Gigabit Ethernet Driver Windows 7 ((better)) | Broadcom Netxtreme
SHA-1 + SHA-256 (valid until 2024 for SHA-256; SHA-1 deprecated but still loads on Windows 7). Appendix B: Registry Settings for Performance Tuning [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318\XXXX] "*RSS"=dword:00000001 ; Enable RSS "*JumboPacket"=dword:00002328 ; 9000 bytes "*InterruptModeration"=dword:00000001 "*FlowControl"=dword:00000000 ; Disable for performance "*PriorityVLANTag"=dword:00000003 ; 802.1p + VLAN End of Report
The latest stable driver version for Windows 7 is 17.4.0.3 (NDIS 6.20), released in 2018. No security or feature updates have been issued since 2019. Users should be aware of unfixed vulnerabilities in the driver stack due to EOL status. 2. Supported Hardware (NetXtreme Family) The driver package supports the following device IDs and chip variants: broadcom netxtreme gigabit ethernet driver windows 7
| Vulnerability | Impact | Mitigation | |----------------|--------|-------------| | CVE-2019-8598 (IOCTL handling) | Local privilege escalation | Disable BACS service if not required | | Missing Spectre v2 microcode integration | Cross-process info leak | Apply Windows 7 KB4499164 (Jan 2020) | | Deprecated SSL/TLS in BACS remote mgmt | Man-in-the-middle | Do not use remote BACS management | SHA-1 + SHA-256 (valid until 2024 for SHA-256;
| Chipset Family | Example Part Numbers | Common System Integration | |----------------|----------------------|----------------------------| | BCM5708 | NetXtreme 5708 | Dell PowerEdge 1950/2950 | | BCM5709 | NetXtreme II 5709 | HP ProLiant G6 | | BCM5716 | NetXtreme II 5716 | IBM xSeries | | BCM5717 | NetXtreme 5717 | Dell OptiPlex 790/990 | | BCM5719 | Quad-port GbE | Custom workstations | | BCM5720 | Dual-port GbE | Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p | | BCM5721, 5722, 5751, 5752, 5754, 5755, 5761, 57780, 57781, 57785, 57788, 57790, 57795 | Various integrated NICs | Motherboard-integrated LAN | "NetXtreme II" devices require a separate driver package (b57nd60a.sys) but are included in the same installer for Windows 7. 3. Driver Version History & Release Details (Final Windows 7 Builds) | Version | Date | NDIS Version | Notable Changes | |----------|------|--------------|------------------| | 17.4.0.3 | Apr 2018 | 6.20 | Final security fix for CVE-2017-5715 (Spectre variant 2 indirect branch handling); improved jumbo frame stability. | | 17.2.0.1 | Sep 2016 | 6.20 | Added support for BCM5719; fixed BSOD on resume from S3 sleep. | | 16.8.0.0 | Jun 2015 | 6.20 | First NDIS 6.20 driver; removed support for Windows 7 RTM (requires SP1). | | 16.6.0.5 | Jan 2014 | 6.10 | Legacy version for pre-SP1 systems. | Users should be aware of unfixed vulnerabilities in
Report ID: BRCM-WIN7-001 Date: October 2023 (Updated for legacy support context) Subject: Driver compatibility, installation, performance, and security analysis for Windows 7 systems. 1. Executive Summary The Broadcom NetXtreme series of Gigabit Ethernet controllers are widely integrated into enterprise-grade desktops, workstations, and servers (e.g., Dell OptiPlex, Precision, PowerEdge; HP Compaq Elite; Lenovo ThinkCentre). While Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7 in January 2015 (extended support ended January 2020), many industrial, embedded, and legacy enterprise systems continue to operate on this OS. Broadcom (now owned by Avago Technologies, with drivers maintained by Avago/Broadcom) released its final official driver sets for Windows 7 between 2016 and 2019.