How to Fix Execute ipconfig command shows multiple “Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection” with Media disconnected State?

After execute ipconfig command in vanilla installation of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 or later versions of Windows, there are a ton of “Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection” with Media disconnected state show. This issue can occur when the system is migrated between different networks often.

If your organization is not going to migrate the internal network to IPv6. Either you can use below command line to disable tunnel adapters (ISATAP, 6to4 and Teredo) or you may like to disable IPv6 completely using registry key.

What Is an ISATAP Adapter?

An ISATAP adapter is a piece of software designed to help organizations transition from the older 32-bit Internet Protocol address infrastructure to the newer 128-bit IP system. Most users will never need or encounter this adapter. Some users with Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008-based computers may experience an error in which the adapter appears as a non-functioning device in Windows Device Manager. In the majority of cases, you can safely disable this device.

The Microsoft ISATAP device Inter Site Automatic Tunneling Address Protocol is used to help enterprises transition to IPv6 infrastructure. The ISATAP adapter encapsulates IPv6 packets by using an IPv4 header. This functionality enables the client to transport IPv6 traffic over an IPv4 infrastructure. This approach lets organizations slowly migrate to an IPv6 infrastructure without having to spend excessive time and financial resources to convert to the new infrastructure.

Solution 1: Disable ISATAP adapter via command prompt

1. Click Start, type cmd in the Start Search box, right-click the cmd.exe, and click Run as Administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt:

To check the ISATAP status in the server, type netsh int isa show state, and press Enter.
To check the 6to4 status in the server, type netsh int 6to4 show state, and press Enter.
To check the Teredo status in the server, type netsh int teredo show state, and press Enter.

To disable ISATAP adapters, type netsh int isa set state disabled, and press Enter.
To disable 6to4 adapters, type netsh in 6to4 set state disable, and press Enter.
To disable Teredo adapters, type netsh in teredo set state disable, and press Enter.

Solution 2: Disable all IPv6 components using Registry

1. Press Win + R and Type regedit, then hit Enter or OK.
2. On the registry tree in the left pane, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip6\Parameters\
3. Right-click the blank space in the right panel and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type in the name of the new DWORD as DisabledComponents (with exact capitalization) and press Enter.
4. Double-click on the newly created DisabledComponents, set the Base to Hexadecimal and enter 000000FF in the Value data field.
5. Restart your PC.

Note: The DisabledComponents registry value does not affect the state of the checkbox. Therefore, even if the DisabledComponents registry key is set to disable IPv6, the checkbox in the Networking tab for each interface can still be checked. This is expected behavior.

Solution 3: Disabling IPv6 Support via Network Management Interface

1. Click on the Windows button to show the Start Menu, right-click the Network tab then select Properties.
2. Click on Manage network connections on the Tasks pane to the left.
3. Select the particular network connection for which you want to disable the IPv6 support, right-click on it and click on Properties.
4. Click on Continue at the User Access Control prompt.
5. Locate the Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6) in this list and deselect the check-box next to it.
6. Press OK.