I’d just done a transfer of one VMware image to another server but the NIC drivers didn’t seem to transfer over correctly. Wasn’t an issue, just added a new virtual adapter but when I tried to add the previously used IP address I got the following message:

Microsoft TCP/IP
The IP address 10.77.77.7 you have entered for this network adapter is already assigned to another 'NIC1'. 'NIC1' is hidden from the network and Dial-up Connections folder because it is not physically in the computer or is a legacy adapter that is not working. If the same address is assigned to both adapters and they become active, only one of them will use this address. This may result in incorrect system configuration. Do you want to enter a different IP address for this adapter in the list of IP addresses in the advanced dialog box?

Just to note, this is not specifically a VMware error either. I have come across this before in a genuine installation.


Basically the configuration is set in the registry even though the adapter itself is no longer set. All we need to do is remove the entry, right? First of all, check your Device Manager to see if any of the NICs show up, and don’t forget to look in the hidden devices. Open cmd prompt and run:

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
start DEVMGMT.MSC

Now, ‘View\Show Hidden Devices’ and expand the ‘Network Adapters’ tree. Uninstall any NICs that you are currently not using, then try to set your IP again.

If you are still receiving the same error then it’s time to try the final step. You’ll need to download the DevCon tool from Microsoft. The devcon tool is simply a commandline based device manager but with additional developer drivers. Use like follows:

C:\devcon\i386>devcon listclass net

Listing 6 device(s) for setup class "Net" (Network adapters).
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_100F&SUBSYS_075015AD&REV_01\4&47B7341&0&2888: Intel(R) PRO/1000
 MT Network Connection #2
ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (L2TP
)
ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000                                      : WAN Miniport (IP)
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000                                  : WAN Miniport (PPPO
E)
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (PPTP
)
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000                                    : Direct Parallel

The above didn’t find anything for me, so I tried:

C:\devcon\i386>devcon findall =net

B06BDRV\L2ND&PCI_164C14E4&SUBSYS_7038103C&REV_12\6&154EFE07&0&20050500: HP NC373
i Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapter
B06BDRV\L2ND&PCI_164C14E4&SUBSYS_7038103C&REV_12\6&183F41DD&0&20050300: HP NC373
i Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapter #2
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_100F&SUBSYS_075015AD&REV_01\4&47B7341&0&2088: Intel(R) PRO/1000
 MT Network Connection
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_100F&SUBSYS_075015AD&REV_01\4&47B7341&0&2888: Intel(R) PRO/1000
 MT Network Connection #2
ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (L2TP
)
ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000                                      : WAN Miniport (IP)
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000                                  : WAN Miniport (PPPO
E)
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (PPTP
)
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000                                    : Direct Parallel
SW\{EEAB7790-C514-11D1-B42B-00805FC1270E}\ASYNCMAC          : RAS Async Adapter
10 matching device(s) found.

Perfect, now I can see a NIC that clearly isn’t supposed to be there. This is known as a ghosted device, let’s remove it with:

devcon -r remove "@PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_100F&SUBSYS_075015AD&REV_01\4&47B7341&0&2088"

The result should be something like:

PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_100F&SUBSYS_075015AD&REV_01\4&47B7341&0&2088: Removed
1 device(s) removed.

In most cases the ‘#2′ would be the one that is removed but in our scenario this wasn’t to be the case as that was the device currently being used. So be careful when making your selection. Now when you try to set the IP again, everything should work as originally intended without the warning message. 8-)