Intel Gigabit CT NIC (82574L -- e1000e) not working at all

Question

Just bought a brand-new Intel gigabit PCI-Express NIC from NewEgg.
After plugging it in and booting, the e1000e module is loaded for it, but I'm not able to force it to work at all (I have tried the official Intel driver v1.3.10a).
I am using the 2.6.38.1 kernel (.2 has no relevant changes, I checked).  The NIC is connected to a rather old 3Com network hub that only supports 100Mb/s (I'm okay with that for now), and from there to my router.
I'd like to try without the hub, but it'd be a pain to move everything over, as the cable won't reach, and I have no other PCs with PCI-Express to test the card in.  I'll be trying Windows 7 ASAP.
I can switch back to my 3Com 3c905c-TX PCI 100Mb/s NIC with no issue there.
The dmesg output at boot is:
e1000e: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Driver - 1.2.20-k2
e1000e: Copyright(c) 1999 - 2011 Intel Corporation.
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: irq 46 for MSI/MSI-X
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: irq 47 for MSI/MSI-X
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: irq 48 for MSI/MSI-X
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: Disabling ASPM L0s
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: (PCI Express:2.5GB/s:Width x1) 00:1b:21:a1:8c:da
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Connection
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: MAC: 3, PHY: 8, PBA No: E46981-005
ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): eth1: link is not ready
e1000e: eth1 NIC Link is Up 100 Mbps Half Duplex, Flow Control: None
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: Autonegotiated half duplex but link partner cannot autoneg. Try forcing full duplex if link gets many collisions.
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: 10/100 speed: disabling TSO
ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth1: link becomes ready
e1000e: eth1 NIC Link is Down
I've tried things like `ethtool -s eth1 speed 100 duplex full autoneg off`, but it just does a "NIC Link is Up xxxxx" and then "NIC Link is Down".
The light on the NIC is flashing green, green means 100Mb/s but I'm not sure if it's supposed to stay solid when working correctly.  When the cable is not in, the light stays off, so I doubt it's a cable problem (plus, said cable works in the 3Com card).
sudo lspci -v:
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82574L Gigabit Network Connection
Subsystem: Intel Corporation Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
Memory at e9080000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128K]
Memory at e9000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
I/O ports at a000 [size=32]
Memory at e90a0000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
[virtual] Expansion ROM at ef500000 [disabled] [size=256K]
Capabilities: [c8] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [d0] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
Capabilities: [e0] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [a0] MSI-X: Enable+ Count=5 Masked-
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [140] Device Serial Number 00-1b-21-ff-ff-a1-8c-da
Kernel driver in use: e1000e
Kernel modules: e1000e
sudo ethtool eth1 (before changing anything):
Settings for eth1:
Supported ports: [ TP ]
Supported link modes: 10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
1000baseT/Full
Supports auto-negotiation: Yes
Advertised link modes: 10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
1000baseT/Full
Advertised pause frame use: No
Advertised auto-negotiation: Yes
Speed: Unknown!
Duplex: Unknown! (255)
Port: Twisted Pair
PHYAD: 1
Transceiver: internal
Auto-negotiation: on
MDI-X: Unknown
Supports Wake-on: pumbag
Wake-on: g
Current message level: 0x00000001 (1)
drv
Link detected: no
sudo mii-tool eth1:
SIOCGMIIREG on eth1 failed: Input/output error
eth1: no link
If anyone could help me out with this, thank you very very much.
I can't find any solid assistance by searching.
I'd rather not have to ship it back and find another NIC.

Answer 1

Just bought a brand-new Intel gigabit PCI-Express NIC from NewEgg.
After plugging it in and booting, the e1000e module is loaded for it, but I'm not able to force it to work at all (I have tried the official Intel driver v1.3.10a).
I am using the 2.6.38.1 kernel (.2 has no relevant changes, I checked).  The NIC is connected to a rather old 3Com network hub that only supports 100Mb/s (I'm okay with that for now), and from there to my router.
I'd like to try without the hub, but it'd be a pain to move everything over, as the cable won't reach, and I have no other PCs with PCI-Express to test the card in.  I'll be trying Windows 7 ASAP.
I can switch back to my 3Com 3c905c-TX PCI 100Mb/s NIC with no issue there.
The dmesg output at boot is:
e1000e: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Driver - 1.2.20-k2
e1000e: Copyright(c) 1999 - 2011 Intel Corporation.
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: irq 46 for MSI/MSI-X
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: irq 47 for MSI/MSI-X
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: irq 48 for MSI/MSI-X
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: Disabling ASPM L0s
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: (PCI Express:2.5GB/s:Width x1) 00:1b:21:a1:8c:da
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Connection
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: MAC: 3, PHY: 8, PBA No: E46981-005
ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): eth1: link is not ready
e1000e: eth1 NIC Link is Up 100 Mbps Half Duplex, Flow Control: None
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: Autonegotiated half duplex but link partner cannot autoneg. Try forcing full duplex if link gets many collisions.
e1000e 0000:03:00.0: eth1: 10/100 speed: disabling TSO
ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth1: link becomes ready
e1000e: eth1 NIC Link is Down
I've tried things like `ethtool -s eth1 speed 100 duplex full autoneg off`, but it just does a "NIC Link is Up xxxxx" and then "NIC Link is Down".
The light on the NIC is flashing green, green means 100Mb/s but I'm not sure if it's supposed to stay solid when working correctly.  When the cable is not in, the light stays off, so I doubt it's a cable problem (plus, said cable works in the 3Com card).
sudo lspci -v:
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82574L Gigabit Network Connection
Subsystem: Intel Corporation Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
Memory at e9080000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128K]
Memory at e9000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
I/O ports at a000 [size=32]
Memory at e90a0000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
[virtual] Expansion ROM at ef500000 [disabled] [size=256K]
Capabilities: [c8] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [d0] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
Capabilities: [e0] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [a0] MSI-X: Enable+ Count=5 Masked-
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [140] Device Serial Number 00-1b-21-ff-ff-a1-8c-da
Kernel driver in use: e1000e
Kernel modules: e1000e
sudo ethtool eth1 (before changing anything):
Settings for eth1:
Supported ports: [ TP ]
Supported link modes: 10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
1000baseT/Full
Supports auto-negotiation: Yes
Advertised link modes: 10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
1000baseT/Full
Advertised pause frame use: No
Advertised auto-negotiation: Yes
Speed: Unknown!
Duplex: Unknown! (255)
Port: Twisted Pair
PHYAD: 1
Transceiver: internal
Auto-negotiation: on
MDI-X: Unknown
Supports Wake-on: pumbag
Wake-on: g
Current message level: 0x00000001 (1)
drv
Link detected: no
sudo mii-tool eth1:
SIOCGMIIREG on eth1 failed: Input/output error
eth1: no link
If anyone could help me out with this, thank you very very much.
I can't find any solid assistance by searching.
I'd rather not have to ship it back and find another NIC.