Windows 10 "loses" network device, or something like that

[Francis N. Phiollips]

See my later post correcting the errors contained in this one.


This is NOT an Merlin ASUS issue. It is a Windows 10 problem.

I am running an ASUS RT-N66U. I installed Windows 10, which is when the network disconnect error would appear intermittently. Ran the Windows network troubleshooter multiple times, which reported that the network adapter had successfully reset. I tried loading different versions of the Merlin firmware, which, of course, did not fix the problem. This is what I have learned:

The Windows 10 installation re-configures your network settings. The wizards at Microsoft obviously know more about your network configuration than you do.

To undo what has been done to you:

1. Set the TCP/IPv4 properties to use specific DNS server addresses. For example, for the Google DNS ids use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. For the OpenDNS.org DNS ids use 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.

2. Whichever DNS addresses you set up for TCP/IPv4, set up the same ones in Merlin (Advanced Setting -> Lan -> DNS and WINS settings).

3. Open a command prompt and enter:
netsh interface ipv4 show config
...and note the results.

4. Create the following command file (.cmd):
---------------------------------------------------
@echo cleaning up windows shirt...
@echo on

cd C:\Windows\System32

ipconfig /flushdns

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset "C:\resetlog.txt"

msiexec /unregister

msiexec /regserver

shutdown -r

pause
-------------------------------------------------------

5. Run the command file

6. After signing on to Windows, run "netsh interface ipv4 show config" again and compare the output from your first invocation.

The contents of the restart command file are the result of talking to some knowledgeable tech support guys at Tim Wiener (call on Friday or Saturday night after 8:00 PM to get a hold of someone who is actually interested in your problem and will help you fix it) and bits and pieces from researching the disconnect problem on different websites. If you are unfamiliar with configuring TCP/IPv4 and Merlin, do not attempt any of this and forget completely that you saw it.

 

[bbunge]

Running six Windows 10 PC's on a RT-N66R with the
latest Merlin firmware (up for 58 days) and not having any issues. Rather boring not having anything too fix!

Sent from my Amazon Tate using Tapatalk

 

[CooCooCaChoo]

I've noticed Windows 10 doing something funky with my laptop's wireless. On boot-up wireless connections are not available unless you reboot the machine immediately after booting up. Might be corrupting wireless configs or something.

 

[L&LD]

Windows 10 upgrades are what cause issues for most. After upgrading and getting Windows 10 activated, simply use the following link to download the Windows 10 installer, create a USB or DVD bootable media and then proceed to do a clean install.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10

I too have not seen any issues with Windows 10, RMerlin firmware and my RT-N66U.

 

[Francis N. Phiollips]

My heart runs over with joy for those who have not experienced any problems with Windows 10. Microsoft tech support informs me that Windows 10 contains no undetected problems.

My original post contained errors, as I found out several hours after I had made it. The correct command file should be:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@echo cleaning up windows ...
@echo on

cd C:\Windows\System32
ipconfig /flushdns

netsh winsock reset

rem Don't use this since it will trash whatever settings were made manually to IPV4 and IPV6 and set them back to default values.
rem netsh int ip reset "C:\resetlogIP.txt"
rem

msiexec /unregister

msiexec /regserver

shutdown %1

--------------------------------------------------
The two key settings are for the DNS settings and the address of the IP gateway to use. If you are using a router different from ASUS, then the IP gateway would be whatever that manufacturer has defined, for example, Belkin uses 192.168.2.1. The attached PDF shows the IPV4 settings that I made on my system. Please pay close attention to the radio buttons and check boxes.

 

[Francis N. Phiollips]

I've noticed Windows 10 doing something funky with my laptop's wireless. On boot-up wireless connections are not available unless you reboot the machine immediately after booting up. Might be corrupting wireless configs or something.

See my last post. netsh int ip reset "C:\resetlogIP.txt" will reset your IP configs back to default. I apologize if I my errors have misled you. Take a look at the PDF that I have uploaded for the configuration that worked for me. I welcome replies from anyone who can shed some light on this problem.

