Windows 7 How to change the network type?

[SKJoy2001]

Connecting to my Access Point (WEP, Shared Key) works fine, but the network type becomes PUBLIC in the Network and Sharing Center and I cannot change it, it is read only there! My computer is not part of a domain but a member of a workgroup.

I need to change the network type for the above WiFi connection to WORK/HoME.

Please help. Thank you in advance.

 

[cmn]

Connecting to my Access Point (WEP, Shared Key) works fine, but the network type becomes PUBLIC in the Network and Sharing Center and I cannot change it, it is read only there! My computer is not part of a domain but a member of a workgroup.

I need to change the network type for the above WiFi connection to WORK/HoME.

Please help. Thank you in advance.

in the Network and Sharing Center and I cannot change it, it is read only there![/QUTE]

1. What steps did you perform in Network and Sharing Center to change "Public Network" and to what did you want it to change?
2. What happens when you click or dbl-click the Public Network icon in Network and Sharing Center.

Normally,with admin privileges,when you click or dbl-click(depending on Folder Options you have set in your system) the link associated with your network icon in Network and Sharing Center, you should be able to get the Network Location screen with the 3 choices as shown in the attached image.

You can then click on Home Network and then the name change occurs and you can click Close.

If this is not possible, the best thing is to Setup your Wireless Network all over again making sure to give your Wireless network a Unique SSID and A strong Encryption and Passphrase and connect.

Had you followed the Win 7 Beta setup carefully in a "Win7-hardware-qualified computer" that is already part of an existing Wireless or Wired [or mix of both] homenetwork the "Win 7 Computer" would boot to its Desktop with an already setup Internet connection. If all other Computers are already using the default Workgroup name = WORKGROUP , your Win 7 computer would automatically come as part of that Homenetwork.

If you had to do a lot of Driver troubleshoot especially with Ethernet and Wireless adapters you lose the opportunity to have the above smooth setup Windows 7 has been showing consistently in all the computers I have tried this Beta OS. Basically, if your computer has run VISTA without any hardware issues, you are more likely to have a very smooth sail.


If you need further help, please give us your hardware SPECS of the Computer and devices you have problems and the events leading up to the problem and the steps you have already taken to solve the issue.
Good luck.

 

[SKJoy2001]

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestion.

As you can see in my attached image with my earlier post, the location type text is READ ONLY, unlike the other cabled connection that I can change to PUBLIC/WORK/HOME without any trouble. If I click on the network type icon for the WiFi connection (I use single click open from folder options), which is the park bench icon in this case, the network properties window opens for this WiFi connection as I am attaching the image here with this message, but that doesn't allow me to change the network name, the name box is read only as well. The only other thing it lets me to do is to merge the connection with another, but that is not what I want to do.

I simply want my WiFi connection to become the type of WORK so I can access the other Windows 7 computers on the same WiFi network.

FIY, my WiFi card is a PCI one and Windows 7 installed the driver automatically with the name ZyDAS. Other than the network type issue, the WiFi network is working just fine all the way, if I disble the Windows Firewall, I can access the other network resources without any trouble. But disabling the Windows Firewall will expose my system to the internet via the other cabled connection which is not disirable. So, I want my cable connection to remain PUBLIC but my WiFi connection to become WORK and that should be the perfect environtment.

Please note that I had Windows 7 Ultimate BETA 1 Build 6801 & Build 7000 x32 Bit earlier last week and I was able to change the network type from PUBLIC to WORK/HOME easily for this WiFi connection without any trouble.

 

[SKJoy2001]

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate BETA 1 Build 7077 x64 Bit

That is the current OS I am using and getting the WiFi trouble with.

 

[SKJoy2001]

Just in case if the attached decice manager shot could help you getting a solution for me.

Thank you again.

 

[cmn]

Just in case if the attached decice manager shot could help you getting a solution for me.

Thank you again.

I still haven't got a clear mental image of your Network topology even after several re-reads of your posts :-(.
It is a complex network you have in mind and you have stated that it had functioned well until you upgraded your Win 7 Build. Did you then do an upgrade (Upgrade install) or completely new clean install (Custom Install) of Build 7077?

If I click on the network type icon for the WiFi connection (I use single click open from folder options), which is the park bench icon in this case, the network properties window opens for this WiFi connection

Hmm! I wonder why you are getting your Wireless Network Properties window instead of the Set Network Location window on clicking the "park bench" icon representing Public network which you could change to Work network in the Set Network Location
Normally you need to click Manage Wireless networks from the left pane of Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Network and Sharing Center to open Control Panel\Network and Internet\Manage Wireless Networks and see
Manage wireless networks that use ( Wireless Network Connection) as a subheading . Under the Manage wireless networks that use ( Wireless Network Connection) you should see the current name of your Wireless network connection listed there. On Right clicking that current connection, you get the option to Rename (3rd option). Properties is the 1st Right-click context menu and Remove Network the 2nd. Properties popup has the Connection and Security tabs showing current configurations of your Wireless Network Connection.

