PXE Boot - Ethernet Connection Not Detected

Posted by GreatDesolate@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 8 comments

I'm a new tech support so forgive if this is a dumb question. I'm trying to reimage a laptop but for some reason ethernet connection is not displayed/detected on the boot menu. I've confirmed that PXE boot is enabled and there's network connectivity. What should I look for to resolve this?

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8 Comments

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BlackV@reddit

the NIC has to support PXE and the bios needs to support PXE, this is especially important for EFI boot

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pdp10@reddit

Is this a laptop with a USB to Ethernet adapter or dock? In those cases, the UEFI firmware needs to have a driver matching the removable NIC, in order to boot PXE. The second thing to check is whether PXE boot is enabled in the firmware.

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GreatDesolate@reddit (OP)

It appears I made the mistake of making assumptions. Ethernet PXE boot was disabled on firmware but enabled on boot options. I don't know why it was disabled but it's good to go now. Thanks.

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DarthPneumono@reddit

Many BIOS/EFI implementations do this, and you have to say yes 2-3 different places (usually called different things) to actually get PXE to happen.

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GreatDesolate@reddit (OP)

I've tried using both USB-A and C adapters, dock, and straight RJ-45. Nothing.

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jma89@reddit

Most laptops (and every one that I've ever worked on) will only work with either their onboard NIC, or with a USB dongle from the same manufacturer. (Sometimes you can get away with a docking station, as with Surfaces, but that's not always a guarantee.) Are you getting [yon blinkenlight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinkenlights#Etymology) on the Ethernet interface when it's trying PXE boot?

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nordak@reddit

Go into BIOS and check various settings. You might need to "Enable UEFI Network Stack" or enable the onboard NIC to see IPV4. Different BIOS will have different settings but for mine, "Enable UEFI Network Stack" is default disabled and you must enable it.

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GreatDesolate@reddit (OP)

On board NIC was disabled for PXE boot on BIOS but enabled on boot options so I didn't think to check there. This is the first time I've encountered a disabled NIC for network boot in our organization. Thanks.