The TWC brain that helped me originally to configure my cable modem with my router gave me the following procedure to use:

1. Restart Windows (my restart command file contains the ip configuration and windows socket commands that he gave me)
2. Unplug the cable modem
3. Turn off the router.

When Windows comes up
1. Turn on the router and wait for it complete its hardware boot.
2. Plug in the cable modem

 

[jegesq]

L&LD is right. Just get Win10 installed and if you're doing an upgrade, get the iso and immediately do a complete reinstall (i.e., a "clean" install). Another option is to do the upgrade, create a second partition on your boot drive, and do the clean install on that partition, and then when you're sure everything is working fine, delete your original upgrade partition.

I've been running many different Win10 installs on lots of different hardware, including several RTM (Build 10240) and others where I've continued on with preview builds (currently latest one is 10532), and I've had ZERO issues with either wired or wifi connections....never a dropped connection ever.

The ONLY issue I've discovered with Win 10, and this applies to all versions including RTM and thereafter, is that in a Windows 10 VPN adapter, you will be unable to change the your network settings for IPv4 or IPv6. The biggest impact this has for many is with the default setting of "use remote gateway DNS". Ordinarily under XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1, you can deselect this setting, which allows a split DNS, meaning you use your own local DNS for all internet connectivity, while still connected to your remote server (and in lieu of using the remote server for outside internet access). For example, my office will not allow remotely logged on users to also use our office's DNS server for browsing, e-mail, etc. So unless I can disable "use remote gateway" if I am logged on to my office server, I can't get outside e-mail, can't access websites, etc.

The problem is that one of the preview builds before 10240 disabled the GUI ability to change the default setting. It's easily fixed with PowerShell commands (basically the change is to allow "split tunneling"). I can upload the instructions here if anyone needs it, but since that doesn't seem to be the OP's problem I'll refrain.

I'm just saying....as L&LD has said, most problems with Win10 have been due to faulty or deficient upgrades, and the best thing you can do is get Win10 activiated through the upgrade (which binds the product key to your hardware), and then you can reinstall Win10 as many time as you like on that machine (i.e., for the life of the hardware). A clean install should fix most issues.

One other curious observation: I didn't see in the OP's first post whether the disconnect was occurring with a wifi connection or Ethernet.

And typically, if one is going to use alternative DNS servers (such as Google or Open DNS), you only need to adjust the settings in your router, not in your client device. If you're truly set to get the DNS authomatically, then it's your router that will direct all DNS inquiries to the alternative server's IP, not your browser. Again, just sayin....

 

[lepa71]

The problem I see with clean install is that you will have reinstall all applications again and configure them. That would take quite a bit time.

 

[L&LD]

The problem I see with clean install is that you will have reinstall all applications again and configure them. That would take quite a bit time.

No, taking the time to do it properly is not a problem. It is the reason necessary to get rid of the cruft of old and probably useless installs, tweaks and whatnot which are obviously interfering with how the new OS is supposed to work anyways.

 

[lepa71]

I run linux and widows at home. I have never had to reconfigure linux from clean install, but windows is windows... I don't have time to re-install and reconfigure.

btw most of the time it's a drivers issue and not windows OS.

 

[L&LD]

I run linux and widows at home. I have never had to reconfigure linux from clean install, but windows is windows... I don't have time to re-install and reconfigure.

btw most of the time it's a drivers issue and not windows OS.

Huh? Linux doesn't work period if you don't configure it from a clean install.

If you don't have time, that is another issue. Doesn't mean it isn't necessary. Just like how flashing to a newer firmware on most routers needs a reset to factory defaults, a clean install of an OS is necessary before any blame can be laid on it.

 

[lepa71]

What are you talking about? I've been running ubuntu from version 10 up to 15 now on the same laptop and never had to reconfigure it unless I had to change router or encryption level. I worked with intel 3rd level support to make their AC cards drivers working better as well Netgear 2nd level for R6250 and R7000 for their firmware.

Huh? Linux doesn't work period if you don't configure it from a clean install.

If you don't have time, that is another issue. Doesn't mean it isn't necessary. Just like how flashing to a newer firmware on most routers needs a reset to factory defaults, a clean install of an OS is necessary before any blame can be laid on it.

 

[L&LD]

Ubuntu isn't Linux.

