Network Disconnect

Just set up OEM Win7 Pro on new PC I cobbled together.

It all plays fine after a boot and while I am using it.
Running Avast virus scanner.
No User login password set up as I do not want one.
Boots directly to desktop.

Other PCs in home connect via hard wire and WIFi to same router on DSL
line. All other PC do not have this problems and are network active
when the new PC fails.

If I let the PC idle it "closes down" such that when I move the mouse
it comes alve at a screen that says my "login name". Remember login
not set.
I click the icon and go directly to the desktop.

BUT ... the network is dead.
I cannot see my network printer or my NAS or the internet.

If I boot the computer, it all come back no problem.

I run the network diagnostics to no avail. Says it cannot find a
problem and says to go to the internet to find solutions. HA HA!.

What is Win7 doing?
This is unacceptable behavior!

So how do I fix this???

On Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:37:04 -0700, BeeJ wrote:

> Just set up OEM Win7 Pro on new PC I cobbled together.
>
> It all plays fine after a boot and while I am using it.
> Running Avast virus scanner.
> No User login password set up as I do not want one.
> Boots directly to desktop.
>
> Other PCs in home connect via hard wire and WIFi to same router on DSL
> line. All other PC do not have this problems and are network active
> when the new PC fails.
>
> If I let the PC idle it "closes down" such that when I move the mouse
> it comes alve at a screen that says my "login name". Remember login
> not set.
> I click the icon and go directly to the desktop.
>
> BUT ... the network is dead.
> I cannot see my network printer or my NAS or the internet.
>
> If I boot the computer, it all come back no problem.
>
> I run the network diagnostics to no avail. Says it cannot find a
> problem and says to go to the internet to find solutions. HA HA!.
>
> What is Win7 doing?
> This is unacceptable behavior!
>
> So how do I fix this???

It sounds to me like you've set up your screen saver to require a
password.

Right click on a blank part of the desktop, choose Personalize, and go
to the screen saver button at the bottom right.

Click there and inside that window unclick "On resume, display login
screen"

At the bottom of that panel is a power settings link. You might also
want to look at what's there.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

BeeJ wrote:

> All other PC do not have this problems

So far, "this problem" is merely described at "network disconnect". Not
much to go on.

> and are network active
> when the new PC fails.

How can a PC be active on the network if it "fails" (meaning something
to do with the network which was the topic of your clause)?

> If I let the PC idle it "closes down" such that when I move the mouse
> it comes alve at a screen that says my "login name". Remember login
> not set.

Nothing to do with the login screen. Everything to do with the screen
saver that you elected to use and that it is configured for password
lock.

> BUT ... the network is dead.

So the real problem appears to be that network connectivity is lost
after the computer has been left idle long enough to trigger the screen
saver to activate.

Sorry, I'm not at a Win7 host right now. In prior versions, you go into
Device Manager, right-click on the NIC (network interface adapter), look
at its properties, and check power management. If it's configured to go
into low-power mode when the host goes into standby or another low-power
mode, change it to always stay powered. It's possible you have to
reboot after making this change since it affects behavior of the driver
for this device. Then retest to see if leaving the computer idle so
long that it activates the screen saver (which is probably also when the
computer goes into standby) and then clear the screen saver back to the
desktop to see if the NIC is still disabled.

If the above fixes the problem, time to check if there is a later Win 7
compliant driver for the NIC device and hope a new version fixes the
low-power mode for the device (so it resumes on return from low-power
mode). Of course, that means you'll have to reset the NIC device in
Device Manager to use power management after updating the driver to
retest the NIC becomes active after resuming out of low-power mode.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976427
(I didn't bother to check if this hotfix was incorporated into an
update.)

Since this is a "cobbled together" hardware platform, it's likely that
the NIC either doesn't have an updated driver (because it's an old NIC
that you migrated to Win 7) or it's an old device that just doesn't like
to go into a low-power mode (standby, suspend, hibernate). In fact,
some devices won't go active even after a warm reboot. You have to do a
cold reboot (power cycle) to get the device active again because a cold
reboot has a Reset signal sent to all devices (that's why you see the
keyboard lights blink when you cold reboot).

You did not mention if this is a desktop or laptop. If a laptop, also
check all the settings for whatever power mode you chose for when the
laptop goes on batteries (if it's a laptop and if you aren't connected
to A/C when the screen saver activates).

