Windows 7 / Networking

Disabling a Network Connection

It's possible that your Windows 7 computer has a network connection that it doesn't use. For example, if you upgraded to a Gigabit Ethernet NIC, you may no longer use your machine's old Fast Ethernet motherboard NIC. You can't detach a motherboard NIC from your computer (not easily, anyway), so the network connection icon remains, cluttering the Network Connections window and using up a few Windows 7 resources. If you don't plan on using such a connection, you're better off disabling it by following these steps:

  1. In the Network Connections window, click the connection you want to work with, and then click the taskbar's Disable This Network Device command. (You can also right-click the connection and then click Disable.) The User Account Control dialog box appears.
  2. Enter your UAC credentials to continue.

Windows 7 changes the connection's status to Disabled. If you want to use the connection again later on, click it, and then click the taskbar's Enable This Network Device command.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Setting a Small Network
  2. Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network
  3. Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name
  4. Connecting to a Wireless Network
  5. Working with Windows 7's Basic Network Tools and Tasks
  6. Accessing the Network and Sharing Center
  7. Setting Up a Homegroup
  8. Activating Homegroup Connections
  9. Creating a Homegroup
  10. Joining a Homegroup
  11. Accessing the Homegroup
  12. Changing Homegroup Settings
  13. Turning Off Homegroup Connections
  14. Viewing Network Computers and Devices
  15. Displaying a Network Map
  16. Viewing Network Status Details
  17. Customizing Your Network
  18. Managing Network Connections
  19. Opening the Network Connections Window
  20. Renaming a Network Connection
  21. Enabling Automatic IP Addressing
  22. Confirming That Windows 7 Is Configured for Dynamic IP Addressing
  23. Displaying the Computer's Current IP Address
  24. Setting Up a Static IP Address
  25. Displaying the Current DNS Addresses
  26. Specifying the Static IP Address
  27. Using a Network Connection to Wake Up a Sleeping Computer
  28. Disabling a Network Connection
  29. Managing Wireless Network Connections
  30. Opening the Manage Wireless Networks Window
  31. Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
  32. Working with Wireless Connection Properties
  33. Modifying Connection Properties
  34. Modifying Security Properties
  35. Renaming Wireless Connections
  36. Reordering Wireless Connections
  37. Creating User-Specific Wireless Connections
  38. Removing Wireless Connections