 

[lepa71]

Really?!?! Well may be Suse is not linux either. I run it as my other web and email server. Never had to reconfigure that one either

Ubuntu isn't Linux.

 

[KevTech]

What I have seen on some Win 10 upgrades is that after the upgrade you need to look for driver upgrades for your NIC at the manufacturers site.

The driver Win 10 installs may be an old/outdated driver that MS have tested and know will at least work for Win 10.

On one Win 10 upgrade I did the NIC driver before the upgrade was dated 2014 and after the upgrade was dated 2009.

Installing a driver upgrade will also reset the network to defaults during install of the driver.

 

[lepa71]

I did want to mention that as well. Sometime with windows you have to uninstall drivers from device manager and check the box to uninstall software. You may have to repeat the process until windows will ask you to insert or point it to the location of the driver. Then reboot the system and install the latest driver from either your PC manufacturer or card manufacturer that you should of download in the first place. This came up when I was troubleshooting AC7260 for Intel. Also want to mention that sometime you have to get drivers from PC manufacturer instead of card manufacturer.

 

[Francis N. Phiollips]

L&LD is right. Just get Win10 installed ..snip...

One other curious observation: I didn't see in the OP's first post whether the disconnect was occurring with a wifi connection or Ethernet.

And typically, if one is going to use alternative DNS servers (such as Google or Open DNS), you only need to adjust the settings in your router, not in your client device. If you're truly set to get the DNS authomatically, then it's your router that will direct all DNS inquiries to the alternative server's IP, not your browser. Again, just sayin....

Your suggestions are welcome. I am connected to the internet thru an ASUS RT-N66U using a Broadcom NetLink Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. I have had no problems with connectivity under Windows 7. Under the Windows 10 installation configuration, I was getting frequent internet disconnects. The Windows 10 troubleshooter always reset the network adapter, which fixed the problem. Once I had manually configured the IPv4 interface, the problem only pops up once every 24 hours.

I followed your suggestion about using the original driver from the computer manufacturer, and downloaded and installed the Broadcom driver from Dell for an Inspiron 580. I also configured it with a specific network address 192.168.1.27.

Is there some additional configuration I should do the Broadcom adapter?

Nothing bad has happened so far. I'll wait 24 hours and see what happens.

Configuration for interface "LillyKoko"
DHCP enabled: No
IP Address: 192.168.1.230
Subnet Prefix: 192.168.1.0/24 (mask 255.255.255.0)
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
Gateway Metric: 1
InterfaceMetric: 1
Statically Configured DNS Servers: 208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
Register with which suffix: Primary only
Statically Configured WINS Servers: None

Configuration for interface "Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1"
DHCP enabled: No
IP Address: 127.0.0.1
Subnet Prefix: 127.0.0.0/8 (mask 255.0.0.0)
InterfaceMetric: 50
Statically Configured DNS Servers: None
Register with which suffix: Primary only
Statically Configured WINS Servers: None

 

[AdvHomeServer]

I've recently read, in several places, reports that Win 10 has reliability problems. Google it. You might be experiencing some of them. One writer suggested the version planned for about this time next year will be the one that works well.

Re linux: I've been experimenting with it. Mint is my preferred version. It's the most Windows like and it also loads Chrome. Fedora and OpenSuse didn't. Both of the latter also had quirks that made them not suitable for me as a Windows substitute ... odd details that left me frustrated.

 

[L&LD]

I've recently read, in several places, reports that Win 10 has reliability problems. Google it. You might be experiencing some of them. One writer suggested the version planned for about this time next year will be the one that works well.

Re linux: I've been experimenting with it. Mint is my preferred version. It's the most Windows like and it also loads Chrome. Fedora and OpenSuse didn't. Both of the latter also had quirks that made them not suitable for me as a Windows substitute ... odd details that left me frustrated.

Several places? Care to provide links?

Not bad considering that almost three weeks ago it has been installed on over 75 million.

 

[AdvHomeServer]

Several places? Care to provide links?

Not bad considering that almost three weeks ago it has been installed on over 75 million.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/my-biggest-problem-with-windows-10-stability/

This is the best one.