I am wondering whether your current system has corrupt files causing all these problems.
You may try a System file check and repair to see if the problem would resolve. Try SFC /Scannow using Elevated Command prompt (attached image)

If that does not solve Reinstall ( Custom Install) using a good Win7 Beta DVD.
Hope this may be of interest to you to try next unless someone can lead you to a better option.
Good luck.

 

[SKJoy2001]

Dear CMN, so far I came to know, Windows 7 will only let you change the type of the network only if it has determined the name of the network. So, theoritically, you cannot change the type of any UNDEFINED NETWORK. So, the first thing to get through it is the somehow manage Windows to recognize the name of the network! How?

Let us assume, I don't have any other network, no dial up and no cabled connection, I just have this WiFi card installed. And I have set up my Access Point with the SSID as 'Joy' with security to WPA2-PSK with AES encryption. Now, with the correct password phrase, when I connect my system to the Access Point, the connection goes fine, and it shows the SSID fine as well, but it can't recognize the network! It labels it UNDEFINED NETWORK. Any idea? Lets just say I don't have any DHCP server installer either.

By the way, I have manually set my WiFi interface's IP to be 192.168.137.1:255.255.255.0 because I want this interface to use a static IP address, no matter what IP address, but static. My Access points IP address is 192.168.137.2 and I can access the Acceess Point's management console through web browser without any trouble when the WiFi is connection. The only problem seems to be that Windows 7 cannot recognize the network!

By the way, I had a clean installation of Windows 7 Build 7077 x64, no upgrade.

Thank you in advance.

 

[cmn]

Dear CMN, so far I came to know, Windows 7 will only let you change the type of the network only if it has determined the name of the network. So, theoritically, you cannot change the type of any UNDEFINED NETWORK. So, the first thing to get through it is the somehow manage Windows to recognize the name of the network! How?

Let us assume, I don't have any other network, no dial up and no cabled connection, I just have this WiFi card installed. And I have set up my Access Point with the SSID as 'Joy' with security to WPA2-PSK with AES encryption. Now, with the correct password phrase, when I connect my system to the Access Point, the connection goes fine, and it shows the SSID fine as well, but it can't recognize the network! It labels it UNDEFINED NETWORK. Any idea? Lets just say I don't have any DHCP server installer either.

By the way, I have manually set my WiFi interface's IP to be 192.168.137.1:255.255.255.0 because I want this interface to use a static IP address, no matter what IP address, but static. My Access points IP address is 192.168.137.2 and I can access the Acceess Point's management console through web browser without any trouble when the WiFi is connection. The only problem seems to be that Windows 7 cannot recognize the network!

By the way, I had a clean installation of Windows 7 Build 7077 x64, no upgrade.

Thank you in advance.

Hi Joy,
Since you had been struggling with this problem for a while , as much details as you know and use in your troubleshoot should be shared with us so we can consider things we have overlooked or not thought about before.

To get to know your setup may I ask the following?

You have a Broadband ( cable or DSL ) Modem or a Modem + wireless Access point? I don't think giving its make and model should be a problem to this Forum for troubleshoot.

If they are separate devices please tell us what they are?

From your other thread now I realize , you are unable to click the Network type -"Unidentified Network"| " Public network "not clickable" and therefore you cannot access the screen titled Network Location where you wanted to make the Network type to be changed to "Work Network" instead of the current "Public". [I am able to click and get that screen and if I wanted could change it to any of the other two options and save]

Another surprising thing I realize now is that when you click the Park bench icon of Unidentified Network"| " Public[ which is in reality your Wireless Network with SSID: Joy] , you get the Network Properties screen BUT UNABLE to Change the Name to JOY, your SSID! [ I have been able to change my SSID with no Permission problem] I have done all these test in System Running BUILDS 7048 and 7068 both X64 with the same results.
To try to reproduce the problem if I can, I am installing the BUILD 7077 Bit 64 in one of my systems with a Wireless card [ ENCORE 802.11G Wireless PCI Adapter-ENLWI-G2] and Ethernet Adapter ( Motherboard Integrated-NVIDIA N Force Networking Controller] and I have a Wireless Router [ Buffalo Airstation WHR-G 125] to my DSL ISP . I will report my results later.
I use Dynamic IP in the 192.168.11.xxx range for all the PCs in the network some running Ethernet Cables to the Router while others are on Wireless. OSes I run include Win2kSP4, WinXP Pro SP3, Win VISTA Ultimate X32- SP1 and PC Linux OS 2009 and Parsix Linux 2.0. I have never tried Static IP within Private Network nor used a STATIC IP from the ISP. Therefore I cannot give any help in that area but I hope others would step in :-(



Additional info:

Added: (04-19-2009)

My new install of Win 7 Beta Bit 64 BUILD 7077 showed no problem in networking.

