Windows 7 Help! My network is disappearing!

[diamondimages]

Can anyone help?!

I set up a network with five computers, all wired through an ethernet router, with a homegroup. It was great! All the computers could have access to each others desktop, which is what we wanted. When we came back from the weekend, one computer could no longer see the others in the network. We didn't change anything, and on one computer I can't even see the other computers in the network. Where did they go?

We set up shortcuts on our desktops to the other computers, and on another computer (it's still hooked up to the network) but the shortcuts disappeared. We had to remake them.

Can anyone help me figure out what is going on?

Thanks.

Jeremy Vann

 

[CommonTater]

First question... Did anyone else --cleaning staff, kids, etc.-- have access to the computers over the weekend?

As a rule stable setups don't just up and change on their own...

Probably your best solution here is to check all your connections, then take the misbehaving machine and rebuild it's network connections.

 

[diamondimages]

No. No one at all. Wierd, I know. Can you help?

 

[CommonTater]

As I said before, without being at the machine to see the actual problem, my best advice would be that you take out the networking setup (homegroups, shares etc.) and redo them... Most likely the problem is something fairly simple that rechecking/redoing the setup will fix.

 

[diamondimages]

Thanks for the advice so far. We have tried all of that, with no avail. Any further advice?

 

[CommonTater]

I'll need a little more information...

What OSs are the other computers running?
Reason: You cannot reliably use "Home Network" with mixed OSs on the net.

What is unique to that system compared to the others?
Reason: Sometimes comparing settings finds a simple fix.

What software have you installed/uninstalled lately?
Reason: Some crappy software will change network, video and other settings.