Need to delete many duplicate virtual network adapters


  1. Posts : 39
    Windows 7 64-bit
       #1

    Need to delete many duplicate virtual network adapters


    I have over 50 virtual networking adapters in device manager, I have posted this question in many forums, and still cannot get rid of these pesky unused extra adapters. I know they have been created by using Virtualbox, and by creating many virtual machines and updating virtualbox. Unfortunately, I have tried uninstalling virtualbox and the drivers all remain in devicemanager. DeviceMgmt also does not allow me to uninstall or delete the adapters, (When I do they just stay there, even after rebooting.)

    I most likely have to go into the registry and delete them, but they are in so many different places there, I need to know the correct place to delete them.

    I have a bet that this is the forum where I will get the answer for this even though I have posted in virtualbox forums, technet, MSDN, superuser, serverfault, and stackoverflow.
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  2. Posts : 614
    Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #2
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  3. Posts : 39
    Windows 7 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Hey, thanks for the response, I have seen this link, and unfortunately, I think that I need to keep those network adapters because I still use virtualbox, what I am looking for is the keys for the virtualbox bridged networking driver miniports with #s 1-6 and the bridged networking driver miniports #13-19. I believe that the registry keys in that post apply to the first adapters that I actually use and therefore need to keep them, If I am wrong, let me know and I will take a closer look once again. The question in that post was to completely remove all virtualbox networking adapters because the user was no longer using the program. Thanks.
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  4. Posts : 6,285
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       #4

    Can't you right click and Select Uninstall in Device Manager for the ones you want to get rid of?
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  5. Posts : 614
    Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #5

    Ztruker said:
    Can't you right click and Select Uninstall in Device Manager for the ones you want to get rid of?
    Right this should work, but he said something about device mgmt not allowing him, maybe he is not in device manager or does not have admin privileges? Do you have a reason as to why a driver would not uninstall?
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  6. Posts : 2,171
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #6

    Best to include a screenshot of the adapters you're wanting to delete.
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  7. Posts : 8,870
    Windows 7 Ult, Windows 8.1 Pro,
       #7

    This link might help if you need to make those extra adaptors show up in Device Manager so that you can uninstall them.

    Error message when you try to set an IP address on a network adapter
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  8. Posts : 39
    Windows 7 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Device Manager wasnt allowing me to uninstall or delete them, but I have finally done it, and I do not know how the hell i did it, just today I went in there and they are gone. First I thought maybe Microsoft's update did something since I just updated yesterday but that doesn't really make sense, unless they did something that they have not advertised to public. Anyway I still have three network adapters that do not want to go away here is a picture. I have uninstalled all three, deleted the drivers and rebooted but they are still there. I also have spoke with Gov m from microsoft and all he told me to do was uninstall VirtualBox, (of course). I really need to get this old openvpn tapwin32 driver out of there It has been there for a year and i havent needed to use it.
    I really dont know how I got rid of the other virtual network adapters, I just got lucky and they dissapeared today, since I got a new problem,

    device manager seems to not allow you to delete and uninstall virtual network adapters msot of the time, now that I have only two from virtualbox left, and One TAP WIN32 (which I have for over a year, I leave it to you again to find out how to remove at least the tap-win32 adapter which was left behind from openvpn., thanks for the comments guys
    Last edited by djmeznyc; 15 Sep 2012 at 00:34. Reason: add screenshot
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  9. Posts : 1
    Not Applicable
       #9

    Bit late for this thread ( 2years!)
    but you need to remove the adapters from the virtual switch manager rather than just delete them from the network connections...

    Hope this helps somebody
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