Which ones can I delete?

[Fayla]

Right now I have more network interfaces than I need or see a use for. I disabled them months ago, but now I just want to delete the extras. Problem is, I'm not one hundred percent about which ones I can safely remove. Obviously the WLAN and LAN interface are keepers, but as for the rest I don't know.

Which ones could I safely remove? (see attachment.)

 

[kegobeer]

Unless you are having some sort of problem, there's no need to remove them. They don't consume system resources or impact the OS in any way.

 

[Fayla]

No I'm not having any issues with them, but I am going through my install removing un-needed things. I suppose so, I could just leave them as is.

Unless you are having some sort of problem, there's no need to remove them. They don't consume system resources or impact the OS in any way.

 

[Fayla]

I decided to reformat my system with the 7 Pro. disc, instead of with the discs from the manufacturer. The results are good, not a single trace of bloatware AND... all the extra network adapters are gone too! They must have been trash that HP pre-installed :/

 

[NoN]

The trash was Microsoft IPv6, ISATAP.WORKGROUP, Teredo tunneling Pseudo Interface....needed for Homegroup Network, sharing Windows Media Player, bitTorrent peer to peer.... and so on.

 

[Fayla]

Then it's a good job I don't use those at all. I don't like or allow any form of network sharing and remote access, those services I always leave disabled. Knowing what these things do now makes sense why I never had problems with them disabled.

Edit: I gave you rep (thanks for the info )

The trash was Microsoft IPv6, ISATAP.WORKGROUP, Teredo tunneling Pseudo Interface....needed for Homegroup Network, sharing Windows Media Player, bitTorrent peer to peer.... and so on.

 

[stormy13]

Now go back to Device Manager and set it to show hidden devices, and they will all be back.

 

[NoN]

Then it's a good job I don't use those at all. I don't like or allow any form of network sharing and remote access, those services I always leave disabled. Knowing what these things do now makes sense why I never had problems with them disabled.

Edit: I gave you rep (thanks for the info )

The trash was Microsoft IPv6, ISATAP.WORKGROUP, Teredo tunneling Pseudo Interface....needed for Homegroup Network, sharing Windows Media Player, bitTorrent peer to peer.... and so on.

Thanks for Rep, it is appreciated. Guess if you don't need any kind of shared networking/files, you can just let them desactivated. On reboot might some will come again because those are set native to Windows 7 Network management as stormy13 said it aswell.

I would be more concern about some security settings to block in your firewall and others little tricks you might find around discuss here and there, to fill securities holes, than removing those.

 

[Fayla]

Yes yes, you appear to be right about that! Those things are like critters

Now go back to Device Manager and set it to show hidden devices, and they will all be back.

Well, while I was gone I decided to hack away at the registry a little-- to see if I could manually remove them. Since right click > uninstall doesn't seem to work on them (they have immunity!.) In the end though, I didn't like the results, so I just restored the system image I had made prior! It was fun poking around in there though, seriously-- those adapters are well entrenched into the registry hive.

My router does not support IPV6 and I don't use those aforementioned features. So yes, there are no problems if I disable them. You're right about the Window's firewall needing checking out. That was one of the first things I did after Window's completed installing. There was a ton of netbios / SMB / branchcache / P2P / etc stuff in there with allowed permission. But I disabled all of those rules and their related services.

Then it's a good job I don't use those at all. I don't like or allow any form of network sharing and remote access, those services I always leave disabled. Knowing what these things do now makes sense why I never had problems with them disabled.

Edit: I gave you rep (thanks for the info )

The trash was Microsoft IPv6, ISATAP.WORKGROUP, Teredo tunneling Pseudo Interface....needed for Homegroup Network, sharing Windows Media Player, bitTorrent peer to peer.... and so on.

Thanks for Rep, it is appreciated. Guess if you don't need any kind of shared networking/files, you can just let them desactivated. On reboot might some will come again because those are set native to Windows 7 Network management as stormy13 said it aswell.

I would be more concern about some security settings to block in your firewall and others little tricks you might find around discuss here and there, to fill securities holes, than removing those.

 

[NoN]

I would not mess around registry settings, or try to remove them because they will come again with another new registry key registred, you might get dozen of them after, in the linkage branch and it will retain them each time.

You can check the key
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\psched\Parameters\Adapters, and NdisAdapters

And in
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Lansvc\Profiles\Interfaces...where.xml files are stocked and renewed.

 

[Fayla]

Registry tinkering is risky, but I do have prior experience and I had a system image to restore back to just in case the worst happened.

Yes it did replenish itself. Before playing around I had only two ISATAP interfaces, but soon I saw a third ISATAP! I did manage to delete four of those interfaces completely. That was by removing full control the admin/system had on those keys, replacing it with read only. But something went weird with the IPV6 adapter, so that was why I restored the image.

It seems like Microsoft really wants those adapters to be around, even if you don't have a use for them. So I'll leave them all disabled.

I would not mess around registry settings, or try to remove them because they will come again with another new registry key registred, you might get dozen of them after, in the linkage branch and it will retain them each time.

You can check the key
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\psched\Parameters\Adapters, and NdisAdapters

And in
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Lansvc\Profiles\Interfaces...where.xml files are stocked and renewed.