When You'll See This Error
You get 0XC023001A when you're trying to remove a token ring group address from a network adapter, but something else on the system is still using that address. I've seen it most often on Windows 2000 and XP machines with legacy token ring hardware, especially after uninstalling NetBEUI or IPX/SPX protocols. One client had a dusty IBM Token Ring PCI card in a server running an old manufacturing app — removing the group address via the driver properties triggered this error instantly.
What's Actually Going On
The NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) layer manages which addresses are assigned to network cards. A group address is a multicast address — token ring uses them for things like NetBIOS name resolution or routing protocols. When you try to remove one, NDIS checks if any open socket or binding still references it. If so, it blocks the removal with this error. The usual suspects: a lingering protocol binding, a service that registered that group address, or a stale driver that didn't release it cleanly.
The Fix — Step by Step
Step 1: Identify the Offending Binding
Open a command prompt as admin. Run:
netstat -ano | findstr /i "group"This won't always show the address, but it can reveal which process (PID) has the network binding active. If you see anything listening on a token ring adapter, note the PID.
Step 2: Kill the Locked Process
Open Task Manager, go to Details tab, sort by PID. If you can identify the process holding the group address, kill it. If it's a system process (like svchost.exe), you'll need to figure out which service. Run:
tasklist /svc /fi "PID eq [your PID]"Then stop that service from Services.msc. In my experience, the Windows Firewall service or the Remote Registry service sometimes grab multicast addresses on legacy hardware.
Step 3: Clear Stale Protocol Bindings
Open Network Connections. Right-click the token ring adapter, select Properties. Uncheck everything except TCP/IP (if you need it). Click OK. Then go back to Properties, and remove any protocol that shows a warning triangle — those are half-uninstalled. I had a case where an old NWLink IPX/SPX binding left a ghost group address. Removing it via the adapter properties did the trick.
Step 4: Use the Registry to Force Remove
If steps 1-3 fail, the address is stuck in the registry. Open Regedit and navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}Find the subkey matching your token ring adapter (check DriverDesc value). Under that, look for a key named GroupAddress or MulticastList. Delete the specific address entry (or the whole value if you want to reset all). Export the key first. Then reboot.
Step 5: Update or Replace the Driver
Token ring drivers are ancient. Go to the card manufacturer's site (IBM, Madge, Olicom) and grab the latest driver for your OS. Windows 10 dropped token ring support entirely, so if you're on that, this error means you've got a legacy driver that's half-broken. Uninstall the device from Device Manager, delete the driver files, then install the fresh driver.
If It Still Fails
Check if there's a third-party service or application that registered the group address. Tools like Wireshark can show you which multicast addresses are active on the adapter. Also verify no other network card on the system is using the same group address (different adapters can share a multicast group). If all else fails, a complete uninstall of the token ring adapter from Device Manager (with "Delete the driver software for this device" checked) followed by a reboot and reinstall usually clears the state. That's how I fixed it on that manufacturing server — nuked the binding, reinstalled, and it worked.