Rather than reboot, you can try running the following from a command
shell (cmd.exe):

ipconfig /release *
ipconfig /flushdns
netsh interface ip reset
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /renew

By the way, did you ever try to just reenable the NIC? Right-click on
the connectoid and select Enable in the context menu.

Since you mentioned wifi (wireless), read:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928152

Yet what is confusing is you state that you have BOTH wired and wireless
connects to your router? Why 2 of them? How is Windows to know which
one to use? Disable the wireless for now (after checking the device's
power settings and power options) and test just using the wired connect.

When you have both NICs (wired and wireless) enabled, are they getting
*different* IP addresses assigned to them? In a command shell, run
"ipconfig /all" to see each NIC's setup.

No password on screen saver.
I never see the screensaver.

VanguardLH was thinking very hard :
> BeeJ wrote:
>
>> All other PC do not have this problems
>
> So far, "this problem" is merely described at "network disconnect". Not
> much to go on.
>
>> and are network active
>> when the new PC fails.
>
> How can a PC be active on the network if it "fails" (meaning something
> to do with the network which was the topic of your clause)?
>
>> If I let the PC idle it "closes down" such that when I move the mouse
>> it comes alve at a screen that says my "login name". Remember login
>> not set.
>
> Nothing to do with the login screen. Everything to do with the screen
> saver that you elected to use and that it is configured for password
> lock.
>
>> BUT ... the network is dead.
>
> So the real problem appears to be that network connectivity is lost
> after the computer has been left idle long enough to trigger the screen
> saver to activate.
>
> Sorry, I'm not at a Win7 host right now. In prior versions, you go into
> Device Manager, right-click on the NIC (network interface adapter), look
> at its properties, and check power management. If it's configured to go
> into low-power mode when the host goes into standby or another low-power
> mode, change it to always stay powered. It's possible you have to
> reboot after making this change since it affects behavior of the driver
> for this device. Then retest to see if leaving the computer idle so
> long that it activates the screen saver (which is probably also when the
> computer goes into standby) and then clear the screen saver back to the
> desktop to see if the NIC is still disabled.
>
> If the above fixes the problem, time to check if there is a later Win 7
> compliant driver for the NIC device and hope a new version fixes the
> low-power mode for the device (so it resumes on return from low-power
> mode). Of course, that means you'll have to reset the NIC device in
> Device Manager to use power management after updating the driver to
> retest the NIC becomes active after resuming out of low-power mode.
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976427
> (I didn't bother to check if this hotfix was incorporated into an
> update.)
>
> Since this is a "cobbled together" hardware platform, it's likely that
> the NIC either doesn't have an updated driver (because it's an old NIC
> that you migrated to Win 7) or it's an old device that just doesn't like
> to go into a low-power mode (standby, suspend, hibernate). In fact,
> some devices won't go active even after a warm reboot. You have to do a
> cold reboot (power cycle) to get the device active again because a cold
> reboot has a Reset signal sent to all devices (that's why you see the
> keyboard lights blink when you cold reboot).
>
> You did not mention if this is a desktop or laptop. If a laptop, also
> check all the settings for whatever power mode you chose for when the
> laptop goes on batteries (if it's a laptop and if you aren't connected
> to A/C when the screen saver activates).
>
> Rather than reboot, you can try running the following from a command
> shell (cmd.exe):
>
> ipconfig /release *
> ipconfig /flushdns
> netsh interface ip reset
> netsh winsock reset
> ipconfig /renew
>
> By the way, did you ever try to just reenable the NIC? Right-click on
> the connectoid and select Enable in the context menu.
>
> Since you mentioned wifi (wireless), read:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928152
>
> Yet what is confusing is you state that you have BOTH wired and wireless
> connects to your router? Why 2 of them? How is Windows to know which
> one to use? Disable the wireless for now (after checking the device's
> power settings and power options) and test just using the wired connect.
>
> When you have both NICs (wired and wireless) enabled, are they getting
> *different* IP addresses assigned to them? In a command shell, run
> "ipconfig /all" to see each NIC's setup.

no password on screensaver.

from the pc side the network is dead. cannt access the printer or NAS
while other PC on the same side of the same router can access all. so
it is this pc tht is problematic.

cobbled in the sense of i bought all new parts and put together my self
on recommendation of salses person who i trust.

