New
#21
Are you experiencing the same as the OP i.e. every time a notebook boots, it creates a new entry in Device Manager e.g. "Atheros (...) Ethernet Controller #151" such that these notebooks have hundreds of hidden entries in DM (btw you clean these using DevCon)? Is the driver for the built-in NIC coming from W7, or is it a custom driver from ASUS or Atheros? Is there a newer driver for the NIC than what is on the ASUS site?
I'd be inclined to get-rid of all the "hidden" NIC entries--I wonder too if in the Registry e.g. HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\ there are zillions of entries.
You might want to consider getting one of the notebooks for yourself i.e. exchanging w/the user another laptop, or buying an identical one for test, and then starting-over from scratch with it i.e. clean install w/latest NIC chip driver and then beating the heck out of it yourself...
This link may be completely irrelevant but maybe something will arc/spark with your issue:
http://www.ryanvictory.com/posts/aut...al-in-windows/