I don't know if this would make any difference, in my setup there is only a single network type - Homenetwork and all computers belong to that Homenetwork, all Computers in the network have the same Workgroup name and same Admin password.
A little background history:
Before my first Win7 Beta Computer was made, I had an existing homenetwork of Win 2K SP4,WinXP Pro SP3, and Linux PCs ( PC Linux OS 2007 and 2009). The Win 2k and WinXP PCs had the same Workgroup name and Admin Password. I installed SAMBA Server 3.1 in the Linux PCs. To make Linux PCs part of my existing Windows Homenetwork, I made their workgroup name same as the Windows workgroup name with unique HOST Names ["Computer Name" in Windows]for each of the 2 Linux pcs and enabled Files& Printers sharing between Windows and Linux and amongst Windows PCs. I had the same Root password in the Linux Computers as the Windows.
When my first Vista 32-bit was built, it also joined the same workgroup with a name change in System properties.
whenI built my first Win Beta Bit 32 Build 7000 computer it was on a separate partition of my Computer running Vista Bit 32 which had
Link Removed due to 404 Error
1. Motherboard: Foxconn M61PMV AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
2. Processor: AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX
3. RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL6D-4GBNQ l
4. 2x 500 GB SATA HDD


To try Wireless networking I later installed a Wireless PCI Card from Encore ENLWI-G2 after installing Win 7 Beta x32 build 7000

Later in a new HDD I installed Win 7 Bit 64 and Build 7042, 7062 and now 7077. In 7042 I had to reinstall the Win Vista x64 driver for the Wireless adapter [I cannot recall what I did wrong during setup to foul up the driver install). Once I installed Wireless adapter and started the Wireless networking using the existing Wireless Router ( Buffalo AirStation WHR-G 125) as you know I had to use an SSID , Passphrase and security ( Security WPA2- Personal: Encryption TKIP] But for the other 2 builds [ 7062 7077] Windows 7 x64 installed the drivers during setup and detected my wireless homenetwork and automatically logged in Since I had changed the Workgroup name of the Win 7 Systems to the same as the other older Windows and Linux ( using Smb.conf file editing) I can see all networked computers by clicking Network in Win 7 , My Network Places in Win XP and Computers Near Me >Workgroup name in Windows 2000 and Remote Places>Samba shares> Workgroup in Linux
Hope this helps.

 

[SKJoy2001]

Dear cmn,

Thank you again for your efforts. But now I want to believe that, at least pertially, I understand how this whole thing occurs and how Windows 7 wants/tries to set up a network.

Now I can reproduce and resolve the trouble. In fact, I was thinking of writing an article on this with screenshots because I believe I am not the only one in this simple world to encounter this simpler (!) trouble. Now I know WHY and HOW

I will be posting soon the entire diagnosis with parts like WHAT I WANTED, WHAT I HAVE, WHAT HAPPENED & HOW IT WAS FIXED with screenshots.

 

[CanuckSoldier]

Well if you can post here soon how you "named" your network so Win7 would recognize it, it would be appreciated, and many of us have the same issue, was it something you had to do with your home network router?

Cheers Jon

 

[SKJoy2001]

network router?Cheers Jon

Trust me, at least in my case, it wasn't a router or driver issue.

 

[cmn]

Trust me, at least in my case, it wasn't a router or driver issue.

Hi SKJoy2001,
Welcome back. When I did not see any more responses from you on this thread, I was afraid you might have drifted through the cyberspace to the other side of the moon . I am eager to know what your problem's root cause was and how you fixed it.
Just after you left, there was another interesting Networking problem in this Forum. I was working with the poster in the troubleshoot . That one involved just 2 PCs both Win 7 Beta, both with single NICs in each, one PC connected to a Dialup modem and the two PCs having a direct Cat5 cable hook up with each other and no Routers, Switches or Hubs as intermediary devices. The troubleshoot lasted for about 48-60 hrs and the OP probably felt satisfied with the outcome of 1 PC having Dialup access to the Internet and the other 2 PCs having a File/Printer sharing LAN . I wanted to help with ICS but the OP did not return to the thread for any more. Hopefully he/she fixed that too.

