Intel dual band 7260AC for desktop hangs on Windows 10 creator edition with IPv6 enabled

[AKopp]

I was previously running Windows 10 64-bit Anniversary edition 1607 without any problems.

I have an Intel dual band 7260AC for desktop installed with IPv4 and IPv6 enabled, driver version 18.33.6.2 from the wireless proset version 19.50.1

A few days ago, I installed the update to the new Windows 10 Creator edition 1703 and ALL applications, including console programs like 'nslookup' and 'ping', using the wirless network started to become 'not responding' after a few minutes or less.

Once an application 'hung', it could not be terminated from task manager, giving an 'access denied' error when attempting and 'end task'.

If I disabled the Intel 7260AC adapter and using a wired Broadcom ethernet connection, everything worked normally again.

After disabling IPv6 on the Intel 7260AC, the wireless network ALSO worked again without hanging.

Looking at the symptoms, it seems there is a problem with the 18.33.6.2 driver on Windows 10 Creator edition, where an application gets 'hung' inside the system call to the driver, because they can't be terminated anymore.

I didn't see any newer drivers available and was wondering if other people have encountered similar problems or are using a 7260AC adapter with IPv6 enabled normally?

Adri.

[JW4]

I am not the only one who does not get a value back.. I have been watching this microsoft board https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-networking/wifi-issues-with-creators-update/4a20ba4f-33dc-4397-9823-e12dcb2607ba WiFi issues with Creators Update - Microsoft Community I just went with the option of using the old 17.5 driver.. The fixit tool does not work, the powershell option does not return a value. and the mtu thing doesnt seem to be working for the latest driver. I only have a glitch once in a while with the old driver but its simple enough to fix when it happens. I might try tweaking my registry if I have time to see if I can over come the issue.

[idata]

Hello Grimmer1,

Do bear in mind that this is a Microsoft* fix for a vendor independent Windows* issue. We ran the steps and this is where we captured those screenshots. While it may not work for everyone, those who are unable to use the steps would need to continue working with MS Support. All we can do from our end is monitor the issue and facilitate the troubleshooting steps as a best effort. Best regards,Carlos A.

[OWata]

Try the workaround I posted and see if that works, because It does for me

Device manager > right click card > properties > advanced > vht mode > select ht mode or disabled instead of vht mode

[JW4]

I would do that but that would defeat the purpose of having an AC card and router.

[AKopp]

Hi Carlos,

According to Intel this is a vender independent Windows OS issue.

For your information, this does NOT seem to affect all adapters.

I have a non Intel brand wifi adapter at work, which works fine with Windows 10 Creators Update.

Also on my affected system at home, the build-in Broadcom Ethernet adapter has no problems.

When I try the suggested fix, I also get no value back from the Get-NetAdapterRsc command.

I don't want to lower the Mtu to 1400, because this is causing a lot of problems with video streaming for me and also lowers performance.

I don't want to turn of VHT mode, because then I might as well have bought an old fashioned 11N router and adapter.

Ideally I also would like to have RSC enabled, because this increases network performance and lowers CPU usage.

According to Microsoft, third party drivers NEED to implement RSC support and conform to a strict set of rules.

It could be possible Microsoft has changed some of the internal driver API structures or calls with Windows 10 Creator update and the Intel drivers are no longer conforming to the specifications.

Has this been verified by Intel with Microsoft?

Adri,

[JW4]

I have to agree with you. I find if funny that the older 17.15.05 driver for my card works fine 99% of the time but with any driver past that it completely hangs and wont work right. I get that microsoft changed something but something in the new drivers has to be causing a bigger issue as well since its almost non existent with the old drivers. Also changing the mtu for the latest driver does not work. I refuse to shut off vht as well or you are right, whats the point of having an AC card and router.

[OWata]

I agree with you guys, Me personally went back to N since i rather use it while a fix is found and not buy another one.

Now, being a dev, and although I'm not a hardware/drivers dev it is surprising that this is just labeled as a windows issue. It might very well be, but it is very weird that for me it only happens with this adapter.

My thoughts are:

- Something changed in the drivers and windows that is now making the driver issue apparent and wasnt reproing before

- Maybe there is a faulty batch of this adapter and maybe more models that have this issue?

I feel like intel engineers need to work closely with the right microsoft engineers to figure out what changed within windows that is making this happen, since this looks like an issue between the drivers/windows layer, maybe the protocol for whatever feature is failing is not implemented correctly on one side and since this only happens for this adapter, my feeling is that the issue is on the intel side.

I hope Intel is escalating this issue properly and not just labeling it as a "no repro" and washing their hands from it

[idata]

Hello ot1990 and Adrik,

By not being a vendor dependent issue we are not trying to say it's affecting everybody. However the issue is not isolated to the 7260 (both for desktop and the laptop models), where only a portion of the systems seem to be affected. We mean that there are other non-Intel® adapters being affected equally.

It may be important to note that Windows® 10 works networking very different than previous versions did (for both wired as well as wireless). A simple way to put this is that it works by restricting who's allowed to do what and taking over quite a bit. Kinda like an overachiever in a group project. There's quite a big portion of networking that is handled entirely by the OS. This is done for (arguably) a good reason, to increase security and reduce system vulnerabilities.

ot1990 Did none of the other fixes aside from HT Mode help in your case (disabling RSC, adjusting MTU)?

Best regards,

Carlos A.

