I am hoping someone else out there can chime in with some additional information. I have a customer who had a network switch failure and their It company supplied them with a loaner. After the loaner was in tasks that open a large number of files/channels will abrubly close. I am convinced that this is an issue with everything being set to auto negotiate and there is some handshaking issue causing the problem. I have employed the solution of making the choice to the correct speed full duplex at least a dozen time in my 20+ years of doing this. It has always solved the problem in circumstances of a similar nature.

Now, I didn't learn this on my own. At some point this was a resolution I found...somewhere. Yet except for this rando post some someone on another site from 2009 I can find not trace of it.I talked to a tech at Sage, and he had no recollection.  The reason I am asking is that the network technician from the IT company has dug his heels and and said he does not want to do this, that there is no evidence to suggest its a solution and that Sage told him I don't know what I am talking about.

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/24269152/MAS90-VISUAL-INTERGRATOR.html#a23997627

I know I am not crazy. And I know that if the handshake is failing on auto-negotiate fails you can wind up with half-duplex and that's a bad thing. Anyone have any insight as to why this kind of change would seem such a big deal they would be unwilling to test it? Anyone have anything to add to this discussion that would help me demonstrate this IS worth exploring? 

Thanks in advance!