Windows networking broken (again!)

[Tippon]

My media PC updated to 1809 recently, and I noticed this week that I can’t connect to it from my PC through Explorer and VNC. I can connect through the browser to control Kodi and uTorrent, and my phone can connect to VNC. I don’t have another computer here to rule out my main PC.

Up until a few days ago I had no problem, and as far as I know, Windows Update is the only thing that’s changed on the media PC. I had to swap back to my USB wifi adaptor on my PC, but I removed the PCI drivers and cleared the disconnected device.

I’ve tried the usual steps of restarting everything, resetting the firewall on the media PC, and following the general online advice of switching a few of the networking services to automatic and rebooting.

Any ideas please? My brain doesn’t want to work well enough to fix a network tonight 😛

[Dave Rice]

Are you using the computer name or it’s IP address to connect?

[Tippon]

I’ve tried both  The computer shows up in Explorer but won’t connect, and using the IP address opens Chrome and just does a normal internet search (I’m pretty sure I’m missing something but I’ve been too tired to think properly this weekend)

[Dave Rice]

It seems that MS have turned off the Computer Browser service. That explains shares not showing up in File Explorer.

I use TightVNC and haven’t had any issues through all the Windows changes. I always use the IP address rather than a netbios name.

[Tippon]

Thanks Dave 🙂

I just tried VNC with the IP address and it connected. I thought I did it last night, but apparently not ?

My main system hasn’t got the Computer Browser service listed at all now, but my media system does and seems to be able to browse the network.

I know Computer Browser was running last night, as one of the possible fixes I found told me to check it. Tie to restart and cross my fingers…

EDIT: Just tried the IP address in Explorer again and it worked. I’m guessing that it’s down to me being tired and mis typing earlier though, rather than me fixing anything.

[Dave Rice]

I believe if you enable SMS 1.0 the Computer Browser service comes back. I’m not sure if this means you’re actively using SMS 1 (I think not) or if the vulnerabilities associated with it are there (probably).

[Alan Wood]

Hi David

 

I think you mean SMB1.0 not SMS

[Richard]

There have been a few updates after 1809 that greatly improved the way that networking functions for me, a series of small improvements happened over several weeks.

Yesterday I had a far from entertaining hour trying to work out why the PC would not recognise a directly connected scanner via some USB ports. I deleted an old entry with an allegedly ‘dodgy driver’ response but it took an age before it reinstalled the darned thing and worked as it should, it must have taken over half an hour to complete its playing about. It was darned hard to find out what was happening as Windows appears far less open about what it is playing about doing and sometimes a lot slower than it used to be.

[Tippon]

Dave Rice wrote:

I believe if you enable SMS 1.0 the Computer Browser service comes back. I’m not sure if this means you’re actively using SMS 1 (I think not) or if the vulnerabilities associated with it are there (probably).

From what I can tell, it would bring back the vulnerabilities too. I saw a post yesterday that showed an alternate way of disabling SMB 1 but without causing the problems like this. I didn’t save it because I didn’t think it was related at the time, and now I can’t find it again.

Time to go digging through my history. Someone hand me a biohazard suit please, I’ve got a feeling it may be toxic 😀

[Wheels-Of-Fire]

The way SMB worked under W7 was that a client would always send out an SMB 1 request to a server. If the server supported SMB 2.0 then it would respond with an SMB 2.0 reply. If the client also supported SMB 2.0 then the connection would continue as SMB 2.0 if not then SMB 1.0

I havent looked up how things work in the latest W10 but I may do now. If I do i’ll post it here ?

[Wheels-Of-Fire]

In the mean time you may like to check Windows media streaming options which seem to have been turned off with the latest update. These were easy to find in Windows Media player but they appear to have gone from there. So….

Control panel>Network and internet>Network and sharing centre

Find Change advanced sharing settings on the left.

Click on all networks

Scroll down to media streaming and click choose media streaming options.

This had been turned off on my PC and was why I could no longer stream films to my Gear VR headset.

 

[Richard]

I never could find those options on my machine, but via the search box, bottom left of the screen I traced media streaming options directly and opted to make the change ‘as administrator’ and all was well. It had been turned off though to be honest, I have previously been streaming from my PVRs in the recent past.

[Tippon]

Wheels-Of-Fire wrote:

n the mean time you may like to check Windows media streaming options which seem to have been turned off with the latest update.

Thanks Wof, this has worked 🙂

It’s let me browse through Explorer, and has let me use VNC with the hostnames again 🙂

[Author]

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