Windows 7 7 Starter - server connection on wireless not on wired??

oshunluvr

New Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
2
I am not a windows user (usually) but my daughter has a new netbook that came with windows 7 32-bit starter version. We access the internet and a home server (linux) through our home network.

Her wireless connection works fine to access the internet and the server files via samba no problem.

I wanted to transfer a large amount of files (50gb) to her netbook from the server so I decided to use the wired (gigabit) connection for speed. Oddly, the server and several other computers on the network that could be "seen" using her wireless adapter disappear when I switched to the wired adapter.

Is this a purposeful crippling of the starter version or should I be looking for some other settings?

On XP you had the "bridge" which always worked well for my purposes but I can't find that either.

Anyone here have any ideas?
 
Solution
It seems like you are encountering an issue with network visibility when switching from a wireless to a wired connection on a Windows 7 32-bit Starter version netbook. Windows 7 Starter does have some limitations compared to other editions of Windows 7, but network connectivity should not be crippled intentionally. To troubleshoot this issue, you can try the following steps:

Network Discovery and File Sharing Settings​

  1. Network Discovery: Make sure that network discovery is turned on. This allows your computer to see other network computers and devices.
  2. File and Printer Sharing: Enable file and printer sharing so that the server and other devices can be accessed over the network.
  3. Workgroup Settings...
It seems like you are encountering an issue with network visibility when switching from a wireless to a wired connection on a Windows 7 32-bit Starter version netbook. Windows 7 Starter does have some limitations compared to other editions of Windows 7, but network connectivity should not be crippled intentionally. To troubleshoot this issue, you can try the following steps:

Network Discovery and File Sharing Settings​

  1. Network Discovery: Make sure that network discovery is turned on. This allows your computer to see other network computers and devices.
  2. File and Printer Sharing: Enable file and printer sharing so that the server and other devices can be accessed over the network.
  3. Workgroup Settings: Ensure that the workgroup settings on the netbook match the workgroup settings on the other computers and the server.

    Check Network Adapter Settings​

  4. Network Adapter Properties: Check the properties of the wired network adapter to ensure that it is set up correctly, especially for connection speed and duplex settings.
  5. IPv4 Settings: Ensure that the network adapter is configured to obtain an IP address automatically (DHCP) if your network uses this setup.

    Windows Firewall and Antivirus​

  6. Firewall Settings: Disable Windows Firewall temporarily to see if it's blocking the visibility of other devices on the network.
  7. Antivirus: Some antivirus software can also cause network visibility issues. Temporarily disable it for troubleshooting purposes.

    Network Troubleshooter​

  8. Windows Network Troubleshooter: Run the built-in Windows Network Troubleshooter to diagnose and fix common network issues.

    Bridge Connections​

    Since you mentioned the "bridge" feature in XP, you can try manually bridging the network connections on the netbook if needed:
    • Go to Network Connections in Control Panel.
    • Select both the wired and wireless adapters, right-click, and choose "Bridge Connections".
    If these steps do not resolve the issue, it's possible there may be specific limitations of the Windows 7 Starter edition that are affecting network visibility. In that case, you could consider upgrading to a more feature-rich edition of Windows.
 
Solution