Taking into account that it is possible to determine the IP address if you know the MAC address of a computer, those looking for total anonymity should also consider changing their MAC address. If you don’t know what a Media Access Control (MAC) address is consider reading this Wikipedia article.
Now, let’s see how you can change it. The solution is simple as it can be done using the free application Technitium MAC Address Changer. It allows you to change Media Access Control (MAC) Address of your Network Interface Card (NIC) or Wireless Network Card (WiFi), irrespective of the NIC’s drivers or its manufacturer.
Every NIC has a MAC address hard coded in its circuit by the manufacturer. This hard coded MAC address is used by windows drivers to access Ethernet Network (LAN). This tool can set a new MAC address to your NIC, bypassing the original hard coded MAC address.
How to change MAC Address with Technitium MAC Address Changer
- Download Technitium MAC Address Changer
- Start MAC Address Changer. You will see all available network adapters (the top list).
- Select the adapter you want to change the MAC address. You will get the details of your selection below.
- Click Change MAC button, enter new MAC address and click Change Now button and confirm changes.
- To restore the original MAC address of the network adapter, select the adapter, click Change MAC button and then click Original MAC button and confirm changes you made when prompted.
How Does It Work ?
This tool does not modify the MAC address from your NIC card, it just writes a value into the Windows registry.
When the Network Adapter Device is enabled, Windows searches for the registry value ‘NetworkAddress‘ in the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1- 08002bE10318}\[ID of NIC e.g. 0001].
If a value is present, Windows will use it as MAC address, if not, Windows will use the hard coded manufacturer provided MAC address.
Technitium MAC Address Changer works with all Windows versions including Vista and Windows 7.
[Technitium MAC Address Changer]
