Unable to rename a network connection.

Question

_{Thursday, March 14, 2019 11:12 PM}

So after a laptop repair, the ethernet device was mistakenly left disconnected for a while. 

Today we got that problem resolved however, it was noticed that instead of "Ethernet" the connection was labled as "Ethernet 2" in the Network Connections.

What also was noticed is that in the device manager, instead of "RealTek PCIe GbE Family Controller" I have "RealTek PCIe GbE Family Controller #2".

I have tried showing "hidden devices" within the device manager but I am not able to find the hidden device. 

When trying to rename the network connection, we get a notification saying that a connection with the same name exists.

How can we find and remove the old device profile and network connection?

All replies (6)

_{Friday, March 15, 2019 1:22 AM}

Hi,

There are probably remains left in the Windows Registry, you can find them here:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces

In the Windows registry you will see GUIDs, they might be difficult to know which is which, so you can open a PowerShell and run the following command:

Get-NetAdapter | Format-List -Property Name, DeviceID

This should let you know which GUID belongs to which network adapter.

Best regards,
Leon

Blog: https://thesystemcenterblog.com LinkedIn:

_{Friday, March 15, 2019 1:39 AM}

Hi,

you can also try to remove the adapter settings via the registry.

Please refer to the link below:

https://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/unable-delete-network-adapter-windows-10/

Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Best regards,

Travis

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_{Friday, March 15, 2019 6:26 AM}

Hello,

Try the registry method mentioned here to rename network connection:

https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-rename-a-network-profile-in-windows-10

Let us know if this helps!

Note: Included link in this reply refers to blog post by a trusted Microsoft MVP.

Microsoft MVP (Windows and Devices for IT)

Windows Insider MVP

Windows Help & Support [www.kapilarya.com]

_{Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:35 AM}

Hi,

Just checking in to see if the information provided was helpful.

Please let us know if you would like further assistance.

Best Regards,

Travis

Please remember to mark the replies as an answers if they help.
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_{Wednesday, June 10, 2020 5:38 AM}

Thanks for checking back in the forum to see if the issue was resolved.

I am having the same problem but your solution above did not quite work for me. I am trying to rename my Wi-Fi connection to Wi-Fi not Wi-Fi 1 which it is currently named. I tried the steps that are posted but 

Get-NetAdapter -IncludeHidden | Format-List -Property Name, DeviceID

Didn't return "Wi-Fi" as one of the connections. It returned quite a few others but not "Wi-Fi"

So I could not Find it in the registry to delete it.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Gregory I. Hayes

Gregory I. Hayes

_{Wednesday, June 10, 2020 5:39 AM}

Thanks, but that will change the network profile name, not the connection name. :-)

Gregory I. Hayes