H170m pro4 freezes when there's network activity
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4472
Printed Date: 16 Sep 2024 at 8:04am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: H170m pro4 freezes when there's network activity
Posted By: p3matty
Subject: H170m pro4 freezes when there's network activity
Date Posted: 22 Feb 2017 at 9:22pm
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" rel="nofollow - Brand new install of Windows 7 64bit on an h170m pro4 mobo (installed via disc with usb/ps trick in bios). Install went smoothly, then installed usb 3.0 and LAN drivers from cd included with mobo - thinking that once those two things are good I can get online and download updated drivers to install, or transfer them to computer via usb drive if downloaded to another computer. Within 10 seconds or so of opening up an internet browser (in this case IE) the computer will completely freezes and will need to be turned off from power button - no activity on screen and mouse won't respond. Ended up unplugging network cable and installing all drivers directly from disc and then reconnecting network cable to the same result - homepage will open up and I may be able to navigate to another page for a few short seconds before the computer will lock up again and need to be manually turned off and restarted. I was able to also install firefox and google chrome - some results once open. Will also happen if I attempt windows update (it sees that there are updates available, but will freeze when I begin downloading them). Only things connected to mobo are 8gb memory stick, CPU, one optical dvd drive, and one ssd (ocz solid 3 I believe). Windows is not yet "activated" (didn't want to do that until I verify everything is working correctly). Why is this happening? Is this a software issue or hardware? Might I need to return/replace the mobo? Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 1:14am
" rel="nofollow -
I can't guarantee my suggestions will cure your problems, but it sounds like you have skipped the most basic and required software and driver installations. All of the other driver installations depend upon one of these to identify the platform and install things correctly. You did not mention these things, so I can only assume they were not done. Your board's Windows 7 download page is here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H170M%20Pro4/?cat=Download&os=Win764 First and foremost is the Intel INF file installation program, the INF driver ver:10.1.1.38 installation program from your board's download page. I'm sure it also exists on your driver disk. This installation program must always be run FIRST, before anything else. INF stands for Information files, that identify and provide other information about the Intel hardware in a mother board. Without these files, the other driver and software installation programs don't get the complete picture of the system. You should be prompted to restart the PC after the INF file installer is complete, do not skip that step. Next is the Intel Management Engine driver ver:11.6.0.1126, which must be installed second, after the INF files. What this does varies depending upon the chipset and processor in the board, but is an essential installation for any Intel system. After those two, there is no specific order of driver/software installation. If you did not run both of these installation programs, do that now. After that, you should run all the other installation programs you have already run, to be sure they were installed correctly. When you run them, if it asks if you want to install the driver again, or possibly repair it, select Yes. The network diriver MUST be installed again. Windows will normally activate itself if the network connection is working correctly. I wonder if that is even true. You may need to install Firefox and Chrome again, and possibly configure your network connection after the network driver is installed again. You are no where near the stage of returning the mother board. We know very little specifically about your hardware, such as if your memory is compatible with your board. We need the full model number of your memory. The one thing that caught my eye is the OCZ Solid 3 SSD. Not known as a high quality SSD, sorry to say, and was sold only for a short time. In the UEFI/BIOS, Advanced > Storage Configuration screen, did you change any options in that screen? The SATA mode MUST be AHCI with an SSD. Also, the entry for the SSD in that screen has an option to set the Drive Type. By default it is set to HDD, please set it to SSD. I would also consider using a new SATA data cable. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow"> 
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p3matty wrote:Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 2:59am
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" rel="nofollow - Thank you for the reply! Yes, those other drivers were installed, but not in the order you suggest. Can that be done at this point (reinstalled I guess, in the order you list), or should I just start over with a new install of Windows and then install the drivers in the order your list? Because I'm installing from a disc, and using usb keyboard and mouse - I have to set the usb to work like ps/2 in bios. The reason I did the network and usb drivers first was so that I could install the most recently downloaded drivers (that you linked) via a USB stick, or downloaded to the machine. Apparently I should have done the INF driver and then the IME drivers first - but the only way I could do that would be from the mobo driver CD (which are somewhat older versions). Any issues with that? Yes, the BIOS is set like that (AHCI and SSD) in bios. Really I'm just using this ssd to get everything set up on, and then (hopefully) can image the full drive to an NVMe drive as trying to get Windows installed on it directly has been a nightmare (using altered iso file on usb stick). Nothing has worked, so I'm going about it this way now. |
Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 3:01am
Oh, the memory stick is a:Ballistix Sport LT 8GB 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Memory Model BLS8G4D240FSBThat was my mistake ordering one 8 gb stick rather than a pair of 4 gb sticks to run in parallel. That's what I get for ordering from my phone.... |
Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 9:38pm
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" rel="nofollow - I can't guarantee my suggestions will cure your problems, but it sounds like you have skipped the most basic and required software and driver installations. All of the other driver installations depend upon one of these to identify the platform and install things correctly. You did not mention these things, so I can only assume they were not done. Your board's Windows 7 download page is here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H170M%20Pro4/?cat=Download&os=Win764 First and foremost is the Intel INF file installation program, the INF driver ver:10.1.1.38 installation program from your board's download page. I'm sure it also exists on your driver disk. This installation program must always be run FIRST, before anything else. INF stands for Information files, that identify and provide other information about the Intel hardware in a mother board. Without these files, the other driver and software installation programs don't get the complete picture of the system. You should be prompted to restart the PC after the INF file installer is complete, do not skip that step. Next is the Intel Management Engine driver ver:11.6.0.1126, which must be installed second, after the INF files. What this does varies depending upon the chipset and processor in the board, but is an essential installation for any Intel system. After those two, there is no specific order of driver/software installation. If you did not run both of these installation programs, do that now. After that, you should run all the other installation programs you have already run, to be sure they were installed correctly. When you run them, if it asks if you want to install the driver again, or possibly repair it, select Yes. The network diriver MUST be installed again. Windows will normally activate itself if the network connection is working correctly. I wonder if that is even true. You may need to install Firefox and Chrome again, and possibly configure your network connection after the network driver is installed again. You are no where near the stage of returning the mother board. We know very little specifically about your hardware, such as if your memory is compatible with your board. We need the full model number of your memory. The one thing that caught my eye is the OCZ Solid 3 SSD. Not known as a high quality SSD, sorry to say, and was sold only for a short time. In the UEFI/BIOS, Advanced > Storage Configuration screen, did you change any options in that screen? The SATA mode MUST be AHCI with an SSD. Also, the entry for the SSD in that screen has an option to set the Drive Type. By default it is set to HDD, please set it to SSD. I would also consider using a new SATA data cable. [/QUOTE] Thanks again for the thoughts. So last night I again did a fresh install of windows 7 (actually this time from a USB stick rather than the original disc). The USB version had some updates slipstreamed into it - including miscrosoft usb 3.0 drivers and microsoft NVMe drivers, but the install still didn't see the NVMe drive as an option to install to. So instead I again installed to the ssd. That went smoothly and I was up and running in a few minutes. Installed first the INF driver from the motherboard disc, rebooted, and then installed the ME drivers as you suggested. From there I got the rest of the drivers installed from the link you provided, with the network drivers last. Same results - once I connected a network cable and tried to do anything online (either windows update or going to a website) the computer would totally freeze just as it had before. Had to manually shut down and restart. It did this a few times. I could do anything else on the computer - like play a hand of solitaire, but once I tried to do anything online it would freeze immediately. So I installed drivers for a usb network adapter I had, disabled the wired network adapter and connected to my wifi - worked like a charm, though it was very slow as the dongle would only pick up my 2.4ghz signal, which was pretty weak. Anyway, I was able to download and install a few rounds of Windows Updates (did a big run overnight). So this morning I unplugged the dongle and enabled the wired adapter again - same results, immediate freeze up. Any further suggestions would be most helpful!! Thanks! |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 9:56pm
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Swap out that network cable for a working one. |
Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 10:24pm
I have (at the same location). In fact I moved the entire computer to another part of the house and connected it (with a different cable) directly to the router rather than to a hub where it had been. Same result. I'm stumped. |
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 10:44pm
Very strange, I've never had that happen with an Intel network chip or network driver. I assume you are using the Intel Lan driver ver:21.1 installer, from the disk or your board's Windows 7 download page? A different network cable as suggested above would be worth a try, definitely. When you are installing the Intel 21.1 network driver, at one point you should see a screen like this:  We can see above that the entry for Intel Advanced Network Services is checked by default, or it normally is. I've found that using that option, which is meant more for enterprise type installations, does not work well with PCs. The options in the Device Manager entry for the Intel network chips are different (fewer of them) when that item is checked. That causes those options and others to be available through a command line interface that is not as user friendly as the Device Manager entry is. My point is, I always uncheck the Intel Advanced Network Services option when installing the Intel network driver. I cannot guarantee this will fix your freezing issue, but it is worth trying, and you won't be missing anything by not using that option. When you run the Intel network driver installer again, it will ask you what you want