new motherboard with NIC built in and disk from mfr which was installed
did include update for NIC.
Windows update only proposed a display adapter driver update which i
didas it correctly identified my display adapter.

i do think it is a power management problem so i changed the power
management scheme to not sleep or hibernate. i also fixed the stupid
login so that it does not show when booted and goes directly to the
desktop.

i will look at the NIC driver and see if it has power management
scheme.
that way i can allow sleep.

the other side of this is that on the PC i am replacing that had Vista
on it also had the same problems in the beginning but i fixed it.
unfortunately that was too long ago and i do not remember how i fixed
it.

the other downside of the power management scheme is that the hard
disks take forever to come up to speed when i need them right now.
solid state drive are looking better all the time.

Does the BIOS get involved here? probably not.

thanks for your in depth feedback.

BeeJ wrote:

> no password on screensaver.

Then what did this mean?

If I let the PC idle it "closes down" such that when I move the mouse
it comes alve at a screen that says my "login name"

What does "close down" mean? Moving the mouse could mean a screensaver
activated or the computer went into a low-power mode (standby,
hibernate). If a screensaver isn't involved (so it activated after the
low-power mode activated) and you're at a black screen and the mouse
repowers the monitor then it's just a low-power mode problem (coming out
of it, that is) for the NIC. So try the device manager reconfigure of
the NIC to disable power management for it to see if that works. Then
you can focus on drivers and power schemes.

On Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:58:47 -0700, BeeJ wrote:

> No password on screen saver.
> I never see the screensaver.

See what VanguardLH has to say elsewhere in this thread.

You seem to have some settings that you don't know you've made (or that
were made by default).

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Indeed, I found a NIC setting that powers down the NIC.
I never set that.

And why does Window 7 NOT turn that power back on and resetart the NIC
when I comes out of sleep???? Something wrong here!!!

So I turned the option off and the NIC is always on.

BeeJ wrote:

> Indeed, I found a NIC setting that powers down the NIC.

WHERE?

> I never set that.

It was probably a default setting.

> And why does Window 7 NOT turn that power back on and resetart the NIC
> when I comes out of sleep???? Something wrong here!!!

Yep, in that the NIC hardware doesn't issue itself a reset or it cannot
restore or utilize its current context when it resumes from a low-power
mode. If the power mode was hibernate (instead of standby), the host
hardware will issue a reset on a cold boot (and why you see the keyboard
lights flash). There is no hardware-wide reset when resuming from
standby mode (because power was never fully removed).

Could be the driver for the NIC card doesn't handle resume from standby
mode. Could be NIC hardware doesn't support it. I doubt it would be
proper for the OS to issue a hardware reset on resume from standby.
Just because a device goes into standby power mode doesn't mean that its
state should be destroyed on a resume to normal power mode. The
standards defined for power-saving modes do not dictate that hardware
gets reset when resuming out of a low-power mode. While the global
states are managed by the OS, the definition of the intermediate power
states varies by the device. This OS can only issue the commands to
*request* devices to change power state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance...ower_Interface

You could see if there is a later driver for the NIC. New code in new
versions of drivers can also introduce new problems. Sometimes going to
an older version solves new problems exhibited by new drivers. It takes
me awhile in testing across multiple major and minor versions of drivers
for my video card before I find one or a few that are most compatible
with all my applications. The latest isn't necessarily the best.

> So I turned the option off and the NIC is always on.

You might stuck with that if the NIC manufacturer doesn't have a driver
that works correctly or their firmware/hardware is screwed up or doesn't
properly support ACPI. Um, you did have ACPI enabled in the BIOS when
you installed Windows 7 so the correct HAL (hardware abstraction layer)
got installed, right?

Did not see anything in the BIOS related to ACPI.
This is a MSI gamer motherboard. (not a gamer, it just had the socket
and interfaces I needed)
Maybe I just did not know how to find it.

The NIC setting was on the driver window. It has a power tab.
Look at a few other devices but none had this power tab.
Only choice was enable/diable power off so I disabled it.

The motherboard came with driver update CD that I used.
Will have to check Mfr's website.
As you say, sometimes it is better to leave well enough alone.
I have been bitten in the past installing driver "downdates".

Thanks for the clues.

So what do you use for NewsGroup access?
Using MesNews, but it locks up on this new PC.
Win 7 64bit.

Thunderbird only allows one server (i think).