A7V400-MX - toasted on-board NICs

[Brad Clarke]

I have two identical systems with A7V400-MX mainboards with on-board
VIA Rhine II NICs.

Wednesday night we had some severe lightning storms, and at some point
the power went out. Please note that during these storms, both
computers were not turned on (they were still plugged in to power
bars).

After the storms had passed I turned on my PC to check my e-mail. I
could not connect to the internet, so I figured that my ISPs local
server was down as well. The next day I still could not get to the
net.

When I disconnected the network cable from the router/hub, the light
went out on the router/hub. When I plugged the cable back in the light
came back on.

Device manager in XP showed the device is installed and working
properly. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the device, tried different
versions of the drivers, etc. to no avail.

I have an older PC that has a PCI NIC card in it, and it is still
working fine.

It looks like the power outage somehow killed the on-board NICs on both
A7V400-MX boards (which is not covered by warranty), or perhaps a surge
came through the cable modem (which is working fine). Everything else
on these boards is functioning fine - I would have thought that if it
was a power surge, everything on the board would have been toasted.

I have since replaced the on-board NICs with PCI NIC cards, but I am
curious if this is a common problem with these on-board NICs.

 

[Driekes]

This happens very often when there is a lightning storm around. Your lucky
that the motherboard is still working.. I always disconnect and powerdown
everthing in my house.

You could rma your board or just leave it this way..

 

[Brad Clarke]

Both machines were powered down at the time, but were left plugged into
their surge suppressor bars.

Everything else on both boards works fine, and every other piece of
electronics in the house is working fine as well, which makes me think
it may have been a spike of some sort that came in through the coax for
the cable TV/internet.

I'm going to leave things the way they are...the new PCI NIC cards I
bought work better than the on-board NICs did.

 

[w_tom]

First, the NIC is another computer. Your main computer
talks to the NIC computer. That appears as a good device.
However what does the NIC computer talk to? If NIC cable
interface is damaged, then NIC computer cannot talk to the
outside world - but is still declared fine.

Responsible computer manufacturers provided comprehensive
diagnostics. If your's does not, then download the diagnostic
from the NIC manufacturer. Last test is most critical. With
two computers (same NICs) cabled together (best via a
cross-over cable), the diagnostics on each computer confirm
the cable interface works or demonstrates the problem.

Meanwhile, you had power strip protectors that don't even
claim to protect from transients that typically damage NICs.
Power strip protector claims to protect from another type of
transient. IOW it performed exactly as manufacturer claimed -
and you suffered damage. Computer power on or off: a
protector simply provides a transient with more paths to find
earth ground, destructively, via the adjacent computer.
Damage that completely bypasses a power switch and power
supply.

Understand how damage happens. Myth purveyors will claim a
transient enters a computer, damages electronics, then stops.
That even violates 2nd grade science. The transient is
electricity. First electricity pushes current through
everything in a complete path. That means the transient must
have both an incoming and outgoing path through any component
for component to be damaged. That means computer must have
both an incoming and outgoing path to suffer failure.

The most common source of incoming destructive transients is
from wires highest on utility poles (or buried in ground). An
adjacent protector has simply distributed a destructive
transient to all other wires. The transient now has a path
into computer via green safety ground wire; bypasses power
supply and power switch; outgoing via any other wire.

One good outgoing path could have been the NIC via network
cable. Since your router connects to cable, then that is a
perfect and shortest path to earth ground. A transient has
now found a good path to earth ground via your computer. A
path made even easier by the adjacent power bar protector.
The power bar protector performed exactly as its manufacturer
has claimed.

Again, not everything in that path need be damaged or need
fail immediately. Something could still be working today but
have suffered overstress - will fail later. Other components
in that path may have sufficient internal protection to not
suffer damage.

All electronic appliances have internal protection.
Protection that assumes you have earthed the incoming
transient before a transient can enter the building. Clearly
you have at least one incoming utility that does not have
required service entrance protection. Telephone has
protection provided for free by your telco. Cable also is
suppose to be earthed (no protector necessary) to that same
earth ground. Cable then is a good outgoing path from your
now damaged computers via NICs. Earth ground - where
utilities enter a building is the protection. If any incoming
utility is not properly earthed, then a transient will find a
destructive path through some appliances (and not others) to
earth ground.

Notice the most critical objective of destructive
transients, what is requires on every incoming utility to
protect appliances, AND what those overpriced, ineffective
power bar protectors routinely avoid discussing. Earth
ground.

Described is a most common reason why a trivial transient
only damaged some components. Why powered on or off is
completely irrelevant. Those adjacent plug-in protectors can
make damage to adjacent electronics easier. Meanwhile an
effective 'whole house' protector for every household
appliance is sold in Home Depot and Lowes. Protector that
would have cost tens of times less money per protected
appliance. Protection that does earth typically destructive
transients - and remain functional so that you never even knew
the transient existed.

Your transient may have been too small to overwhelm
protection found in other appliances. But with assistance of
an adjacent power bar protector, then protection inside those
NICs may have been compromised. Power bar protectors forget
to mention a critical fact. A protector is only as effective
as its earth ground. Those power bar protectors have all but
no earth ground; ineffective protection. So they quietly
forget to mention the type of transients that typically
damages appliances.