Stopping the WinPcap Packet capture service

servicewindows-xpwinpcapwireshark

I just installed WireShark, which also installed WinPcap.

During the installation it said "do you want xxx to start automatically", which I answered yes.

Now I would like to stop the service when I am not running wireshark, but cannot find a service in the list with name wireshark or winPcap.

Is there a service that I can stop? Or do I need uninstall WireShark?

Best Answer

The WinPCap services is known as "NPF" (NetGroup Packet Filter), you can start/stop it on command line with 

c:\>net start npf
The NetGroup Packet Filter Driver service was started successfully.

C:\>net stop npf
The NetGroup Packet Filter Driver service was stopped successfully.

To find it in a GUI, you'll have to open "Properties" for "My Computer", then select the "Hardware" tab, open "Device Manager". Here, select View -> Show hidden devices, open up Non-Plug and Play Drivers, right-click on NetGroup Packet Filter Driver and select Properties from the menu, thus you will get a "NetGroup Packet Filter Driver Properties" window.

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