 Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 have been discontinued, I'm not currently aware of any plans to release new drivers for these adapters.

 

 

I will make sure to pass your post, along with your feedback and request, over to the appropriate channels.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPuop
Novice
4,206 Views

Intel posted a new driver for this card. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27750/Wireless-Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-and-Drivers-for-Windows-10?v=t https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27750/Wireless-Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-and-Drivers-for-Windows-10?v=t

It seems to have fixed the problem for me so far but fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix. I was ready to throw the AC 7260 in the trash and find something else.

Update: I gave up on this POS card, the new driver still has problems. I bought a new card a Feb Smart dual band card that is working great. Intel you should be ashamed that you are not fixing this problem. Very disappointing.

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idata
Employee
4,206 Views

Hello esp4p3,

 

 

We understand you may not be willing to troubleshoot any longer, as you've already replaced your Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 for Desktop for a different adapter, which effectively resolved the scenario for you.

 

 

If possible, we would like to know if the issue remained while using the https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27750 latest driver (Software 20.50.0, Driver 18.33.12.2) on Windows® 10 April 2018 Update (RS4, Version 1803, Build 17134), or if you were still using an older OS build?

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPuop
Novice
4,206 Views

I was running the win 10 build right before the 1803 version. Will 1803 fix the issue? I bought a qualcom atheros AR938x card from FebSmart which uses the 7265 chip I think. This card has the exact same problem. So is this a windows 10 issue? Its beyond frustrating.

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JPuop
Novice
4,206 Views

I updated a few days ago to the 1803 build of windows 10. The new qualcom atheros AR938x card still has the issue. I am willing to try the old card if you think it will fix the problem.

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idata
Employee
4,206 Views

Hello esp4p3,

 

 

This has been an odd issue from the very beginning. It is an OS sided issue, which affects some systems using the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260, starting on Creators Update, but not all of them. It also affects some other branded adapters. Microsoft* originally released an update, which resolved the problem for some, but not all users.

 

 

Personally, I have been unable to reproduce the issue. Going as far as asking IT for permission to install an AC7260 on my work computer, with zero disconnections so far (I've since returned to my originally installed adapter).

 

 

The Feb Smart Wireless Dual Band AC1200* is their desktop adapter for our Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265, perhaps this would be a better replacement option for you, if all else fails. We have not seen any reports of this issue on that adapter.

 

 

We can definitely recommend upgrading to this latest OS build, although we cannot guarantee it will resolve the problem, it's definitely worth a shot.

 

 

If you do, we'd like to recommend proceeding as follows:

 

 

1. Download and save the https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005559/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html latest drivers for your adapter.

 

2. Before upgrading, return to inbox drivers:

 

1. Right click on the start menu > select Apps & Features > Locate and uninstall the Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software, choose to discard settings.

 

2. Right click on the start menu > select Device Manager > Expand the Network Adapters category > Right click on your Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 > choose to "Uninstall" and mark "Delete Driver Software for this Device."

 

2. Upgrade to the latest version of Windows® 10 (April 2018 Update, Version 1803)

 

3. Test your connection using the generic inbox drivers automatically installed by the Operating System.

 

4. If the issue persists, install the latest drivers you downloaded previously. You may also want to make sure that your BIOS is fully updated.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPuop
Novice
4,206 Views

Hi Carlos,

Thanks for the suggestion. I have the Fab Smart N600 card installed right now. I looked up the Fab Smart AC 1200 card which looks like the pro version using the same 7265 chip. If you think this card would work I may just return the N600 and get the AC1200 instead. I just want a decent WiFi card that works at this point.

Right now its having the same issue where it disconnects after waking from sleep. My workaround at the moment is to go into the power options and disable sleep for my hard drive but this is not optimal as I like to let the computer sleep. When I had the AC 7260 card I was having other issues in addition to the waking from sleep disconnection, for instance it would disconnect while I was streaming or browsing for no particular reason. But I haven't tested it with the latest Windows update 1803.

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idata
Employee
4,206 Views

Hello esp4p3,

 

 

In some cases, disconnections can happen due to a low connection rate (not to be confused with download speed) triggering your adapter to reset. Although this could be the same issue as posted originally, it's always good to keep an eye out for alternate causes.

 

 

What is the brand and model of your wireless access point?

 

Are you using the 2.4 or 5 GHz frequency?

 

Have you experienced this problem when connected to other networks?

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPuop
Novice
4,206 Views

To give you some background I have a 100 Mb/s connection, although in the area where the computer is located it's more like 20-50 Mb/s depending on the time of the day. I have an recent generation Apple Airport Extreme router and I'm using the 2.4 GHz frequency. I don't think a low connection speed is the issue with the dropping out. That only happened with the AC 7260 after a windows update about 2 months ago. The lost connection upon waking has happened with both the AC 7260 and the new Fab Smart card. But when I updated to the Fab smart card the only issue is the lost connection upon waking (the dropped connections went away).

