Public network madness

My old solid reliable Win10 desktop died and I was forced to build a new desktop from ground up. Built it & installed Win11 on it. Now I am plagued by a serious issue in networking - the system thinks that I am connected to a Public network even when I set it as a Private network (Ethernet). The apps suddenly stop working, can't access network. The internet access continues unaffected but almost everything else grinds to a halt.

I have tried almost everything - uninstalling & installing network, switching off wifi in Windows, reset the networking through System->Network. The fix sometimes works for quite some time but almost every time disappears when I reboot the system.

My system:
Device name Main-PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 7600 6-Core Processor (3.80 GHz)
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.1 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

Windows specification
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎12-‎10-‎2025
OS build 26200.6899
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.253.0

Network
Name: Wired
Description: Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE Family Controller
Physical address (MAC): 30:56:0f:32:e0:27
Status: Operational
Maximum transmission unit: 1500
Aggregated link speed (Receive/Transmit): 1000/1000 (Mbps)
DHCP enabled: Yes
DHCP servers: 192.168.10.1
DHCP lease obtained: ‎18 ‎October ‎2025 08:32:27
DHCP lease expires: ‎18 ‎October ‎2025 08:32:26
IPv4 address: 192.168.10.20/24
IPv6 address: fdc1:bbdf:ef75:e0f:ba06:b3d4:14e5:89f8/64, fdc1:bbdf:ef75:e0f:e0b6:1598:330d:bf59/128, fe80::9ce:5904:39ee:f559%13/64
IPv4 default gateway: 192.168.10.1
DNS servers: 192.168.10.2 (Unencrypted)
45.90.28.126 (Unencrypted)
DNS domain name: lan
DNS connection suffix: lan
Network name: Network
Network category: Private
Connectivity (IPv4/IPv6): Connected to Internet / Connected to unknown network
Name: WiFi
Description: Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Physical address (MAC): f8:3d:c6:36:41:cd
Status: Not operational
Maximum transmission unit: 1500
IPv4 address: 169.254.166.78/16
IPv6 address: fe80::6db1:2bac:206d:c987%10/64
DNS servers: 192.168.10.2 (Unencrypted)
45.90.28.126 (Unencrypted)
DNS connection suffix: lan
Connectivity (IPv4/IPv6): Disconnected
Name: Local Area Connection* 8
Description: Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical address (MAC): fa:3d:c6:36:41:cd
Status: Not operational
Maximum transmission unit: 1500
IPv4 address: 169.254.218.101/16
IPv6 address: fe80::8402:abdd:cd70:d9ea%17/64
DNS servers: fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1 (Unencrypted)
Connectivity (IPv4/IPv6): Disconnected
Name: Local Area Connection* 10
Description: Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical address (MAC): fe:3d:c6:36:41:cd
Status: Not operational
Maximum transmission unit: 1500
IPv4 address: 169.254.29.46/16
IPv6 address: fe80::e773:cee9:8494:3e5e%9/64
DNS servers: fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1 (Unencrypted)
Connectivity (IPv4/IPv6): Disconnected
Name: Bluetooth Network Connection
Description: Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical address (MAC): f8:3d:c6:36:41:cc
Status: Not operational
Maximum transmission unit: 1500
IPv4 address: 169.254.193.40/16
IPv6 address: fe80::8338:c6cb:d294:dece%14/64
DNS servers: fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1 (Unencrypted)
Connectivity (IPv4/IPv6): Disconnected
Name: vEthernet (Default Switch)
Description: Hyper-V Virtual Ethernet Adapter
Physical address (MAC): 00:15:5d:8e:d4:7f
Status: Operational
Maximum transmission unit: 1500
IPv4 address: 172.28.208.1/20
IPv6 address: fe80::dcc:a0f6:a07f:76%37/64
DNS servers: fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1 (Unencrypted)
fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1 (Unencrypted)
Connectivity (IPv4/IPv6): Disconnected

RealTek Semiconductor RTL8125 Gaming 2.5GbE Family Ethernet Controller ----

[General Information]
Network Card: RealTek Semiconductor RTL8125 Gaming 2.5GbE Family Ethernet Controller
Vendor Description:
MAC Address: 30-56-0F-32-E0-27
[Capabilities]
Maximum Link Speed: 2500 Mbps
Current Link Speed: 1 Gbps
Transmit Buffer Size: 6201344 Bytes
Receive Buffer Size: 1570816 Bytes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8125&SUBSYS_E0001458&REV_05
[Driver Information]
Driver Manufacturer: Realtek
Driver Description: Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE Family Controller
Driver Provider: Realtek
Driver Version: 1125.26.50.2025
Driver Date: 10-Jul-2025
DeviceInstanceId PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8125&SUBSYS_E0001458&REV_05\01000000684CE00000
Location Paths PCIROOT(0)#PCI(0201)#PCI(0000)#PCI(0100)#PCI(0000)

RealTek Semiconductor RTL8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC -----------

[General Information]
Network Card: RealTek Semiconductor RTL8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Vendor Description: Microsoft
MAC Address: F8-3D-C6-36-41-CD
[Capabilities]
Maximum Link Speed: 54 Mbps
Current Link Speed: 54 Mbps
Transmit Buffer Size: Unknown
Receive Buffer Size: Unknown
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_C821&SUBSYS_304C1A3B&REV_00
[Driver Information]
Driver Manufacturer: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Description: Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 2024.10.141.0
Driver Date: 02-May-2024
DeviceInstanceId PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_C821&SUBSYS_304C1A3B&REV_00\00E04CFFFEC8210100
Location Paths PCIROOT(0)#PCI(0201)#PCI(0000)#PCI(0200)#PCI(0000)

 

Hi rsinfo, It looks like you have a real problem. You say you have tried lots of things but in my mind I ask whether you have made sure you have the latest/correct AMD BIOS?
Also you don't state whether you have checked Realtek Drivers for updates.

 

Tried it but after reboot again this doesn't stick.

Would try it. Thanks.

 

The BIOS is not the latest but would update it & then get back. I am a little afraid of updating a working BIOS as any mishap could break the system irreversibly.

The LAN drivers are the latest. Checked both the motherboard (Gigabyte site) & Realtek. The Windows update also doesn't give me anything.

 

If nothing works, I am thinking about a Reset of the whole thing.

 

Unfortunately, everything is web based now. No CD. I did download & installed the drivers from the manufacturer's website through Gigabyte Control Centre.
In my experience, Win10 & Win11 do a very good job of having many drivers inbuilt and they update the drivers through Windows Update. So the CD route is not as much required as say with Win 7 and earlier.

 

rsinfo I have a Gigabyte X570 M/b and have done 3 BIOS upgrades as necessary from AMD Ryzen CPU's I changed. The beauty of Gigabyte's newer boards is that you can update the BIOS without the CPU in the board! The Dedicated USB connector enables this and it's a game changer when building your comp. I've not had any problems (so far) when doing this process.
Yes, most gear these days is web based as you said. QR codes used for linking the web site etc. You then Download Drivers, Manuals, Updates etc. Even Smart phones use this process.