[JW4]

Just an fyi KB4022716 that was suppose to fix the issue did nothing. I thought my system was up and running ok till it hung again. I went back to old drivers 17.15.0.5

[idata]

Hello Grimmer1,

Thank you for letting us know. This type of progress updates are very helpful to us.From our end, we've shared our data with Microsoft* and are currently working together to help speed up the resolution process. While the bug is not being caused nor limited to our hardware and drivers, it affects you, which affects us. We're very interested in solving this problem.Best regards,Carlos A.

[AKopp]

I also installed KB4022716 and afterwards installed the ProSet 19.60.0.

Like Grimmer1, my system still locked up after about 30 minutes.

I also went back to driver version 17.15.0.5.

It would seem the 'fix' from Microsoft needs some work.

[PHold2]

I have the exact same problem with Intel Dual Band 7260N Half-Mini PCIe module on a laptop.

Does the mismatching version between this device's corresponding INF and the rest of the driver package mean that Intel is no longer actively developing drivers for 7260XX wireless adapters?If that is the case please confirm it. I am not willing to deal with years of generic answers, no fixes and a final EOL statement.There are many other wireless adapter vendors who take driver stability seriously.

[CNich1]

I have had the same problem for months, also posted a thread on it. Even going to 2.4, turning off VHT (defeats the object of an AC card), turning off IPv6 etc etc. Believe me, I have tried ALL the advice around the net. the ONLY improvement I got was to roll back to the win10 supplied driver 17.15.0.5. However, it still does not solve the issue simply made it a little less frequent.

I have finally thrown in the towel. The 7260 was never listed as officially win10 compatible only up to 8.1 (which it did work flawlessly with). I have purchased an 8265AC card, thought it was worth a shot. The antennae ports are the other way around so just switched the leads. Win 10 has booted up, found it immediately and installed the correct drivers. Had to manually install the BT drivers. All working well up to now. I will report back if the issue surfaces on this card but up to now it is working without issue. Worth the £25 it cost to avoid the total frustration with the piece of cr@p that is the 7260NGW.

[JW4]

I agree it still seems crazy that old drivers work better then the new ones with no fix in sight.. but its not just intel having issues killer is having similar problems. I wish they could figure out whatever the issue is and stop giving a BS script answer as well. I had issues with my usb ports when i upgraded for win 10 from an intel board took a long time before they stopped crashing. Hopefully something can be done soon.

[CNich1]

I understand other brands are also having problems, I find it more worrying a killer card released in 2015 is having the same issues. Intel's only defence is that the 7260 is a 4 year old card never intended for Win10 but the card/driver is definitely defective, it can't all be a windows issue. The 8265 I have just received was a direct swap out for the 7260 (apart from switching the antennae) and has now been working flawlessly for almost 10 hours without a single dropout, fail or slightest blip. It is however a 2016 card and certified for Win10 so was more likely to be stable. I simply think as the 7260 is EoL and was never designed with windows 10 in mind that Intel have little interest in fixing it. Up to now I can recommend the 8265 but I may be back if this card starts giving grief.....

[CMora8]

The latest driver for the 7260 is version 18.33.7.2, while and the latest is 19.60.0.7 for current adapters. It always sucks when you purchase a system to find out the oem used an older part to build it. That's hardly intel's fault though. Technology moves fast, that's how it is.

Going from 18.33.7.2 to the working version 17.15.0.5 isn't that big of a fall back in my opinion. Whatever works, you know?

[CNich1]

Thing is, 17.15.0.5 was marginally better for me but got progressively worse to the point I could not keep a connection for more than a few minutes before it died. As to Intel's fault, sure, they could stop supporting their EoL hardware, that's their prerogative but doesn't look good for future purchasers if they think they are going to be dumped quickly then they will shop elsewhere. All I am saying is that Intel seem determined to imply it is purely a Win10 issue but I suspect it is a combination of Win10 changes and Intel's 7260 hardware/driver. This issue has been around for a long time and Intel still have not fixed it so my choice was to cut my losses and go for a card that is a newer version & direct swap. Working fine now.

So, if you value your sanity then maybe people with a 7260 and the same issues should do the same..... or wait & wait for Intel to maybe fix it. Each to their own I guess.

[AKopp]

I don't have an option to swap for a 8265AC.

This part is not available as a 'desktop' version and since the card is only available in M2 format, I can't swap it with the Pci-e card on my 7260AC desktop.

So I NEED working drivers as I have no option to replace it with a newer type from Intel.

Also I don't think Intel has declared the 7260AC EOL yet.

[AVanH1]

What you need is an adapter mini pci-e to M 2 like this one from aliexpress

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-M-2-NGFF-to-Mini-PCI-E-PCIe-USB-Adapter-For-M-2-Wifi-Bluetooth/32812371819.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.AIGps8 New M.2 NGFF to Mini PCI E (PCIe+USB) Adapter For M.2 Wifi Bluetooth Wireless Wlan Card PCI Express Card Adapter For Lap…

[CNich1]

AdriK wrote:

Also I don't think Intel has declared the 7260AC EOL yet.

Yes it is, Intel states it is here (look at the status):

http://ark.intel.com/compare/75439,75440,75174 Intel® Product Specification Comparison

[BSala2]

I have the identical problem occurring with AC 8260. Had to revert to wired.

Update: 5-16-17. Based on Intel support recommendation, I updated driver to level 19.50.1.5 and the issue is now resolved. Also, at Intel's recommendation, the following nic values were confirmed.

PropertyValue802.11n channel width for band 2.4Auto (not in 20 MHz only)802.11n channel width for band 5.2Auto (not in 20 MHz only)802.11n modeEnabledFat channel intolerantDisabledRoaming aggressivenessMedium (or less)Throughput enhancementDisabledTransmit powerHighestWireless mode802.11a/b/gHT modeVHT mode