OS Upgrade for Windows 11 – Network Configuration Issue – Intel® Ethernet Controller I211
OS Upgrade for Windows 11 – Network Configuration Issue – Intel® Ethernet Controller I211
I wanted to upgrade my PC to Windows 11 from Windows 10 but faced a network configuration problem. I relied on the "LLT video How to set up a PC, the last guide you'll ever need!" to skip the initial setup and started with a local account. Now that I'm running Windows 11, I noticed my motherboard maker (link here B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI (rev. 1.0) Support | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global) doesn't provide a driver for Windows 11 on the LAN port, though it does have drivers for everything else—including WLAN and BT. I managed to install the BT driver but couldn't get any WIFI support despite using the provided installers. The LAN port driver isn’t working, which is a major issue if it fails. If this happens, should I give up and switch back to Windows 10, or is there something missing? From what I've read online, the Intel® Ethernet Controller I211 doesn't support Windows 11. I'm surprised since I purchased the board just four years ago! If anyone can clarify what went wrong, that would be really helpful. Thanks for your time.
The Windows 10 driver issue isn't common; it usually functions well in Windows 11.
You can use the Windows 10 drivers. If not, search for the specific chipset for your Wi-Fi chip and look for options from Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc. They usually function well.
Find the latest Intel LAN driver for Windows 10 released in 2019. This version should be compatible with Windows 11. Open Device Manager by pressing the Windows key + X, then select Network Adapters. Check if a LAN/Ethernet device appears with a yellow indicator. If present, download the driver from the provided link. Save the zipped file to a suitable folder. When installation begins, ensure the drive is set as compatible for Windows 10—enable the administrator permission option. Complete the setup by clicking the downloaded file twice and confirming with OK.
Thank you for your updates. Despite all attempts, it hasn't resolved. I've checked every Windows 10/11 driver from gigabytes and Intel's site for the LAN/WLAN adapters, but no third-party solutions exist for the Intel I211At copper adapter from Dell, Lenovo, or HP. The issue remains with making drives compatible in Windows 10, and error code 10 keeps appearing. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
I aimed to revise this so future users encountering the same problem with this chipset might find it helpful, as it’s now fixed for me. This suggestion appeared in chatGPT under code 10 errors: open Device Manager, right-click the Intel I211 network adapter and choose Properties, navigate to the Advanced tab and try disabling features like Energy Efficient Ethernet, Green Ethernet, or Wake on Magic Packet. After clearing any installed drivers to the default settings for both adapters, following the steps above and rebooting your PC, both LAN and Wi-Fi were restored properly. If anyone believes this approach could cause issues later, please let me know. Otherwise, I’m confident everything is working fine. Below are images of the driver versions that are functioning correctly for each adapter, along with the properties I disabled.