Windows 10 has been really good at updating my computer. I have read reports of people complaining about Windows 10 update breaking their adapter or driver. I always thought that Windows 10 will not do this to me since I have been very careful on what to install in my computer. Well, Microsoft proved me wrong last Sunday.
Windows 10 Update – Before the Nightmare
I shut down my computer with a Windows 10 prompt asking me if I want to update then shut down or update then restart. Since I’m going to bed, I chose update then shut down. I woke up the next morning and found the update added new features that I like. It loads fast and it kept the window I have left open. I always have my task manager open so I can monitor my disk, CPU, and RAM activities while playing now it also includes the GPU — I don’t need MSI Afterburner open anymore. However, all these things mean nothing when I found out that the latest Windows 10 update broke my network driver. I can’t connect to the internet to search for help using my computer and removing the update didn’t solve my problem. I can’t download a driver from MSI from my Galaxy Tab and to make matters worse, I have misplaced my motherboard driver CD. It’s been 2 years and I don’t keep clutter in my closet longer than 2 years.
Bad Solution/Decision
I searched for answers in my Tab and everywhere I go I read “you need to reinstall Windows 10″…SERIOUSLY?!!! Reinstalling Windows 10 means that I will lose all my settings. The good news is, I am smart enough to install my games on different disk drives preparing something like this will happen. So the only real loss is my Windows 10 settings which I can probably set up in a few hours after reinstalling Windows 10. At this point, I was really angry at the fact that Microsoft will do this to me after a long track record of not ruining my day. In hindsight, reinstalling Windows 10 was the worst decision ever. Well, what’s done is done.
No driver here
After reinstalling Windows 10, I still can’t connect to the internet. What did I expect? Windows 10 didn’t have the network driver, it was my motherboard driver CD that has the driver. At this point, I was already banging my head on the desk for being stupid and not thinking straight. Ok, I will not do that to myself since I value what’s inside my head because thinking about banging my head made me realize that I can use my college laptop to download the network driver from MSI website. Yes, I am already calling myself stupid at this point for not thinking about this solution before nuking my Windows 10. So I fired up my 5 years old college laptop and went to the MSI website. I typed in my motherboard model at the search bar and there was no network driver in the result. I went back to the google result and saw a “Gaming” version of my motherboard. I followed the link and it has the network (LAN) driver. I downloaded it and installed to my computer then I’m connected again.
No network driver
Gaming version network driver
Grunt work
I spent the whole Sunday until 4 am Monday morning restoring everything. So the lesson I’ve learned from this experience are; 1) don’t forget my education, I knew this from Computer Services 101, 2) never misplace or lose my motherboard driver CD, and 3) never believe what I read on the internet from so-called-experts. I knew the answer all along but for whatever reason, I wasn’t thinking straight last night. In addition, Microsoft has a very poor online support in this case. I cannot find any useful, non-convoluted information online about Windows 10 and their horrible QA department. Ok, ok, that was unfair, this is the first time a Windows update messed up my computer for the last 20+ years. However, their support website does not include all solution to the problem and the suggested solution didn’t really address the issue which only added to my frustration. If there’s only a website that consolidates this information would have made my life a lot easier and not waste my Sunday fixing my computer.
Eureka
My horrible experience in finding solution got me thinking. Maybe I should add a troubleshooting category to this blog site and I can start with this Windows 10 update breaking my network driver.
