Methods of determining whether a network interface card entry within the system registry pertains to physical hardware or to a virtual device

A computer readable medium having contained therein computer readable codes for causing a computer system running on a Windows™-based operating system to perform a method of determining whether a network interface card entry of a system registry of said computer system is associated with physical hardware device, said method comprising the steps of:

• opening a Net key entry of said system registry wherein said Net key entry includes a plurality of sub-key entries and wherein said Net key entry stores registry entries pertaining to network interface cards;
• opening a respective one of said plurality of sub-key entries;
• examining a driver description string stored within said respective sub-key entry;
• provided that a value stored as part of said driver description string matches said network interface card entry, opening an “Ndi” key under said respective sub-key entry and searching for a backslash character within a device identification string under said “Ndi” key, wherein presence of said backslash character indicates that said network interface card entry is associated with physical hardware device.

In a computer system running on a Windows™-based operating system, a method of determining whether a network interface card entry of a system registry of said computer system is associated with physical hardware device, said method comprising the steps of:

• searching said system registry for a Net key entry that includes a driver description string associated with said network interface card entry;
• opening a sub-key entry under said Net key entry;
• under said sub-key entry, searching for a driver description string associated with said network interface card entry;
• opening an “Ndi” key under said sub-key entry;
• under said “Ndi” key, searching for a device identification string;
• and
• searching said device identification string for a backslash character, wherein presence of said backslash character indicates that said network interface card entry is associated with physical hardware device.