AC-7260 slow with Windows 10 1909 and newer

[lnomine]

Hello,

The performance of my AC-7260 seems to be severely crippled by recent major updates of Windows. Whatever driver I use (the one from Microsoft that comes by default, or the newest from Intel), the network speed is very poor and unreliable. It happens on a fresh install, or with a direct upgrade.

However, on a fresh 1809 build of Windows (or even on Linux), couldn't be happier: stability, speed, everything. From now on, I won't do major upgrades but still, I'm concerned: security fixes will end very soon.

Any advice to make the AC-7260 reliable on the latest build of Windows 10 ?

Thanks.

[n_scott_pearson]

Your wireless adapter has been discontinued and there are no driver updates for it that will guarantee compatibility with the latest versions of Windows 10.

What is the full part number for your wireless adapter? To recommend a reasonable replacement for your card, I need to know whether your system's motherboard has a M.1 (mini-PCIe) or a M.2 (Type E) connector for the wireless adapter. A picture of the card would be helpful.

...S

[lnomine]

Thanks for your reply.

Connector is M.1 (mini-PCIe), it's a 7260HMW (picture is attached).

The laptop is old, surely discontinued as well but the wifi card is the only component that have issues with the latest versions of Windows 10. I'm curious to track down what changed under the hood that would justify that level of poor performance starting with last year's builds.

Any known workaround, or Windows 10 feature that is worth disabling ?

Thanks.

[n_scott_pearson]

What is the model of your laptop?

I am sorry, but all of the HMC/M.1/mini-PCIe (whatever you want to call it) wireless cards have been discontinued and are in the same boat driver-wise.

All is not lost. If you would like to try using one of Intel's new M.2-based cards,

1. You will need a M.2-to-M.1 adapter. Here is an example of one such adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Deal4GO-Express-Adapter-Converter-DW1820/dp/B07PJ453LC.
2. I recommend the AX200 card. It adds WiFi6, Wireless-AX and Bluetooth 5.1 support. Here is an example: https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-AX200-PCs-802-11AX-Bluetooth-NGW/dp/B07TLBNSZQ.

Now, I have to tell you that this is not a combination that I have tried. I do have AX200 cards - and a curious mind - so I just ordered one of these adapters to try it out. If you can bear with me for a few days, I will see if I can get this to work.

...S

[lnomine]

It's an Asus X53SC. The adapter you mentioned seems promising, please keep us posted.

[lnomine]

Meanwhile, I tested another way of upgrading. Until now, I used Windows Update et let it install all the updates it finds. With the Windows Upgrade tool, I performed a direct 1809 to 2004 and still have solid WiFi experience.

Now, it's time to hunt which KB is the culprit.