V5-171; Occasionally Losing Local Area Network after Upgrading to Windows 10

Cotte

System Information: Acer, V5-171, Serial NXM3AED010, SNID 22615432716

Local Area Network Device: Broadcom NetLink ™ Gigabit Ethernet

Driver Provider: Microsoft

Driver Date: 2015-08-18

Driver Version: 15.6.1.3

Digital Signer: Microsoft Windows

(no fall-back driver is available after upgrade to Windows 10)

Device instance path: PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_16B5&SUBSYS_07431025&REV_10\4&D61D338&0&00E2

====

From Friday 29 July 2016, after upgrading to Windows 10, I have problem with my Local Area Network connection. All was well when running laptop on Windows 7.

Now after update to Windows 10, I have intermittent problems with local area connection to laptop. There are no problems with WiFi connections.

When I run Windows Network Diagnostics, it reports: "The default gateway is not available." Windows Network Diagnostics says it does an "Adapter Reset" during its process. After this the local area connection again works fine - until next loss of connection. Highly annoying.

I have verified that the network adapters have the latest firmware. (According to MS, anyway. I have a Broadcom NetLink Gigabit Ethernet device and for WiFi a Qualcomm Atheros AR5BWB222 Wireless Network Adapter.)

I also "rebooted" my UniFi network equipment (power off/on). Problem still exists.

I have tried to find info and/or other driver at Acer and Broadcom websites. No luck to find posting which feels 100% relevant. There are other mentions of similar problems, but none with my configuration.

Hope you can help...

Rgds

[edited for privacy-please do not post personal or unique information such as but not limited to full names, email addresses, phone numbers, full serial numbers, etc.]

Accepted answers

All comments

sharky25k

Hi,

I see that your notebook does not have support for official upgrade to windows 10 so acer will not provide driver support. However, searching the internet I found this post which reports the same issue and suggests a solution. You can read it and try to see if it will work for you. They suggest to download a driver from the broadcom webpage, and then manually upgrade your drivers.

http://lucianwebservice.com/how-to-tutorials/broadcom-netlink-tm-gigabit-ethernet-windows-10-driver.html

Cotte

Thanks Sharky,

I got the 64-bit files, unzipped, stored the 3 files in a known folder, open Device Mgr, go to Broadcom Netlink adapter, go to Update Driver, point at the location where I stored the 64-bit version of driver files. When I hit Next, I get a msg "The best driver software for your device is already installed" ... "Windows has determined the driver software for your device is up to date."

Thank you MS, but your version ain't working! Pls let me try mine...

How can I bypass MS Windows determination that they are right and that I am wrong?

Rgds

Conny

sharky25k

Hi,

It can be that the drivers are not the correct ones. So please can you privide the hardware ID for the card. I cannot be sure that you have the same card as described in the post linked above

To do this go to device manager ---> select your ethernet card ---> properties ---> Details ---> Here from the dropdown menu select the Hardware IDs

Write here just the VEN and DEV parameters.

EG:

PCI\VEN_XXXX&DEV_XXXX

We can then look up if you have the same driver as mentioned in the post.

Cotte

Dear Sharky,

Thanks for the feedback and your help with this frustrating problem. It is sad it is so difficult to get resolution for a 4 y old laptop. And, looking at various postings it seems this has been a problem also a year ago when people upgraded to W10. When the laptop was 3 y old....

What I believe you are asking for is:

PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_16B5

(I get 4 lines at Hardware Ids:

PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_16B5&SUBSYS_07431025&REV_10
PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_16B5&SUBSYS_07431025
PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_16B5&CC_020000
PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_16B5&CC_0200)

I was sort of down this way when I first started to research my problem, I believe. I ended up at:

http://www.broadcom.com/application/ethernet_nic.php

trying to find the BCMxxxxx matching 14E4 in Table 1. No luck. I hope you have access to other info/data.

Other notes:

#1 Driver Date

Separately, I also note that the date on the driver that MS installed with my W10 upgrade is Driver Date: 2015-08-18.

The Broadcom driver date at your first proposed link (http://www.broadcom.com/support/?gid=12) is

15.6.0.14 Binaries 08/14/15.

This date is 4 days before the date on the driver now installed by MS (2015-08-18). Is this the reason why the Broadcom driver proposed by "Trouble" on the referenced MS Forum is rejected (http://www.windows10forums.com/threads/no-internet-connection.1031/)?

#2 Driver file name

The name on the file installed by MS at my W10 upgrade is> C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\k57nd60a.sys

The name on the file at the link you first proposed (http://lucianwebservice.com/how-to-tutorials/broadcom-netlink-tm-gigabit-ethernet-windows-10-driver) is the same.... i.e. k57nd60a.sys (there are three files in the 64bit folder, all w the same name just different extensions (.cat; .inf; .sys)

160804 Broadcom Drivers.png

Left is as on my system. Right version is as downloaded from Broadcom. I notice that the file sizes are different, 436kB vs 448kB. Is it the same file, or has it been modified by MS?

===

[You did not ask for, but here it goes, so you have all Id info in one place:

V5-171

Serial numbver is NXM3AED010

SNID: 22615432716

I bought the machine with Windows 7 - I believe 64-bit version.

After W10 upgrade driver is identified as:

Driver Provider: Microsoft

Driver Date: 2015-08-18

Driver Version: 15.6.1.3

Digital Signer: Microsoft Windows

and it is shown as Driver files: C:\WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\k57nd60a.sys]

====

Rgds

Conny

[edited for privacy-please do not post personal or unique information such as but not limited to full names, email addresses, phone numbers, full serial numbers, etc.]

160804 Broadcom Drivers.png

sharky25k

Hi,

It can be that microsoft created a custom driver, which is installed on your PC.

I asked for the number because I needed to check the .inf file to see if the driver is also for you. So you have the correct driver.

You can try to go to update driver software --> Browse my computer --> Let me pick.... ---> Here click on have disk ---> select the place where you extracted the driver (go exactly to the 64bit folder or 32 bit folder depending what OS you have) ---> then select Gigabit ethernet.

I don't know it it will work but you can give a try. You can roll back the driver if it will not work, in properties --->driver tab --> roll back driver.

Cotte

Hello Sharky,

Following your process, I managed to replace the driver. Unfortunately, it did not improve the situation. I lost Local Area NW connection after a few hours again. The same problem persists....