Windows 7 Network Disconnects When Idle?

I am having an issue with the network interfaces (both wired and wireless) disconnecting when the computer is idle for some period of time (~15 minutes from what I've observed). This happens both when the computer is plugged into a power source and when running off the battery. It appears the computer is actually turning the interface off (link light on switch port goes off, and WAP shows no association). When the computer is no longer idle (kb/mouse input), the interfaces do automatically come back online without further issue. Having active network traffic (eg. keepalives sent every 60 seconds by an app, like PuTTY) does not prevent the idle timeout from killing the connections. I have verified with a packet sniffer on the remote server that the keepalives are indeed being sent (at least until the interface gets shut down on the laptop). Hardware: Dell Latitude E6400 Wired NIC: Intel 82567LM (driver version 10.0.6.0) Wireless NIC: Intel WiFi Link 5300 (driver version 12.4.1.4) Software: Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit (functionally equivalent to Ultimate version) w/ current OS and driver updates/patches Dell support responded saying Windows 7 is too new and referred me to Microsoft. Microsoft support responded with a couple of power saving config changes (described below) which did not work. Google searches have all yielded one of two answers - the Microsoft suggestion and a registry hack (also described below). Per Microsoft Support: - Control Panel -> Network & Internet -> Network Connections - Right-click on desired interface, and select "Properties" - Click the "Configure" button on the interface properties - Under the "Advanced" tab, look for power-saving related options and set to "Disabled" - Under the "Power Management" tab, uncheck "Allow computer to turn off this device to save power" - Save & Reboot Also per Microsoft: - Control Panel -> Hardware & Sound -> Power Options - By the selected power profile, select "Change Plan Settings" - In the "Edit [...]