to do. Just select Modify, and you'll see the screen I included above. Just uncheck the Intel Advanced Network Services option, and finish the installation. About the NVMe SSD not being recognized. Before you start the Win 7 installation, go into the UEFI/BIOS, and check the boot order. You must have and select the entry for the Win 7 installation media that is, "UEFI: <flash drive name>". That entry may not have been the default selected entry. During the Win 7 installation, if you select the Custom option, you should see the NVMe SSD as a choice for installing Windows, if the NVMe driver fix to Windows 7 is working correctly. If that alone does not work, in the Boot screen find the CSM option at the bottom of the screen. Open the CSM sub options, and find the Launch Storage OpROM Policy option, and set it to UEFI Only. Save and Exit the UEFI/BIOS, and go right back in and check the Boot Order and be sure the "UEFI: <flash drive name>" entry is selected. Early Windows 7 installation images are known to have a bug in the location of the EFI boot loader program, which had to be fixed in the past to allow UEFI booting to work. I hope the updated Win 7 installation image you're using also has that fix from MSoft. Difficult to know if it will or not. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 23 Feb 2017 at 11:21pm
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" rel="nofollow - Thanks again for all of your help, both of you! Yes, I do remember that screen and I believe once I did leave that unchecked thinking that it would only install the drivers and not anything else that may be causing an issue. I'll do that install again and make sure that the only thing checked is the drivers box (or should I include the ProSet box as well)? As for the NVMe stuff - I've literally tried everything. I've likely used 4 or 5 different online guides (including yours). I've done the UEFI boot item thing, I've embedded the hotfix (along with other hotfixes), I've done the CSM option in the boot screen, as well as the location of the EFI boot file thing. The ONLY time that the install ever saw the NVMe drive as an option to install to was when I actually replaced the two .wim files in the sources folder with variants from a windows 10 installer iso I had. With those, it could see and attempted to install to the NVMe drive. The issue I had there was when the computer booted back up I received an error (ifM63x64.sys file missing or corrupt). At this point I was just trying to get everything installed on the ssd drive and see if I could clone it to the NVMe drive. All this trouble for a simple home theater PC! I picked this mobo because it apparently has triple monitor output built in without needing a separate video card - so I could connect it to multiple monitors/TVs to watch multiple sporting events at once. The NVMe drive was so that I could use the hard drive spaces in the computer case for media drives, not an OS drive. At this point I'll take anything that works! |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 3:25am
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" rel="nofollow - Ahhhh, home theater What ISP is it you have there ? Cable, or PPoE? Any overlapped IPs being assigned in/by anything network related? Have you tried looking in the routers interface for issues? Does your ISP allow unlimited private IPs generated on your home network? Assign this computer a "free' IP in the Windows Intel applet then reboot. |
Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 4:10am
Sorry I only understood about half of that. I have comcast (xfinity) cable internet. Unsure about overlapping IPs, and unsure how to determine that (I have an asus "dark knight" n66 router). Don't know how many IPs my ISP allows, but why would they limit it? How would I go about assigning this computer a free IP? Thanks again for the help. |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 8:28am
" rel="nofollow -
PM'ing you after this post. |
Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 11:05pm
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So I figured out how to set a static IP address (I assume that's what
you meant). I still get the same result - immediate (within 5 seconds)
freezing once there's network activity. Funny that a wireless dongle
will work, but the built in wired network adapter won't. So I finally got Windows 7 to see and access the nvme drive (small victory here). I downloaded "ease us" to attempt to clone the ssd drive to the nvme....and guess what.....it freezes about half way through. No idea if related to the network freezing issue, but disheartening none the less. In the end, I'd just like a windows 7 machine with an nvme boot drive. You wouldn't think it would be so darn difficult. There is a local computer/IT shop which once I explained the situation said that they could probably do it for around $120. At this point, maybe money well spent. Also, I did the idea of Parsec on the last page of reinstalling the drivers but leaving that one box unchecked....same result there as well. |
Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2017 at 11:12pm
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Also, brought the entire box with me to work today and connected it to my work network and got the exact same result - freezing immediately once there is network activity. Tells me it doesn't have anything to do with the networking equipment at my house. |
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2017 at 12:28am
That tends to suggest you have a mother board problem. Your issue is one I've never seen with Intel networking connections, they always work perfectly. I suggest returning the board to your retailer, and getting a replacement. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: p3matty
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2017 at 1:23am
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Will look into doing that. I actually ordered the board before Xmas as a little gift to myself. Didn't really get around to tinkering with it till just a few weeks ago when I started running into issues. Will have to contact ASRock directly to return to them as it's outside of the 30 day return policy with Newegg. |