For a long time I reverted the driver for the AC 7260 back to a 2010 driver (17.xx version if I remember correctly) and it worked awesome. The reason I reverted back was the current driver wasn't working properly. What killed it recently (maybe the last 3-4 months) was a windows update (at least I think) and after that it started to have problems.

I've only used this with my desktop at my home so I haven't tried it on other networks.

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idata
Employee
4,207 Views

Hello esp4p3,

Could you please test by disabling hibernate and hybrid sleep on this computer, then test using either adapter to see if you still get the problem?

- http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2988168/disable-hybrid-sleep-hibernation-windows.html How to disable hybrid sleep and hibernation in Windows® 10 - By tomshardware.com

NOTE: Any links provided for third party tools or sites are offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel® of the content, products, or services offered there. We do not offer support for any third party tool mentioned here.

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPuop
Novice
4,207 Views

So I went back to the AC 7260 card and I disabled hibernate and hybrid sleep per the video and I am still getting the issue. One thing I found out is when I try to use the windows network troubleshooter I often get the result that my "the default gateway is unavailable" and it is reset and the network comes back. Sometimes the troubleshooter resets the adapter as well.

A side note that I use a macbook pro and ipads/tablets and smart devices on this same network and it doesn't have a problem.

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JPuop
Novice
4,207 Views
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idata
Employee
4,207 Views

Hello esp4p3,

 

 

It's always worth a shot, but I'd rather recommend following our clean installation of wireless drivers article.

 

 

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000022173/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html Clean Installation of Wireless Drivers

 

 

We're not familiar with that particular page and their tools, but it's always recommendable to proceed with caution when it comes to third-party driver "fix" tools, as a great deal of them end up being malicious software.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPuop
Novice
4,207 Views

I was just referring to the article where it says that Mcafee antivirus can cause this gateway error. Have you heard of that or is this bogus?

I tried to uninstall the wifi driver and when I restarted it just defaults back to an earlier version of the driver from 2015. How do I get rid of this one? I tried uninstalling the 2015 driver per instructions and when I restarted it installed it automatically again. Any ideas?

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JPuop
Novice
4,207 Views

Another thing that is interesting is I have an older usb wifi adapter, a Netgear WNDA3100v2 N600 and it works perfectly. The only thing is its sort of slow and I'd rather have a permanent card inside my computer that works well. Can you recommend a reliable fast intel based card that I can try that you know for sure is working well with Windows 10? I'm willing to try something else at this point.

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idata
Employee
4,207 Views

Hello esp4p3,

It's always important to make sure that any Firewall, Antivirus, or VPN software in use is fully updated. These often work by modifying your networking drivers, which can cause issues if the software version isn't updated to match your operating system build (specially because of the way Windows® 10 updates work).

You can try by uninstalling these and enabling the Windows® 10 native antivirus and firewall protection software. If the issue is resolved, you may then try re-downloading and installing the latest versions of these payed applications to see if the issue returns, or if they simply needed to be reinstalled.

You could also try using the Network Reset tool described here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10741/windows-fix-network-connection-issues Troubleshooting network problems in Windows® 10

NOTE: Any links provided for third party tools or sites are offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel® of the content, products, or services offered there. We do not offer support for any third party tool mentioned here.

We no longer manufacture desktop adapters installed through a PCIe* add in card. Our https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wireless-products/dual-band-wireless-ac-8265-desktop-kit-brief.html current models connect directly using M.2 Key E slots. However, there are many third-party cards that use our wireless adapters, such as the one we mentioned previously (May 30th), using the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265. Or anything using our Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260, 8265, or 9260 adapters should work for you.

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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JPoll6
Beginner
4,207 Views

I have the identical problem. A search of the Internet shows this problem affects many users. Frankly, the lack of an easy fix from Intel and/or Microsoft is very disappointing.

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JPuop
Novice
4,207 Views

I ended up buying a new card and ditching the AC7260. It's an ASUS AC68. It's super fast and works with the latest Windows 10 iteration.I think this card is based off of a broadcom chip.

JPoll6
Beginner
4,207 Views

Thanks. That's the most useful information I have ever read regarding this problem. I also gave up and ran Ethernet Cat6 cable from my router to my desktop.

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JPuop
Novice
3,171 Views

Sure, I highly recommend this card. I use the 5 ghz band and my desktop is in the far end of a larger house. I was getting 20-40 mb/s before and now I get over 100 mb/s. I was shocked that it was so damn fast. Worth every penny of 85 bucks. It's almost like having the router right next to my desktop with the ethernet cord plugged in directly. I think most of the reason its so fast is I'm using the 5 ghz frequency and its not very crowded.

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