Broadcom BCM57781 onboard LAN keeps dropping out and then coming back

Hi

I have the above brand of LAN on a ASROCK Z68 Extreme 4 Mobo.
Router: Netgear DG834G

The whole computer is about 7 months old and as per another recent thread it has a fresh install of Windows 7 64bit Pro. However since the reinstall an issue that also existed before continues to annoy me.

Namely, the internet at times drops in and out over a period of hours and then just works.
CAT 5 Cable has been replaced and tested in another machine and is fine.

There is another laptop, older Dell with Vista on the network (wired) that has no issues, everytime my PC drops I check it and 9 times out of 10 its still working.

I just upgraded the latest driver from here

Broadcom.com - Ethernet NIC NetLink Driver Downloads

Whilst I prefer Firefox, i normally solve the issue by opening Explorer and using its Diagnose tool. Quite often it will say ' The default gateway is not available'

One bit of info, it also continously says I am on a ' Unidentified network' and ' Public Network' despite it being a simple home wired (NO wifi i switched it off) LAN. How do you change it back to HOME network? sometimes the Public Network is in blue and you can click it and tell it yet again to be HOME but other times its not in blue or clickable to change.

Surely there is something we can do other than put a separate LAN card in a slot.

The default gateway is not available'

The default gateway is your router. One reason could be because the router is set to WEP which works with e.g. Vista, but not properly with Win7. You have to set it to WPA2-PSK. Check that first and post back. If it does not work, we'll dig further.

Well, I will assume this is not related to any internet connection, just your network adapter and the router. Since it seems to be dropping the connection for some reason, please post the results of an ipconfig /all command when run in a command prompt window. You can copy and paste or use the snipping tool to take a picture and attach using the paperclip on the advanced reply window. Edit as you see fit.

You can also check the Device Manager and check if your network adapter is set to allow the system to turn it off to save power. Mine is set that way, but you might uncheck that to see if it makes a difference.

The next time is loses its connection, open the adapters panel (ncpa.cpl) and disable, then re-enable the adapter. It should resync and regain your connection.

I understand this is a wired connection, but I will assume network connections are dropped during a sleep cycle.

If you need any specific information, don't hesitate to post back.

Originally Posted by Saltgrass

Well, I will assume this is not related to any internet connection, just your network adapter and the router. Since it seems to be dropping the connection for some reason, please post the results of an ipconfig /all command when run in a command prompt window. You can copy and paste or use the snipping tool to take a picture and attach using the paperclip on the advanced reply window. Edit as you see fit.

You can also check the Device Manager and check if your network adapter is set to allow the system to turn it off to save power. Mine is set that way, but you might uncheck that to see if it makes a difference.

The next time is loses its connection, open the adapters panel (ncpa.cpl) and disable, then re-enable the adapter. It should resync and regain your connection.

I understand this is a wired connection, but I will assume network connections are dropped during a sleep cycle.

If you need any specific information, don't hesitate to post back.

Hi, thanks for the replies

Whs:

Excuse me if I am wrong but wouldn’t what you ask only matter if I was using wireless? Whilst it is a wireless router and I do turn it on, its only in rare occasions that we have someone staying who brings an ipad or laptop.

Plus my PC is always wired to the router even if the WIFI is on.


Either way I did log into the router and look at the Security Options under Wireless settings. The WPA-PSK option is ticked. Though no option for WPA2-PSK

Security Options

Disable

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)

WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key)

WPA-802.1x

Saltgrass

I will obtain that info soon, what items should one for privacy block out in an ipconfig/all screenshot?

Here is an EVENT VIEWER Log


Microsoft-Windows-DHCP Client Events/Admin
Event ID 1002
Source: Dhcp- Client
OpCode: IpLeaseDenied
Task Category: Address Configuration State Event

The IP address lease 192.168.0.4 for the Network Card with network address 0xXXX has been denied by the DHCP server 192.168.0.1 (The DHCP Server sent a DHCPNACK message).


Thanks guys

Hi Saltgrass
I have unchecked ' Allow computerto turn off this device to save power' and i have unchecked IPv6 Connectivity and rebooted.
This does not seem to have helped.

See your requested data below


Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : XXRoddyComputer
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetLink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-XXXXX
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, 5 February 2012 7:58:52 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, 6 February 2012 7:58:52 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled


Ethernet adapter VMware Network Adapter VMnet1:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet
1
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00XXX
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3cbd:22f6:346e:195b%14(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.153.1(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 385896534
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-16-BB-20-66-00-25-22-BD-9B-07
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
Ethernet adapter VMware Network Adapter VMnet8:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet
8
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-50-56-C0-00-08
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::70c5:4298:a73a:d574%16(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.204.1(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 419450966
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-16-BB-20-66-00-25-22-BD-9B-07
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
Tunnel adapter isatap.{102A07F1-6E6A-471D-A581-7DB781143423}:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-XX
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Tunnel adapter isatap.{58148BDC-E538-4452-B200-EEB4A5F0E1B0}:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Tunnel adapter isatap.{FFC5DFE9-23C2-4301-8332-68E16500F849}:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

I see messages like the ones you show in Event View, fairly often, but they are usually associated with waking from sleep or reboots or something similar. It is a little different that the message says is has denied the .o4 address when your system is using .03. Maybe another device is interfering with the DHCP.

I will normally limit my DHCP assignable addresses to a specific range, so I will have some I can assign manually. Maybe something you could try, but I do not know if it relevant.

Your configuration looks good in the ipconfig report, if you was trying to go bad, you would probably see a 169.xxx.xxx.xxx IP address and no gateway. On another forum I saw someone say the IP address is renewed about half way through the Lease time. You are showing 24 hours on your leases, so that would mean the lease is being renewed every 12 hours or so. Does that amount of time seem relevant? You should be able to change the lease time in the router for testing.

The VM adapters I have no experience with. I assume you are giving them an address in another subnet without a gateway?

But right now, the thing I would suggest is to watch the system and try to pin some activity or time span to what might be happening.

Hi
I just allowed the VMware to install itself without modifying anything. I followed a tutorial on using VMware and an old copy of XP to provide ' XP mode'.

Now that I think of it, I did install VMware early on in my original Win 7 Pro install. I might restore to an earlier point last week prior to installing VMware.

Also, i know i said i didnt want to, but if i simply went out and bought a network card would that fix it? or is it an issue between my PC and the Netgear router regardless?

You may want to give it some time before you buy new equipment, but that is your decision. For now, the ipconfig listing you posted is totally normal, as far as the Ethernet adapter. Maybe you can get us one when the system is disconnected.

Maybe watching the event log would give you a hint as to what might be going on. Maybe another system is logging on and causing problems.

If you open the Device Manager, do you show any unknown devices or anything with a yellow triangle?

Some further data from event viewer


6/02/2012 9:56:22 PM
The system is entering sleep.

Sleep Reason: System Idle

6/02/2012 9:56:25 PM
The browser has forced an election on network \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{102A07F1-6E6A-471D-A581-7DB781143423} because a master browser was stopped.

6/02/2012 9:56:25 PM
Event ID 8033
The browser has forced an election on network \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{58148BDC-E538-4452-B200-EEB4A5F0E1B0} because a master browser was stopped.



6/02/2012 9:56:25 PM
ID: 7042

The TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service was successfully sent a stop control.

The reason specified was: 0x40030011 [Operating System: Network Connectivity (Planned)]

Comment: None

6/02/2012 9:56:25 PM
ID 7036
The TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service entered the stopped state.

Device Manager - image attached but I do not think this relates to it,