Ethernet connect

Question

I bought an Asus Z890 Rog Maximus Hero motherboard and an i9 Core Ultra 14 gen processor. After getting everything set up and installed I could not use the Ethernet to connect online. I use Cox High Speed internet and I have to use Ethernet to connect. I checked everything, I changed the DNS address. I am a Network Analysts and I know what I am doing, but nothing I did worked. No matter what browser I used it would just spin and eventually it would time out. Now, if I disabled the Ethernet and used only the WiFi it would go right online. After calling some of my friends, still could not get it to work. Chatgpt nor Copilot could figure it out. So I got Microsoft chat help twice and they could not help. Obviously it must be a hardware problem, but here is the catch. I could use CMD or PowerShell and ping .8.8.8.8 or google.com and I would get a return. So, why could a browser not be used to connect. Yes, I reinstalled edge and Chrome and still the same result. I am returning the board today and getting a new one. Anyone got any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based from your test I would check the compatibility of the Intel 2.5GbE controller(ASUS boards like what you have or if it's something else let me know) and Cox internet modem/router.

Please check these few settings.

• First, try disabling IPv6 on the Ethernet adapter only. After you untick it test browsing again.
• Go to Device Manager → Ethernet Adapter → Advanced
  • Temporarily disable
    • Large Send Offload v2 (IPv4)
    • Large Send Offload v2 (IPv6)
    • TCP Checksum Offload
    • UDP Checksum Offload
    • Energy Efficient Ethernet
    • Test browsing again.
• Go to Device Manager → Ethernet Adapter → Advanced and look for property named speed&duplex, link speed duplex, or duplex settings. Go ahead and check the dropdown and select 1.0 Gbps Full Duplex (recommended for testing)
• Get a different LAN cable and do the test again(check all ports on the modem/router)

If all of these settings are checked and still experiencing browsing issues via LAN, I can consider to do a test on another network/ISP using that PC that you have to isolate compatibility issue before returning the board to vendor.

Answer 2

Hi.

Are other wired devices in your home able to access the internet properly?

Run the troubleshooter and report the error message you receive from Windows here.

Answer 3

I did a clean install of Windows 11 Pro and that did not fix the issue, exact same issue came up as soon as I opened Edge, which after a clean install is the only browser available.

Answer 4

I tried everything you have suggested and so did the technician help from Microsoft, and it still does not work. I understand that because it Pings that it would be a software issue, but every software fix there is was tried and nothing worked. Everything was changed and reconfigured and nothing worked. I have never run into this issue before and some software fix didn't solve the issue, but not this time.

Answer 5

Given that Ethernet can successfully ping both an IP (8.8.8.8) and a hostname (google.com), the Ethernet stack, DNS resolution, and basic connectivity are working. The issue is therefore not with the physical Ethernet hardware or basic IP configuration, but higher in the stack (Windows networking components, browser stack, security/filters, or OS corruption).

From the available guidance, the following Ethernet-focused troubleshooting steps are applicable:

1. Verify Ethernet status in Windows
   • Open Settings > Network & internet and check the Ethernet status.
   • It should show Connected (Windows 11) or You're connected to the Internet (Windows 10). If it shows Action needed or similar, open the Ethernet details and review any error or proxy configuration.
2. Run the Network troubleshooter
   • Open Settings > Network & internet.
   • Select Status (Windows 10) or the equivalent status view in Windows 11.
   • Run Network troubleshooter and follow the prompts.
   • This can detect misconfigurations between the OS and browser stack that are not obvious from ping tests.
3. Run network stack reset commands
   • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
   • Run these commands in order:
     • netsh winsock reset
     • netsh int ip reset
     • ipconfig /release
     • ipconfig /renew
     • ipconfig /flushdns
   • Restart the PC and test again over Ethernet.
   • This resets Winsock and TCP/IP, which can fix cases where browsers fail while ping still works.
4. Uninstall and reinstall the Ethernet adapter driver
   • In Device Manager, expand Network adapters.
   • Right-click the Ethernet adapter and select Uninstall device.
   • Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then uninstall.
   • Restart the PC; Windows will reinstall the driver.
   • If Windows does not install it, install the vendor driver that was downloaded in advance.
5. Use Network Reset as a last resort
   • Open Settings > Network & internet.
   • On Windows 11: Advanced network settings > Network reset.
   • On Windows 10: Status > Network reset.
   • Select Reset now, confirm, and let the PC restart.
   • This removes and reinstalls all network adapters and resets all network settings to defaults, which can resolve OS-level corruption affecting browsers but not basic ping.
6. Compare behavior via Wi‑Fi vs Ethernet
   • Since Wi‑Fi works, use it as a baseline.
   • After each Ethernet change (driver reinstall, network reset, Winsock reset), test the same sites and browsers over Ethernet and confirm whether behavior now matches Wi‑Fi.

If Ethernet continues to ping successfully but browsers fail only when using Ethernet and not Wi‑Fi, and all of the above OS/network stack resets have been performed, that strongly suggests a deeper OS or driver interaction issue rather than a simple hardware fault on the NIC. In such a case, an in-place repair of Windows or a clean OS reinstall on that hardware would be the next supported step before concluding the motherboard is defective.

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References:

• Fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Troubleshooting poor network connectivity
• Troubleshooting Device.Network Testing