Precision 7560 - e1000e module error: the NVM Checksum Is Not Valid

You didn't mention which Linux distribution you're installing. I configured my 7560 to dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Have you considered trying a different Linux distribution? Booting a live Linux from a thumb drive would allow you to experiment without disturbing what you've installed on your drive.

You mention that Windows ignores the error, which suggests you're dual booting Windows & Linux. Do the diagnostics running under Windows report a problem with the LAN hardware?

-Bob

Hi,
THank you for your message.

I have been struggling with this problem for three days now. I installed MS Windows with hope that I would find a tool or update to fix it on the most supported operating system in the world.

I'm using gentoo, but can't install it this time. After booting the system install image, the network is down (because of the eeprom checksum error). There are no drivers for Wifi too, so I cannot continue with the installation.

I tried Ubuntu 20.04 and 21.10 and problem exists in both versions. However WIFI works, so I am going to use Ubuntu live to install gentoo base system.

You run Ubuntu 20.04, don't you? Do you have the same problem with the net card? Do you see the same error message in the bootlog?

Many thanks

Marcin

When I initially installed Ubuntu 20.04 LTS I encountered the reverse problem: the Ethernet port worked fine but WiFi did not. At that time (late July/early August) that LTS kernel did not yet support the Intel AX210 WiFi chip. I could have manually installed an updated kernel from the non-LTS distribution to get WiFi working, but elected to wait for the official release. The next kernel update arrived about a month later and included the updated driver.

No, my machine's bootlog contains no mention of a checksum for the Ethernet device.

Your machine's Ethernet hardware certainly seems to have an issue. I'm surprised and disappointed Dell's diagnostics fail to detect the problem.

-Bob

I expected the same problem you had. The P7560 is a quite new laptop, so It was acceptable for me that some driver was not ready yet. Unfortunately I don't understand why having the same laptop with the same network card, I observe that problem, and you don't. But I hope that this is only a software issue.

I spent a few days trying different methods that I found on the internet. Nothing worked. However, I found a newer version of the network adapter driver by chance. Version e1000e-3.8.7.tar.gz works.

Other links:

https://github.com/koljah-de/e1000e-dkms-debian

https://osdn.net/projects/sfnet_e1000/downloads/e1000e%20historic%20archive/3.8.7/e1000e-3.8.7.tar.g...

I couldn't find any difference that caused this problem, although version 3.8.7 also checks the eeprom checksum but reports no problem. Now I'm using Ubuntu to install Gentoo

Thanks

Marcin

Glad you resolved the problem!

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS must be using a different Intel I219-LM driver, which would explain why I never saw that problem and why the LAN worked when you booted Ubuntu. Looking for Ubuntu's e1000e driver version on my 7560 I see the following result:

root@host:/lib/modules# find . -name e1000e -ls
20056414 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jul 20 14:07 ./5.8.0-63-generic/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e
15597924 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Aug 4 17:12 ./5.11.0-25-generic/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e

root@host:/lib/modules# modinfo e1000e | grep ver
filename: /lib/modules/5.11.0-25-generic/kernel/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/e1000e.ko
description: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Driver
srcversion: 8543CA62F65379D0D09CCD6
vermagic: 5.11.0-25-generic SMP mod_unload modversions

-Bob

Unfortunately, the problem has not been resolved yet.
I have already tested everything I found on the Internet. The driver I found only works if you compile it and run modprobe.
I do not know why, but when I restart Linux, the driver crashes the system.

I bought my laptop two months ago and still can't use it.

-Marcin

Ok I disable secure boot from UEFI and install https://github.com/koljah-de/e1000e-dkms-debian.

After reboot NIC work as espected!

I think I have to reinstall this module at ever kernel update...

Hi all,

I have the same identical problem: I bouth Dell Precision 7650 laptop with ONLY Ubuntu 20.04 SO (no Windows, I use only Ubuntu for work) and the NIC doesn't work (but is alive, led blinking and by UEFI menu I can search BIOS update from Internet so no hardware issue).

This problem occurred after Motherborad replacement (for other elettrical problem), after reboot with new NIC Ubuntu doesn't enable the device with error:

e1000e 0000:00:1f.6: The NVM Checksum Is Not Valid
e1000e: probe of 0000:00:1f.6 failed with error -5 

I tested all solution proposed on Internet (various reboot with all combination of UEFI configuration - Secure boot on/off, etc), and installed last proposal kernel (5.11.0-41-generic) but nothing to do.

Same problem if run Ubuntu ISO from USB (all latest version).

The curious fact is that with the previous motherboard the card worked correctly!

Why we have all these problems if this laptop is certified to work with Ubuntu 20.04??

Really nerve-wracking!

Nothing to do, after one day the problem returned as described in this other discussion: https://www.dell.com/community/Linux-Developer-Systems/Precision-7560-won-t-boot-with-Network-Enabled/m-p/8079627/highlight/true#M9464

Now I am forced to work with the NIC disabled by BIOS.

Has anyone managed to boot a live ISO with the NIC recognized and working?

Here (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1936998) describe that the bug was fixed for some kernel versions.

An update.:
It may be interesting but I have the same issue after motherboard replacement.

It looks that DELL has to fix something in faulty laptops' firmware.:

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=213667

I think Dell needs to give this more attention than they have.  It's not just Precision notebooks.  I have a Latitude 5420 that has the same problem.  In the Kernel bug linked above, someone else also reports having this problem with a 5420.  I don't think this problem renders the notebook "unusable" because you can simply use a USB Ethernet adapter for wired networks.  So it's more of an annoyance than a fatal flaw.

same here
[ 1.554643] e1000e 0000:00:1f.6: The NVM Checksum Is Not Valid
[ 1.593115] e1000e: probe of 0000:00:1f.6 failed with error -5

Well I ran into this issue after installing Fedora 35 on my Latitude 5420

Here is what I ended up having to do to get it to work:

I did download the 3.8.7 e1000e drivers as mentioned previously but make didn't like something about the code - kept failing due to incompatible pointer [-Werror=incompatible-pointer-types]

I then used opened the file that it complained about and just commented out the lines 

After that it build and installed but modprobe wouldn't activate due to keys not matching - so I turned off secure boot in the bios 

Once that was done it allowed modprobe to setup the new driver and it appears to be working.

Was a good exercise that took me back to the early days of Linux couldn't have done it without this thread

It isn't a Dell (at least not an exclusively Dell) problem. My MSI B450 motherboard started whining about this after a RHEL 8.5 update a few weeks ago. (just FYI)

May I ask the kernel Version involved for your problematic distributions? (uname -a)?

Mine is: 4.18.0-348.20.1el8.5.x86_64 #1 SMP Tue Mar 8 12:56:54 EST 2022

I suspect a linux kernel problem..