How to Fix Corrupt Network Adapter Settings in Windows 10 and 8.1

When installing a new router to work with my Windows 8.1 PC, I found out that no matter how many times I configured the IP address settings for the Network Adapter in Windows, the settings returned back to “Obtain an IP address automatically”. Obviously this was a sign that some settings for the NIC have become corrupt. So the only resolution is to manually remove the corrupt settings from the Windows’ Registry and rebuild the new settings. Here is how:

Step 1 – Reinstall Network Adapter in your PC

  1. Use hotkey Win+R to open the Run dialog.
  2. In the Run dialog, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter. This will open the Device Manager window.
  3. In the Device Manager window, select your network adapter, right-click on it and choose Uninstall.Fix Corrupt Network Adapter Settings
  4. After it disappears from the Device Manager, click on the Scan for hardware changes icon in the toolbar to re-scan the network adapter and install drivers for it.
  5. If you use third party drivers for your network adapter, then you will have to reinstall or update those drivers by downloading them from the internet or using the accompanying CD.

Step 2 – Clean settings from the Registry

  1. Use hotkey Win+R to open the Run dialog.
  2. In the Run dialog, type regedit.exe and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor window.
  3. In the Registry Editor, open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkFix Corrupt Network Adapter Settings
  4. On the right-side, select a value named Config, right-click on it and choose to Delete it.

Step 3 – Rebuild settings

  1. Open Windows Control Panel and then select Network and Internet followed by Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Click on Change adapter settings on the left.Fix Corrupt Network Adapter Settings
  3. Right-click on your network adapter and choose Properties from the menu.
  4. In the Properties window, do not change anything. Just click on the OK button. This will rebuild the Config value in the Registry once again.Fix Corrupt Network Adapter Settings
  5. Now you can proceed and change the values of adapter as you like. The new values will be saved and configuration will no longer remain corrupt.

2 comments

  1. What if the config option in not in network? I tried to rebuild like I had deleted it but it did not work. I have a serious connection issue am sending this on 4g with my phone.

  2. Got a different type of corruption in my Windows 10 64-bit Professional. All network adapter properties look like this with the items replaced with system paths.

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