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Network Cable shows as "Unplugged" when it is in fact, plugged in properly - Windows 10

Anonymous
2018-07-05T16:09:28+00:00

So, I have a really strange problem, I am looking for thoughts.  I have a system running Windows 10 Pro.  It has run fine for years.  A while back, I started getting an error that my network cable was unplugged.  I checked the cable and it was plugged in normally.  I replaced the cable and it still generated the same error.  I have two network adapters on the system.  I moved the cable to the second adapter and the problem went away.   The system worked fine for months.

Some time later, I started getting the same error on both adapters.  I would get the "network cable unplugged" error no matter what adapter I had the cable plugged into.  I once again tried additional cables to no avail.  I tested a different router and it changed nothing, as well. 

I purchased a new NIC and installed it into the machine.  Adding a third NIC changed nothing.  It still showed that the network cable was unplugged.  I went into properties and tried different negotiation, i.e. I tried auto, TX 100, half duplex, full duplex, etc and it made no difference.  I updated all the drivers and even got the factory Realtek driver for one of the NIC's rather than using the Microsoft driver.  Nothing worked.

I was about to give up when the April Creator's update came up.  I did the update and the problem corrected itself.  The computer worked perfectly until yesterday.  Now, I am suddenly getting the same error again with the April Creators' edition.  I have tried new cables, etc, but I am up against the same wall as I was before.

So we are clear, the device manager says the device is working properly.  I plug the cable in and it is detected.  It starts the identification process and then almost immediately says "network cable unplugged."  If I wait a few seconds, it again detects that it is plugged into the router, but a few seconds later, it will gain say "network cable unplugged."

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-07-05T17:19:58+00:00

    Thank you very much for your assistance.   I realize when you reply to comments online, it isn't easy to know the skill level of the person you are working with.  In this case, you are providing me with "trouble shooting 101" information.  It happens that I am a computer engineer with over 45 years of experience.  I have a masters in computer science, first obtained in 1973.  I also have a bachelors in electrical engineering.  I am now retire from a long career starting on punch cards and second generation machines, working most recently on sophisticated Windows server based networks.

    There is something obscure going on with my personal desktop computer.  In all of my years, I have never seen it before.  I had thought that, when the creators edition was installed, it over-wrote the previous Windows and the problem had gone away.  I was caught off-guard when it returned yesterday.  It appears that there is something on my system that is causing the problem to re-surface.  It could be app related, driver related, it is even possible that there is some kind of malware.  It is just a strange issue.  It isn't BIOS and isn't hardware.  Resetting the BIOS was one of the first things that I did.  While the BIOS is older, it is the current version for my motherboard.   When I first built this computer, I ran Windows 8.1 on it, but this has a clean install of Windows 10.  Before I did the upgrade, I added an SSD.   This is a personal machine that I use and has run well for years.  I have seen no need to upgrade the CPU or system.

    Having said all of that, I am hoping that someone in the community has actually seen this obscure problem and gotten down to what actually may be causing it.  With all of my years of experience, I haven't seen everything and I learn more all the time.  I have read online of others running into this, but I can't see where anyone has ever solved it with anything other than changing full/half duplex or negotiation. 

    The obvious solution is to use the new, "RESET PC" function and just let it do a clean install.  I may have to resort to that, but I hope to avoid it.  I really don't want to have to re-install all of my software and reconfigure the whole things.

    If you have any ideas other than the very obvious, I would appreciate it.  In any case, I do appreciate your help.  I realize that you didn't know my skill level and I understand that providing tech support from a public community is challenging.

    6 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2018-07-05T17:28:39+00:00

    There are some compatibility issues with Windows 10 version 1709/1803 and certain hardware or software. There is no explanation why a lot of these problems are happening in Windows 10 1709/1803, but the release is significantly flawed. Software and Hardware that once worked in previous versions, just suddenly stops working in Windows 10 1709/1803 after an upgrade and sometimes loses functionality or stability.

    Just to touch back on why I personally think it might be broken. When Microsoft starts preparing for a new release, it goes through a process called refactoring. It seems this is introducing some significant code changes that breaks certain protocols and API's required by older apps and drivers. Considering the Windows Driver Model has not changed much in its near 30 year history not to mention the application programming interfaces such as Win32, this might be culprit.

    Microsoft is trying break with both old driver and API's as gracefully as possible - but I will be honest with you - its a disaster.

    Here is what I am going to ask you to try if you are up for it.

    Setup a partition and install Windows 8.1 there and monitor how the driver behaves.

    I am going give you all the details of how to do that, 43 years of experience with computers should help you with that. ;)

    Here is a link to the ISO though:

    Download Windows 8.1 Disc Image (ISO File) - Microsoft

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-downlo...

    Just in case:

    How to: Dual Boot Windows 7 or Windows 8 with Windows 10 Installed First

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

    4 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2018-07-05T20:25:35+00:00

    Ok, keep us updated.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2018-07-05T16:49:56+00:00

    There is no SKU.  It just says: 

    System SKU    To be filled by O.E.M.

    Perhaps this information will help you:

    System Model    MS-7721

    Processor    AMD A6-6400K APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics, 3900 Mhz, 1 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)

    BIOS Version/Date    American Megatrends Inc. V2.2, 7/15/2013

    I have already reset the BIOS to no avail.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-07-05T16:22:42+00:00

    What is the exact make and model?

    Open Start, type: system information

    Hit Enter

    Click System summary

    Look in the right pane

    Copy the system sku info into reply here.

    See example: https://imgur.com/qzektpA

    It could suggest you need to update your chipset drivers and BIOS.

    I recommend you update the most critical ones: BIOS, Chipset

    Try resetting your BIOS defaults:

    https://www.groovypost.com/howto/reset-pc-bios-...

    If that does not work and you have a desktop computer...

    Power down

    Unplug it

    Open the system unit

    Remove the CMOS CR-2032 chip

    Plug it in, start the machine, wait 10 seconds

    Power down, unplug it, reinstall the CMOS CR-2032 chip

    Plug it in again, power up

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