In Safe Mode, the Device Manager will enable you to remove any drivers, including any "phantom" installations you may see that can be partial or failed installs.

It should be possible to determine the identity of the device by right clicking on the Network Controller and going to Properties\Details\Hardware IDs. If it's Atheros it will show VEN_168C. If not, either way you can enter the VEN and DEV values at http://www.pcidatabase.com/ to determine what it is.