I Want to Remove these Networks - Is it Wise to?

yahanna · 14 Apr 2022

Hi guys... on my Network Connections folder, I have 2 networks which I dont think I use and would like removed. They are, 'Ethernet 3' and 'Local Area Connection 3.'

'Ethernet 3' is associated with 'Tap Windows Adapter V9.'

'Local Area Connection 3' is associated with 'Wintun Userspace Tunnel' which I suspect may be a component of Windscribe VPN which I use as an addon to my firefox browser, but I'm not sure.

Is it safe to remove these?

I Want to Remove these Networks - Is it Wise to?-111.png

AddRAM · 14 Apr 2022

I`d leave them be.

hdmi · 14 Apr 2022

^ This.

MaloK · 14 Apr 2022

If you remove these interfaces your VPN is going to stop working.

TairikuOkami · 15 Apr 2022

That depends, for example my smart card installed Tap Windows Adapter V9, but it works without it.
In the wort case scenario, something will stop working, so you will just reinstall it and it will be restored.

zebal · 15 Apr 2022

best way to remove them is to uninstall program which installed those adapters, and if that doesn't remove them right click and delete.

Try3 · 15 Apr 2022

yahanna said:

I Want to Remove these Networks ...
… on my Network Connections folder, I have 2 networks ...

That dialog is poorly named. The entries are not of networks themselves but of your network adapters.

You have two real network adapters & two virtual network adapters created by software that you have installed.

Take these facts into account when making your decision.

All the best,
Denis

Matthew Wai · 15 Apr 2022

yahanna said:

Is it safe to remove these?

Right-click on the Start button

--> Windows PowerShell
Run the following command to back up "Network":

REG export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network" "$Env:HomeDrive\Network_backup.reg"

If anything goes wrong after the removal, double-click on the REG file to import the backup—"C:\Network_backup.reg".

yahanna · 15 Apr 2022

Try3 said:

That dialog is poorly named. The entries are not of networks themselves but of your network adapters. You have two real network adapters & two virtual network adapters created by software that you have installed.
Take these facts into account when making your decision.

Hi denis,

Ok, so now what?

f14tomcat · 15 Apr 2022

Ok, so now what?

See posts 2 and 3. They are not hurting anything, and and Denis is saying to consider the apps you installed that may have created the adapters, and if you no longer use them, uninstall them and the virtual network adapters will go away. I would not just whack them.