Network Discovery Won't Stay Turned On

cloud_dog

AndyPix wrote: »

Try resetting tcpip stack and winsock ..

Our survey says......Nope.

cloud_dog

AndyPix wrote: »

Ok, more things to try (Just keep going till its fixed)

type services.msc into search bar and press enter.
Make sure "workstation" is running and set to start automatically ..

Set as expected (running / automatic).

AndyPix wrote: »

Go into system, then , next to "computer name" click "change settings"

You will see "to rename ... etc etc" - next to this, click change.
You wil then see "member of" and it will likely be a workgroup called "WORKGROUP"

Change that to something else , eg TEST

Reboot computer once this is acknowledged

Go back into system and change "TEST" back to "WORKGROUP"

Reboot and try again

let us know

Ummmm, nope.

One thing, when I was going through the process for changing the WORKGROUP I clicked on 'Network ID' button (wasn't sure which one allowed me to change the workgroup) and it had two radio buttons with the network identified as 'Business'. I clicked the 'Home network' option but it did not save the change.

This inability to save a change (Network Discovery service / this) seems to point to something not quite correct (privileges etc??? although my user is an administrator).

AndyPix

Ok next .


Are you running microsoft security essentials ?
This has a "network inspection" feature that can interfere with this stuff.


This can be turned off under settings=>real time protection


I presume you have already tried disabling the firewall and testing with it turned off ?


Make sure ALL these services are running ..


Computer Browser
DHCP Client
DNS Client
Network Connections
Network Location Awareness
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Server
TCP/IP Netbios helper
Workstation

AndyPix

cloud_dog wrote: »

Hi

Network & Sharing Centre show the network as 'Private'.

Iv just noticed this ..
Are you using home or pro version of windows ..?

cloud_dog

AndyPix wrote: »

Iv just noticed this ..
Are you using home or pro version of windows ..?

Yes, Windows 10 Pro.

AndyPix

Ok, once you have tried the above,
presuming you are on wired rather that wireless, go to netowrk and sharing centre
you will see "access type - internet , connections - ethernet"


Click on ethernet, then go to properties, untick ipv6, ensure everything else is ticked apart from "Microsoft network adapter multiplexor protocol"


click ok and try again.


We are slowly running out of options now and i suspect a reinstall would have fixed this and been quicker


Once you have tried post #34 and this one, we are going to have to start messing around in
HKLM/software/microsoft/windows NT/current version/network list/profiles/UID and I dont really have the time to guide you through that in forum unfortunately (I have a day job )


At that point i would suggest it would be quicker to reinstall

esuhl

I've skimmed the thread again, and suspect you have tried the suggestions at the links below, but maybe worth a quick look:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/2722035/you-cannot-turn-on-network-discovery-in-network-and-sharing-center-in
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-networking/network-discovery-and-file-sharing-will-not-turn/640771bf-ea90-4ac0-aabd-37442c531fe4?auth=1

I'd also try disabling the Windows Firewalls on the devices temporarily, to see if that's what's blocking the traffic.

cloud_dog

Hi Guys, sorry I went quiet... had some stuff to do. I will try out the outstanding suggested actions from both and report back tomorrow.

Thanks for the input.

EDIT: esuhl, I hadn't come across the second link so will work through that as well tomorrow.

cloud_dog

Ok, sooooo (this is going to be embarrassing).....

Was just checking out the links / suggestions etc and thought I'd go back to basics (as suggested) and it turns out it is related to the firewall.

So, I run Windows Firewall together with TinyWall (research suggested that it was thought of as a good 'add on' to the Windows firewall), and it is TinyWall that is the culprit.

(I'm sure I tested with the firewall(s) switched off before I started this thread but...:()

I can only think that TinyWall must lose its settings, that it has 'learnt' etc from connection behaviour, and this probably links in with the intermittent behaviour of the connections I was seeing previously until, finally I couldn't achieve any connections. (unsure why software would 'magically' lose config/data/settings)

One of the reasons I went with TinyWall was because it is quite unobtrusive in its operation, although in this case the odd intrusion would have been very helpful.

Thank you all for your perseverance, especially AndyPix, and I apologise for not going back over the basics (again) before commencing this.

Am a little unsure if I am more peeved with TinyWall or myself but, the question I now have is (from you knowledgeable people)...... Is there a better (free) option for W10, or now I know what seems to be happening is Windows Firewall plus TinyWall as good a (free) solution as you may get?


EDIT: Ok so, I have looked at the TinyWall logs and checked out the blocked processes. As you would expect with networking there is not just a single process/connection, and they all fall under the process name of 'system(x)' (very helpful). TinyWall gives me the option to unblock a process and allows me to unblock for all corresponding processes (linked to the process in question). I have done this and it seems to be operating ok, i.e. allowing me to create a mapped drive and access existing/new mappings.

Why the mapped drives have worked for ages and then the connectivity slowly degraded over the recent past is beyond me.

DoaM

If you're already behind a NAT router then anything on top of Windows firewall is pointless really. Windows firewall since W7 has been fine - no need for any additional firewall protection.