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Network Adapter keeps dropping and Clock runs slow

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1K views 27 replies 4 participants last post by  managed 
#1 ·
I purchased a refurbished Dell Optiplex 790 last August that had Windows 10 installed. I reverted it back to Windows 7 and everything ran fine until about a month ago. At that time, I noticed two issues:
1 - The Network Adapter (Intel 82579LM Gigabit Adapter) keeps dropping out - I can reset it and it will work for a while then drop again.
2 - The Clock runs slow (it will only advance about 1.5 to 2 hours while plugged in to an AC outlet and turned on). It gains less than 30 minutes overnight while the system is turned off. The crazy part is that it seems to keep better time if I keep the Clock window open, rather than minimized to the task bar.

All of the programs on the system seem to operate without any issues (Quicken, MS Office 2010, Media Center, etc.) Nothing seems to be an issue other than the clock and network adapter.

Any suggestions on how to correct this issue would be greatly appreciated. I really do not want to have to take it back to Windows 10, as it seems to have more issues than I am experiencing with the current setup.
 
#3 ·
I tried installing an updated driver earlier today and it made no difference. I am trying to fix the network issue before worrying too much about the clock issue. I downloaded the Driver to the desktop, then uninstalled the old driver and installed the new driver. It kept a network connection for about 90 minutes then dropped again. Resetting is still a temporary fix, but not sure why it won't hold the connection. I also tried a different ethernet cable on the off chance that the cable was causing the problem. No difference.

Can you think of anything else I should try? Thanks in advance.
 
#4 ·
Bad Cmos battery can cause al kinds of strange problems, after you change the battery you may have to set the date in the BIOS also and make sure every thing is set for optimized defaults.
 
#6 ·
Just checked again - Clock is again an hour slow and the Network Connection has dropped again. I guess I am back to square One.
I honestly do not know where to go from here or what might correct the problems.

Any other suggestions are very welcome.
 
#10 ·
One interesting note - if I leave the clock window open, rather than minimized to the task bar, it seems to keep time more accurately. It seems to lose time mostly when minimized, rather than with the clock window open - which to me makes no sense at all.
 
#11 ·
I was thinking if it's set to sync the time over the Internet that could be somehow changing the time to the wrong value due to the Network problem. Just a hunch though.

You might be able to fix both problems by fitting a Network Card.
 
#12 ·
One source I spoke with suggested it could be a corrupted OS, but I would think that a corrupted OS would also affect other installed programs. Could the OS be the issue?

Also, I was thinking that I might try disabling the Ethernet connection and using a D-Link Wireless Adapter (USB) to see if the issue persists.

Thoughts on either of the above?
 
#14 ·
The wireless connection appears to have fixed the internet connection issue, but the clock still seems to run slow. - I just reset it again and will give you an update tomorrow morning - This will give me time to ensure that there are no further network issues and the exact status of the clock issue.

Thanks again for all of the help and advise.
 
#16 ·
The Wireless adapter corrected the internet connection issue, but the clock still loses time. I reset the clock before retiring for the night and it gained about 1.5 hours overnight (10:00 PM - 8:30 AM Central Time). I have already replaced the battery and it made no difference, so not sure where to go from here.

Any suggestions?
 
#17 ·
when you changed the cmos battery,did you make sure the battery was upright? Is it seated properly in the metal tabs?
After you replaced the cmos battery,did you go back in to the bios settings and reset the time? If you did,did you tap the f10 key or click on the option to "save and exit"? If not,you will have to go back to the bios,reset the clock,and save the changes before exiting.
Check the date on the package of the cmos battery.Sometimes you can get a bad/or old battery that no longer works even though it is new.
Did you at any time drop the computer? Did the brackets that hold the battery in seem tight?
Make sure "windows time" is set to manual in administrative services.If not,do so and then reboot.
 
#20 ·
Unfortunately, the programs would not be able to keep it updated while the computer is turned off, so I would probably end up having to update it manually every morning. Actually, if the clock is the only issue with this system (which now seems to be the case), I can live with the need to manually update. I will, however, check out the programs to see what they have to offer.

Thanks again for all of the help. Unless there is something else to try, I will go ahead and mark this thread as Solved. Please advise.
 
#24 ·
snuffleufflegus : The Windows internet time sync only runs about once a week so it won't really help with this problem.

Einsam : I'm not sure if the date will be corrected, I wasn't aware it could be wrong. I would try those programs and see if it sets both date and time correctly.
 
#26 ·
I have downloaded both Dimension 4 and Time Sync - will try each to see which does the best job. Even having to set the date / time manually, although a nuisance, is not a show stopper.

Will mark as Solved and again - Thank you for all of your help.
 
#27 ·
There are not many things that could cause this.I think we have covered them all.However,i have to say that there are a few rare cases out there that have reportedly flashed their bios and it has fixed this problem.last ditch effort??..lol..I can think of nothing else.goodluck
 
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