Applies to: Windows 10
Wake on LAN (WOL) stopped working on one of my systems after upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. The system used an onboard Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller.
In this case, the problem was the network adapter driver installed after the Windows upgrade. Replacing it with the Realtek vendor driver restored WOL. This was the finding in this specific system, not a general rule for every Windows 10 WOL problem.
In This Article
- 1. Original Environment
- 2. Check the WOL Power State
- 3. Verify Network Adapter Settings
- 4. Check the Network Adapter Driver
- 5. What Fixed It in This System
- 6. Key Takeaways
1. Original Environment
- Previous OS: Windows 8.1 Pro x64
- Current OS: Windows 10 Pro x64
- Mainboard: ASUS H87-Plus
- NIC: Onboard Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
- Driver observed during the issue: 9.1.401.2015
2. Check the WOL Power State
Before troubleshooting the driver, check the Windows power state from which you are testing WOL.
Microsoft documents WOL support in Windows 10 from sleep (S3) and from an explicitly requested hibernate state (S4). A normal shutdown with Fast Startup uses hybrid shutdown, and Windows does not arm the network adapter for WOL in that scenario.
If you are testing after shutdown, Fast Startup can therefore change the result. Microsoft does not recommend disabling Fast Startup as a general configuration change, so use that setting only as part of controlled troubleshooting or when your hardware design requires it.
3. Verify Network Adapter Settings
Open Device Manager, open the network adapter properties, and verify the available WOL options for the installed driver.
- Enable Wake on Magic Packet if the driver exposes that option.
- Check the Power Management tab and allow the adapter to wake the computer when that option is available.
- Also verify that WOL is enabled in the system firmware if the platform provides a BIOS or UEFI setting for it.
The exact Advanced and Power Management options vary by NIC vendor and driver version, so do not assume that every adapter exposes the same settings.
4. Check the Network Adapter Driver
If WOL worked before the operating system upgrade and the power and firmware settings are correct, compare the current NIC driver with the driver provided by the hardware vendor.
Do not assume that the newest version number is always the best choice for WOL. Driver packaging, vendor-specific power-management features, and firmware interaction can affect wake behavior.
5. What Fixed It in This System
On this ASUS H87-Plus system, replacing the Realtek driver that had been installed through Windows Update with the Realtek vendor driver restored Wake on LAN.
The vendor driver used at the time was older than the Microsoft-provided driver, but WOL worked correctly again after the change. That result applies to this specific hardware and driver combination and should be treated as a troubleshooting example rather than a universal fix.
6. Key Takeaways
- Check the Windows power state before blaming the NIC driver.
- Fast Startup changes shutdown behavior and can affect WOL testing.
- Verify NIC, Power Management, and BIOS or UEFI WOL settings.
- If WOL stopped after an OS upgrade, compare the Windows-provided NIC driver with the vendor driver.
- In this system, the Realtek vendor driver restored WOL.
References
Cloud and infrastructure professional with nearly two decades of experience in enterprise IT environments, spanning public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid architectures.