Connection drops occur during file downloads of large sizes.
Connection drops occur during file downloads of large sizes.
Hello, I'm dealing with a strange problem on my network. I checked online but didn't find any solutions. My connection is usually fast—over 70 MB/s—and I can download large files without issues. However, when trying to download big files, the connection drops after a short time (about 1-2 minutes). It sometimes recovers, but then it keeps disconnecting. Occasionally, the whole network goes down completely, making it impossible to plug in or reset anything unless I restart my computer. When using the troubleshooter, it shows errors like "Ethernet doesn't have a valid IP configuration" and "Default gateway not available." My setup includes an ASRock ab350 pro4 motherboard, Ryzen 7 1800X, one SSD and two HDDs. I don’t think anything else is relevant, but if you think more details are needed, let me know. I've tried reinstalling drivers, resetting the adapter, and flushing DNS, but it didn't help. It seems this issue only affects my computer, while phones and other devices still work normally, and lights stay on during outages. Thanks ahead!
Inspect your router or modem for dust or blockages and check for any signs of heat during the issue. If you suspect one is overheating, it’s likely just my first guess.
This seems similar to the challenge you faced too, and the only fix I discovered was replacing the network card, which looks like a Windows-specific flaw affecting some users unexpectedly. For me, everything functioned smoothly until a particular Windows Update occurred. A fresh installation of the newest Windows ISO also resolves the problem. The issue is tied to Windows because I noticed network failures during crashes, even when switching adapters, and the network stack appears to collapse until a restart. On Linux, the same hardware never experiences this problem.
Access your Device Manager, navigate to Network Adapters, and identify the Ethernet adapter in the hardware section. Review the Properties for that adapter. It’s advisable to disable several offload features such as Large Send Offload, TCP Checksum Offloading, UDP Checksum Offloading, and ARP Offloading. The data being sent might be causing instability on the NIC, and Windows could be misusing the card’s offload capabilities in an incorrect manner.