How to set MAC Address RTL8111/RTL8168
Ethernet controller RTL8111E got replaced on an MSI P67A-GD65. After the replacement, the MAC address reported by the controller is 00:00:00:00:00:00 which is invalid, preventing network from working properly under Windows and PXE. We use the PG8168 tool to program the original MAC address back into the new RTL8111E chip.
00:00 Problem & symptoms
01:45 Possible workaround under Windows. Note that Linux will automatically generate a random MAC address in this case so network still works.
03:30 MAC address also missing inside BIOS Setup, confirming it’s not a Windows problem.
03:49 Downloading&extracting PG8168 tool
06:40 Creating a bootable FreeDOS USB drive under Linux
08:35 Making some space on the drive and copying PG8168 tool
10:10 Booting on the USB drive
11:50 Showing programmed MAC address
12:35 Programming new MAC address
14:20 Confirming MAC address is good in BIOS Setup and PXE works
15:45 Confirming networking now works properly under Windows and MAC address is correct
Download PG8168: https://support.lenovo.com/ro/en/downloads/ds028993
Download FreeDOS: https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.2/FD12LITE.zip
mac address
