I put together a computer for my son, it has a z97 gaming 5 motherboard with the killer network adapter which is wired directly to the router. It gets internet for like a minute then it drops, troubleshooter says "Ethernet" doesn't have a valid IP address and it's able to fix it for another minute every time I go through this process.

My computer is also wired directly to the router, and it has no Internet issues, so I ran a packet loss test and a speed test, both yielded great results. I then brought his PC to my room and wired it with my cable and ran the same tests and I lost 9% packets over a minute, and the speed test was like, 2mbps.

Is this a motherboard issue or a software confliction issue?

Windows 10.

Did you download all the BIOS and other drivers for his PC? You might need a specific one for that adapter as well.

I assume this pc is pretty new, but maybe his network adapter settings also got messed with. I’d cross reference his and your settings to make sure they match up, and if that doesn’t help he may have a network card or motherboard issue

I’d also try removing the killer adapter to see if maybe that’s what is causing the issue

This post was edited by MrSK on Mar 21 2025 09:50am

His computer is my old computer, all of the software is the same from 8 years ago. I did reformat it before handing it over but it was stable a few days ago when he was playing d2, we played for a few hours, and now suddenly it doesn't want to stay connected.

The killer adapter is integrated into the motherboard, it's either I use that or I use WiFi or a card. I did buy a card as a backup but I'd love to get this hardwired. No one wants a wireless PC.

If you reinstalled all the right drivers after reformatting then it's most likely a NIC or motherboard problem. You can buy a PCIe NIC if he has a slot available in his PC. Didn't check if this one would work but you'll need something similar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TKFXBFF

You can rule out router/switch issues if you connect via wifi and the invalid IP error doesn't pop up

This post was edited by MrSK on Mar 21 2025 02:55pm

I tried updating drivers and everything is current.

I bought something similar to that and it delivered a little bit ago. It does work, WiFi is just annoying for PCs.

Thank you for your responses. Looks like we're both leaning towards motherboard.

Hi, if u hv reformatted the drive, that means u hv re-installed Windows 10, right?

IF problem is not the NIC or Ethernet cable/RJ45 connector since they were working fine before reformatting/re-installation, then it is most probably certain windows drivers/services is not enabled.

IF Windows 10 was installed with Internet connection, then drivers/services were enabled as Microsoft default drivers worked.

Else certain drivers may not hv been installed and services may not be enabled if Windows 10 was installed without internet connection or using BYPASSNRO method.

Might want to try a basic method first: Go to Settings, Network & Internet, Advanced network settings, Network Reset, Reset Now

Just curious, is your issue resolved?

Sorry, I am not really active here anymore. I believe it to be the motherboard adapter. I bought a wireless pci chip or whatever we call them and it works fine. It's been a few years but I am fairly certain windows was reinstalled with an internet connection and it worked before, then it was put up for a year and and then it stopped.