Dear Ben,
The problem is about Windows Vista and above. Windows decided that any output device besides a printer (Ethernet, PCI, etc) is potentially dangerous. For both Ethernet (NDIS, low level packet manipulation) and PCI a driver is required and therefor administrative rights are required.
Your best bet is to have a machine in your lab not governed by your IT people, a simple machine not connected on to the company domain, this is what many of our customers are doing.
Best Regards,
Arnaud