As I have alluded to in another troubleshoot in this forum, the single most important ingredient for a successful Forum troubleshoot is flawless communication between the two parties. Unlike other forms of troubleshoots like IRC chat/Talk, Telephone Troubleshoot, Remote Desktop or onsite hands-on troubleshoot, Forum troubleshoot lacks what I would call the real "sensory perception" because the communication depends entirely on printed texts and often not in real time with a lot of water flowing under the bridge between responses and the lack of trust as there is no personal contract established between the parties and hence the lack of built in obligation to each other. This is further complicated by language skills of both parties, the style of communication which may have regional, generational and socio-cultural variations and above all the lack of privacy in the Forum troubleshoots. To add to the complexity is the emotional dimension of frustration and anger the problem has engendered in the person and the feeling " why can't the guy understand and respond properly, I have given everything he/she needs to know about the problem and he/she is still asking questions rather than answering something useful to fix the issue". There is no easy answer to this kind of divide that makes the forum troubleshoot hard to go through and to a successful or definitive conclusion. Thus a lot of well started troubleshoots with good Tags end in blind threads that wouldn't help anyone searching for an answer. A successful and well documented Forum troubleshoot is good to the person having the problem and real boon to those who are facing the same or similar issues but reluctant to ask the questions in a forum. The best way to get any good answer is to provide good information, information you have and been using in your own troubleshoot to the point you finally decided to pose the question to the Forum. The best source for what information could be relevant to be given in the first post itself is luckily shown by clicking the FAQ right at the top of our communication box in this well constructed Forum.
Link Removed due to 404 Error

 

[SKJoy2001]

Hi, as you can see, I reside on the other side of the globe where electricity and internet speed is a seriously major hunger we strive off I was composing the article "Setting up LAN on Windows 7" and "Sharing Internet via Windows 7" to post over here those covers the trouble I encountered and the resolution as well, but as I told, power failure dumped me However, I will give it a try tonight and will get it over here as soon as I can.

By the way, I wondered, that I felt a trouble was not a trouble actually and it all happened logically what was suppose to happen, and of course, I should rather say it re-configuration over trouble shooting lol

 

[SKJoy2001]

How to fix UNDEFINED NETWORK

In my case, I have one WiFi USB card installed on my desktop system and there is an Access Point set up in my home. I wanted to set up a HOME/WORK network so I could tie up my desktop & laptop.

My Access Point was working well, as well as my WiFi card on the desktop system. But when I connect to the WiFi network, Windows 7 detects it as an UNDEFINED NETWORK, and more pathetically, it (Windows 7) doesn't even allow me to change the name and type of the connection!

After a few research, and help from forums, I learnt the following;

WINDOWS 7 WILL AUTOMATICALLY TAG THE CONNECTION AS UNDEFINED NETWORK WHEN IT IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE TYPE OF THE CONNECTION AND YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHANGE THE NAME AND TYPE OF THE NETWORK, HOWEVER, YOU CAN CHANGE THE CONNECTION ICON (funny).

Now, the first step to troubleshoot the matter is to somehow enable WIndows 7 to recognize the WiFi network that I were connecting to, and I were looking for the reason(s) why would Windows 7 fail to recognize a network connection and it's type! The possible reasons are;

a. You are connecting to a network with TCP/IP configuration to automatic but the network doesn't have a DHCP server;
b. You configured the TCP/IP manually with static values but didn't specify a Default Gateway;

If the reason is 'a', the netowrk interface tries to acquire a network configuration from a supposed DHCP server but fails and no Default Gateway is set. The same is the case with 'b', the Default Gateway is missing. In my case, the reason was 'b'. I will explain later why I didn't specify a Default Gateway, that is related to the next part of the story.

So, what do you think? I simply specified the Default Gateway and WOW!!! Things got soorted out, Windows 7 now recognizes the type of the network and sets a default name 'NETWORK', now I can change the name and the type of the network like piece of cake

I don't want to deceive anyone, this Default Gateway factor was not my discovery, someone over the forums told me this, and of course thanks to him. But if he knew what I wanted to do next, he wouldn't have suggested to set the Default Gateway.

However, finally my WiFi network is connected and all are working all well

 

[CanuckSoldier]

Thanks for the info, but on a home lan with no DHCP server needed(windows since 98SE has been able to assign internal IP's by negotiation without a specific DHCP) how did you solve this problem? Use your routers DHCP?

Jon

 

[SKJoy2001]

Thanks for the info, but on a home lan with no DHCP server needed(windows since 98SE has been able to assign internal IP's by negotiation without a specific DHCP) how did you solve this problem? Use your routers DHCP?

