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SmukhtarFlag for Australia

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Unknow Network Adapters

Hi there

I have a windows 7 ultimate desktop. This machine got 3 physical network cards in total. 2 wireless and 1 wired
1)LinkSys AE 2500
2)TP-Link 450 Mbps network adapter
3)Realtek Pcie gbe network adapter

I have recently made some changes and don't remember exactly what I have been doing to be exact. That includes installing a virtualbox and trying to create a VPN Connection and few things more.

I am not using VPN Connection anymore and now I don't  know which network adapters to keep and which one to delete. I am sure about 3 physical adapters and one virtualbox adapter. I want to keep the virtualbox adapter as I am not finished experimenting with it but I want to delete the other 2.

Please help me identify how they got created or is it safe to delete them without harming the virtualbox function?


Another supplementary question to this problem is; I suspect since I created these network adapters attentionally or unintentionally, my machine takes a long time to shut down before it was not more than 3 seconds. It has got a 32gb ram an i7 4600 and 1TB hard drive and it was blazing fast while shutting down. now it takes a long time to shut down. I confirm I don't have any issues with the startup time. Its just with the shutdown process. I believe computer is still trying to close some kind of connections which I dont need in the first place and I suspect anyone of the unknow network adapters to blame.

Any help will be appreciatedUser generated image

I am not sure about the network card number 2 and 4 if we start from the left of the pic. Please let me know what are these and is it safe to remove them without affecting virtualbox function. And whether it will increase the system shut down speed. Thank
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Stolsie
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Avatar of rindi
Why do you want to delete any adapters? If you don't want to use them, then remove them physically from your PC. You don't need to delete them.
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ASKER

@Stolsie
 I figured out that that number 2 VPN interface emulator was created by a windows activator. I checked the ccleaner program log and it got installed when I activated windows 7. I am providing this feedback for the other user that can ever come across the same problem. I just wanted to report why I need the activator in the first place.

Actually I replaced a smaller SSD with a larger capacity SSD; cloned the smaller SSD with the help of a software and when I booted into the system with the new SSD installed it always asked to activate the windows thinking it might be a pirated version of windows even if it is genuine.

In my case my windows is not genuine and I had to use the activator so that is how that
(2 in the pic from left to right ) VPN interface emulator got installed. I have removed it now without any noticable problem with my system even with the activation of windows for which it was intended in the first place (to activate windows)


You probably might be right about the 4) VPN client connection that it might be created when I tried to make a new VPN connection. Anyhow I have removed it. I had to uninstall it from the device manager and had to remove its driver. I could not just delete it. There was no such option in the network connection to delete it.

As a precautionary measure I created a System Restore Point just to be on the safe side something might go wrong or stop working. I just also want to report that not only my Virtualbox is working fine , I can't see any harm due to the removal of that network connection but also my shut down time has been greatly reduced.

Thank Stolsie

Regarding the Expert Comment from rindi

@rindi these connections were not physical and they are logical and they are not just physical adapter that you can remove from the system physically. Besides they were causing confusion and on top of that some serious performance issues. So I had to get rid of them by uninstalling to maintain a stable system profile. Thanks for the comment though
Hi
I’m glad I helped you solve your issue, I hope others find this whole thread useful too.