How to Remove Hidden Network Adapters in Windows
Moving virtual guest Windows machines around between virtual hosts, sometimes the network adapters get lost or hidden. This creates a situation where you move a machine and it looks like it forgot the static ip address settings. So you go in and put the settings back in and you get the message
The IP address <IP address> you have entered for this network adapter is already assigned to another adapter (<Name of adapter>) which is no longer present in the computer. If the same address is assigned to both adapters and they both become active, only one of them will use this address. This may result in incorrect system configuration.
Do you want to remove the static IP configuration for the absent adapter?
Remove a Non-Existent Network Card Using the Device Manager
Start the cmd prompt as administrator and type
set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1Then start the Device Manager with:
devmgmt.mscNow, in the top menu, click View -> Show hidden devices. Then, expand the Network adapters section.
Hidden network cards should appear in the list . Select the network card that we want to remove, right-click it -> Uninstall Device.
Remove Network Adapter Settings from the Registry
Cleaning up the device manager usually takes care of the problem. But not all the time. If the problem still exists start Regedit
Find IP settings of the network interfaces is under the registry key HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces.
This registry keys contains some {Interface GUID} keys.
Check them one-by-one until we find the interface and the IPAddress value assigned to the old network interface.
As you can assign multiple IP addresses (aliases) to a single network adapter. Thus the IP Address parameter may contain more than one IP address.
Remember the name of the registry key and then remove the keys:
- HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Adapters\{your_NIC_ID}
- HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\{your_NIC_ID}
Then, restart the system and assign the old static IP address to a new network adapter.