I recently finished my PC build and everything is working well, except I'm having trouble with my Ethernet connection. My setup includes an ASUS B850-i Strix motherboard, running Windows 11 Home (version 10.0.26200), and I'm using the Intel Ethernet Controller I226-V driver (version 2.1.4.3).
The issue I'm facing is that when I plug in the Ethernet cable, the driver indicates "Network cable unplugged" and there's no green status light on the port. However, when I disable the driver, the status lights on the port turn on (usually a steady green, sometimes flickering). I've confirmed that the Ethernet cable works perfectly fine, as it connects without issue to my Xbox. It almost feels like the driver logic is reversed.
I've done a few troubleshooting steps already: I've uninstalled and reinstalled the driver, tried an older version, disabled and enabled Intel LAN in the BIOS, tested with a different Ethernet cable, turned off Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), and disabled the option that allows the computer to turn off the device to save power. Has anyone experienced something similar?
2 Answers
Just to add, I’ve read that some configurations with the I226-V can fail due to power-saving features. So if you haven't, double-check the settings for energy efficiency. Make sure to disable anything related to power saving in the settings. Sometimes just that adjustment fixes the pesky connection issues.
It seems like the Intel I226-V has a noticeable history of issues. First off, make sure you're using a good quality Ethernet cable—go for at least cat5e or cat6 to avoid connectivity problems.
Also, here's something you could try:
1. Open Device Manager (just type devmgmt.msc in the run dialog).
2. Find your network adapter, right-click on "Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I226-V," and go to Properties.
3. In the Advanced tab, try disabling the following options:
- IPv4 Checksum Offload
- Large Send Offload V2 (Both IPv4 & IPv6)
- TCP Checksum Offload (Both IPv4 & IPv6)
- UDP Checksum Offload (Both IPv4 & IPv6)
4. Click OK and reboot your system afterwards.
Hopefully, this will do the trick. Good luck; this stuff can be really frustrating!
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