Need help with NIC not running at gigabit.

[etrnlxdarkness]

I have an older custom computer that I am using for my HTPC. I added the Edimax PCI Gigabit card to it and it wont run at gigabit speeds. I have 5 other computers on the network that connect at gigabit to the router. 3 through wired CAT6 connections and 2 through Wireless N. I have a CAT6 on this one as well but it will only run at Megabit. I have uninstalled/reinstalled the device in device manager several times and tried installing the driver from the cd and the updated driver from Edimax website and letting windows install its own updated drivers. Nothing will allow it to run at gigabit. I have tried swapping out the CAT6 for several different CAT5 and CAT6 cables and none of them make a difference.

The current driver installed is the one Windows prefers because it always updates it to this one when it searches for updates. "Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)"

Speed is always stuck at 100 Mbps in the Local Area Connection Status window. On the other computers it always says 1000Mbps.

Can anyone help with this issue? I am, right now, going to move the card to a different PCI slot to see if it help but that's the only other thing I know to do. I will update with the results of the move.

Thank you.

Computer specs:
Windows 7 Ultimate x32
Abit NF7-S2 Nvidia nForce2 Ultra 400
AMD Athlon XP 3200+
EVGA Nvidia Geforce 7900 GS CO
2Gb Crucial DDR400 Dual Channel
Edimax Gigabit PCI adapter
Antec Neo Eco 520 PSU
Rosewill Challenger Case

 

[scout_03]

give the exact name and model for that edimax card

 

[pauls3743]

Go to the Edimax website, download and install the driver for your card.

Unfortunately, Windows is still a bit stupid and has installed the wrong driver. It doesn't help that Microsoft don't actually have drivers to cover every device under every Windows version, and this is one of them.

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

give the exact name and model for that edimax card

Edimax Gigabit Ethernet PCI Adapter EN-9230TX-32

Go to the Edimax website, download and install the driver for your card.

Unfortunately, Windows is still a bit stupid and has installed the wrong driver. It doesn't help that Microsoft don't actually have drivers to cover every device under every Windows version, and this is one of them.

I have tried the latest drivers from Edimax. I have tried the basic driver windows installs upon detection and the updated driver from Windows update. I have also tried the drivers that originally game on the CD with the card. Same results each time.

 

[scout_03]

the driver you have are these one for version v5.719

 

[pauls3743]

You haven't mentioned it but have you tried connecting it to a different port on the router. I stopped using one of my gigabit switches because it developed a couple of bad ports which would only run at 100mbps.

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

the driver you have are these one for version v5.719

Driver version currently installed is 7.2.1127.2008

"Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)"

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

You haven't mentioned it but have you tried connecting it to a different port on the router. I stopped using one of my gigabit switches because it developed a couple of bad ports which would only run at 100mbps.

Yea, I had a router do that previously as well so i tried each port with three different cables. None worked. Still stuck at 100Mbps. :/

This is why I am stumped and posting. I have tried all of the normal tricks I can think of and nothing is working. I am not a noob to working on computers or networking. I'm not a genius either though. lol

Could there be a setting in the bios that would change anything. I currently have the onboard 10/100 Lan disabled because I don't need it with the Gigabit card. If I can get it working that is.

 

[scout_03]

uninstall the realtk is for virtual technology use thes from edimax http://www.edimax.eu/en/support_detail.php?pl1_idSelect=support.php%3Fpl1_id%3D2%26mwsp%3D1&pl1_id=2&pd_id=43&button=Go

 

[scout_03]

page 3-17 to page 3-21 of user manual to enable onboard lan http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=NF7-S2&fMTYPE=Socket%20A&pPRODINFO=Manual

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

uninstall the realtk is for virtual technology use thes from edimax http://www.edimax.eu/en/support_detail.php?pl1_idSelect=support.php%3Fpl1_id%3D2%26mwsp%3D1&pl1_id=2&pd_id=43&button=Go

OK. I moved the PCI Gigabit card to a different slot with no change. I tried all of the open slots and none of them made a difference. So I guess the PCI slots are not the issue.

I'm installing the Win7 driver you suggested. I am pretty sure its the same one I tried already but it's packaged differently so we shall see.

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

page 3-17 to page 3-21 of user manual to enable onboard LAN http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=NF7-S2&fMTYPE=Socket%20A&pPRODINFO=Manual

Yes this option allows you to enable or disable the "onboard" 10/100 LAN port. I don't need it. It is only 10/100. It's too slow. I want to run at 1000Mbps. Not 100Mbps. That's the whole point of going through all of this. Enabling the onboard device makes no difference anyway. I already tried enabling it to see if it would make a difference and it did not.

Also, the driver you found is the same one I tried. You just found it in a different location on their website than I did. It's the same version and everything. Does no good.

I think the card might be bad. Either that or it is just incompatible with the system.

 

[scout_03]

dont whant to dissapoint you but the board could not handle the 100 gigabites for the internet connection she suport only 100 mb,try your edimax in another mobo

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

dont whant to dissapoint you but the board could not handle the 100 gigabites for the internet connection she suport only 100 mb,try your edimax in another mobo

The whole idea behind a PCI Gigabit Ethernet card is to make a motherboard that does not support Gigabit natively able to do so.

If you are telling me that my board cannot handle a gigabit connection through the PCI Bus then it seems reasonable to me that no other motherboard would support it either making the entire line of every PCI gigabit Ethernet card ever made useless.

My board supports 66/100/133MHz standard bus speeds for PCI. The Edimax card meets these standards. So please, Tell me, Why do you think that this card will not work in my system? What factor is it that I am missing? What difference is there in the PCI lanes on my motherboard versus the PCI lanes on any other Motherboard?

 

[scout_03]

could be that the motherboard itself restrict the connection to gigabites speed try abit an edimax support if they could explain this

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

could be that the motherboard itself restrict the connection to gigabites speed try abit an edimax support if they could explain this

There is no reason I can find that it would do such a thing. I won't rule it out though. Thank you for your help. I will wait and see if anyone else has any suggestions or can elaborate on your idea.

 

[scout_03]

someone could have another answer stay on

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

I assume no one else has any suggestions?

 

[scout_03]

you could try a gigabyte extension card to see if system permit you to go in gigabyte speed if you could then internal one is the limited to mb speed

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

The internal card IS 10/100. I added a PCI 10/100/1000 card to the system. That is the card I am having issues with. It wont run at gigabit speed. I am just buying a new card. This one is too old to RMA.

 

[scout_03]

keep it for spare could be handy

 

[etrnlxdarkness]

Card is bad. Mod could please close topic. Thank you.

 

[sk1939]

I assume no one else has any suggestions?

Before you RMA it or buy a new card, go to Device Manager > NIC Properties > "Advanced" Tab and go to the selection that says "Speed and Duplex". It should say "Auto". Change it to "1000/Full", and see if that solves it. As far as not reaching Gigabit speeds, a PCI card is not capable of full Gigabit speeds, since the entire bandwidth of the PCI bus with all cards combined is just over 1 Gbps, but it should be more than 100 Mbps.

 

[bitkahuna]

issue may be is old network cable. ask me how i know. lol.