Jon

Hi, that is the next part of the storry how I set up a fully functional HOME/WORK network with a DHCP server on Windows 7 so the other clients can simply turn on the WiFi and get connected to the network without configuring anything. I will be posting this, hopefully tonight.

 

[SKJoy2001]

Setting up a network with automatic configuation- The next part of the story

Now that I resolved the UNDEFINED NETWORK thing implementing a default gateway entry in the TCP/IP for the WiFi interface on the desktop. But what about the other clients that will be joining the same network? Setting up each client's TCP/IP configuration manually is a real pain.

To allow each client to be configured automatically for the target network, the DHCP server is a required thing, and, Windows 7 is a client opertating system that doesn't have the DHCP server built in.

Please note that, I am using a simple WiFi Access Point to set up the network, not a router or switch, so, my Access Point doesn't have the DHCP server built in.

So, I decided my desktop to act as the DHCP server as this system remains turned on all the time and my laptop, cellphone will join the WiFi network with the help of the DHCP server installed on my desktop. This is why I used the static IP setting for my desktop's WiFi interface.

You can see my desktop's WiFi interface's TCP/IP setting in the attached picture 'pagla_wifi_interface_setting.png'. Please note that the IP I set is chosen by me for some personal taste, you can use something else if you need.

Now I configured my WiFi Access Point to tell the connecting clients where to look for the DHCP server. Depending on your Access Point, the configuration screen may change, but you can find my Access Point's configuration from the attached image 'access_point_configuration.png'.

Now, finally, I needed to set up the DHCP server on my desktop system. There is a freeware and reliable one, called 'Tftpd32 Service Edition' and the attached image 'pagla_dhcp_server_setting.png' shows how I configured the DHCP server. Please note that, after any change for the DHCP server, you need to manually restart it from the service manager (Start- Administrative tools- Services- Tftpd32 service edition) to take the changes effect.

We are done finally Now, as my desktop system has a static TCP/IP configuration, it doesn't need to talk to the DHCP server and already joined to the properly configured WiFi Access Point. Now all the other clients like my laptop and phone, that want to connect to the same network, they go to the WiFi Access Point and the AP asks them to contact my desktop for a valid TCP/IP configuration for them and the DHCP server on my desktop assigns them with a valid TCP/IP configuration and all the devices now join the same WiFi network smoothly. You goto the 'Start- Netowrk' window and you see all the devices in the netowrk now. Please note that, unlike my desktop system, that has the WiFi setting configured manually to stick to a static IP, my laptop and phone are configured to obtain the IP, SubNet Mask, Default Gateway & DNS automatically, this is why they will talk to the DHCP server on my desktop system via the WiFi Access Point and will have a valid TCP/IP configuration set automatically. Also note that, my laptop is also running with Windows 7 and when it joined the network, it automatically named the network as NETWORK and determined the type of the network and will allow you to change the name and the type of the network, I just made it HOME/WORK on my laptop when it asked Happy file sharing and network access.

 

[SKJoy2001]

The final part of the story will come soon where I enabled the INTERNET CONNECTION on my desktop system to be utilized by the other clients joining to my WiFi network.

 

[SKJoy2001]

CHANGING THE TYPE OF UNDEFINED NETWORK TEMPORARILY [ADDITIONAL TIP]
=========================================================

As we all know that we cannot change any aspect of an UNDEFINED NETWORK, not the name & not the type. Here is a way that will enable you to temporarily change the network type of an UNDEFINED NETWORK, still, not the name.

Disconnect from and/or disable all other network connections except for the one you are trying to change the network type. Now, goto the Network from My Computer, a 50% yellow notification bar should appear on top of the window stating that the network discovery and sharing is disabled. Click that bar and turn it on. You will be prompted with a selection of network types for that UNDEFINED PUBLIC NETWORK. You can now even change the type for this network from the Network and Sharing Center. Now turn on and/or enable other networks if you have, the UNDEFINED NETWORK still holds the type you selected for it.

Again, this is a temporary solution, the network type will revert back to PUBLIC NETWORK automatically once the network is reconnected.

 

[Fatsauage]

A little trick to bring back the network location choosing window

Contral Panel >> Network and Internet >> HomeGroup

Since you are now located in an "Unidentified Network", which preventing from using Home Group function ( a very nice function for Windows 7 for home user). You will be prompted for a LONG AWAITED WINDOW, the Network location modifying panel!!!!!! HURRAY!

Ok you then choose, home, your "Unidentified network" will become Home network, case closed

seems a little abuse, but it works.