[viggen]

that might be true.  the Windows Server is the audiophile OS version du jour.  However, I seem to be the only one having this issue.  In fact, the thinkpad I am using with operational ethernet also has Server 2016 installed.  I had to manually install drivers for each device but had no issue doing so.

[Doublej]

Have you tried this driver?

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26092/Intel-Network-Adapter-Driver-for-Windows-Server-2016-

[guest61169]

Can you post a link that shows your motherboard has a LAN driver compatible with Windows Server 2016?

[viggen]

yup.  so, my issue isn't driver incompatibility.  rather, device is simply not found when attempting to install driver.

[WGH]

Gigabyte GA-110TN-GSM Plus Operating Systems:

    Windows® 10 64-bit (for 7th Generation Intel® Processors)
    Windows® 10 64-bit
    Windows® 8.1 64-bit
    Windows® 7 32-bit / 64-bits (for 6th Generation Intel® Processors)

No mention of Windows Server 2016. Searching Google you are not the only person unable to install ethernet drivers when using Windows Server 2016.
   

[viggen]

yah windows 2016 isn't officially supported by said motherboard... not all audiophiles use server mbs when using server OS and i haven't read about any ethernet issues on audio boards such as audiophilestyle or jplay... and my thinkpad works fine with server OS too... so I crossed mb/os compatibility off my check list.

but, you got me searching specifically about OS/MB compatibility and as you said there are lots of people with this issue. 

and, i found a link that shows how to fix the issue.  however, it doesn't look like it's a simple fix...

https://blog.workinghardinit.work/2017/06/19/installing-intel-i211-i217v-i218v-i219v-drivers-windows-server-2016-eufi-boot/
https://foxdeploy.com/2013/09/12/hacking-an-intel-network-card-to-work-on-server-2012-r2/

[WGH]

Great find! Looks like a fun hack. Once you get everything running install some imaging software, I use the free Paragon Backup and Recovery to make a bit perfect backup, that way you can always go back to a working system. Since you have the Windows Server you will probably have to use another program, but there are plenty to choose from.

I have hacked a Windows ATI card to work on a Mac, my Nook Color runs the CyanogenMod Android OS, and got Mac OS X Tiger-x86 to run natively on an AMD Athlon 64 processor so I have a warped idea of fun.

[Doublej]

Mystery solved. The workaround doesn't look too bad. Half of the page is comments.

[rollo]

Great find! Looks like a fun hack. Once you get everything running install some imaging software, I use the free Paragon Backup and Recovery to make a bit perfect backup, that way you can always go back to a working system. Since you have the Windows Server you will probably have to use another program, but there are plenty to choose from.

I have hacked a Windows ATI card to work on a Mac, my Nook Color runs the CyanogenMod Android OS, and got Mac OS X Tiger-x86 to run natively on an AMD Athlon 64 processor so I have a warped idea of fun.

  Is that against the law hacking ?

charles

[WGH]

  Is that against the law hacking ?

charles

I broke so many laws doing this I couldn't keep track 
But it was cool. More a proof of concept than a full time computer, I have always used a PC. Macs' at that time sucked but many people loved them just the same.
First released in 2005, Tiger was the first version of Mac OS X for the x86 processor, previous Mac OS's ran on an IBM PowerPC CPU which used a different architecture than the Intel and AMD x86 CPUs. OS X Tiger booted using the old BIOS so it was easy to hack, later Apple changed the OS to use the EFI boot. The 'Intel Inside' MacBook Pro and Intel iMac were announced in 2006.

I wasn't the only person doing this, in 2008 Psystar Corporation tried selling Mac clones but Apple put a stop to that.