Windows7: General Solutions to Network Problems (part 1) - Turning On Network Discovery

• Enable network discovery— If you can’t access your network, by far the most common cause is that you have Windows 7’s network discovery feature turned off.
  

• Close all programs— You can often fix flaky behavior by shutting down all your open programs and starting again. This is a particularly useful fix for problems caused by low memory or low system resources.

• Log off Windows 7— Logging off clears the RAM and so gives you a slightly cleaner slate than merely closing all your programs.

• Reboot the computer— If there are problems with some system files and devices, logging off won’t help because these objects remain loaded. By rebooting the system, you reload the entire system which is often enough to solve many computer problems.

• Turn off the computer and restart— You can often solve a hardware problem by first shutting your machine off. Wait for 30 seconds to give all devices time to spin down, and then restart. This is called power cycling the computer.

• Power cycle the router— If you’re getting a network error or you can’t access the Internet, the router may be at fault. Power off the router and then power it on again. Wait until the status lights stabilize and then try accessing the network.

• Power cycle the modem— If you can’t get Internet access, it could be a problem with your broadband modem. Power off the modem, and then power it on again. Wait until the status lights stabilize and then try accessing the Internet.

• Check connections, power switches, and so on— Some of the most common (and some of the most embarrassing) causes of hardware problems are the simple physical things. So, you want to make sure that a device (for example, your router) is turned on, check that cable connections (particularly between the NIC and router) are secure, and ensure that insertable devices (such as a USB or PC Card NIC) are properly inserted.

• Check for solutions to your problem— Click the Action Center icon in the notification area, and then click Open Action Center. In the list of problems, check to see if your problem is listed and whether a solution exists.

• Revert to a working configuration— If you could access the network properly in the past, you may be able to solve the problem by reverting your system to that working state.

• Upgrade the router’s firmware— Some network problems are caused by router bugs. If the manufacturer has corrected these bugs, the fixes will appear in the latest version of the router firmware, so you should upgrade to the new version.

• Reset the router— Network problems may result if you misconfigure your router or if the router’s internal settings become corrupted somehow. Almost all routers come with a reset feature that enables you to return the router to its factory settings. Ideally, the device comes with a Reset button that you can push; otherwise, you need access to the router’s setup pages.

Turning On Network Discovery

Networking your computers is all about access. You may want to access another computer to view one of its files or use its printer, and you may want other computers to access your machine to play your digital media. In Windows 7, however, this access is not always automatic. Windows 7 comes with a feature called network discovery that, when turned on, means you can see (discover) the other computers on your network and that the other computers can see (discover) yours. In networking, it’s generally true that if you can see something, you can access it. (I say that this is generally true because there may be security issues that prevent or restrict access to a computer.)

Whether you have discovery turned on for a network depends on the type of network you’re connected to:

• In a private network such as the one in your home or office, you want to see other computers and have them see you, so network discovery should be turned on.

• In a public network, such as a wireless hot spot, network discovery should be turned off because you probably don’t want other users in the coffee shop (or wherever) to see your computer.

These aren’t hard-and-fast rules, however, and there might be times when you need to flaunt these rules. For example, there might be one computer on your home or office network that you don’t want others to see because, for instance, it contains sensitive information. In this case, it makes sense to turn off network discovery for that computer. Similarly, you and a friend might want to see each other’s computers in a public setting so that you can perform a quick file exchange. In such a scenario, you can turn on network discovery, if only temporarily.

Here are the steps to follow to change the current network discovery setting:

1.	Click the taskbar’s Network icon, and then click Open Network and Sharing Center. Windows 7 displays the Network and Sharing Center.
2.	Click the Change Advanced Sharing Settings link. The Advanced Sharing Settings window appears.
3.	Open the Home or Work section, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. In the Advanced Sharing Settings window, open the Home or Work section.
4.	Click either Turn On Network Discovery (which works only while you’re connected to a network) or Turn Off Network Discovery.
5.	Open the Public section.
6.	Click either Turn On Network Discovery or Turn Off Network Discovery.
7.	Click Save Changes to put the new settings into effect.

If you have network discovery turned off and you open the Network folder (in any Windows Explorer window, click Network in the Navigation pane), Windows 7 displays an information bar message warning you that network discovery is turned off (see Figure 2), which is why you don’t see any icons in the window. If you want to turn network discovery on, click the information bar and then click Turn On Network Discovery and File Sharing.

Figure 2. The Network window displays an information bar warning if network discovery is turned off.