What???
This problem is a nightmare...
Can you check file size/creation date in C:\Program Files\CopperLan\CPVNM?
CPVNM.exe should be 12/9/2013 9:47 with a size of 1239Kb
CPoEthAPI.dll should be 12/6/2013 10:11 with a size of 57Kb
1) If you have something else, some software installed on your computer is restoring previous configuration during the start-up.
2) If you have the same info, something is going wrong during the start-up and breaks the VNM...
I'm really curious about this test. We never had any similar issue for years! Your case is unique and I would still like to understand what is happening
I don't understand why a start-up delay on VNM could make it more reliable, except if your NIC blinks like a christmas tree before being up-and-running. Don't know how the VNM would manage the situation if its current NIC come and go during initialization, this is impossible to simulate...
But anyway, the first thing to check is that you still have always the last version of the VNM running on your computer.