What's going on? Network security. When there is no network activity
for a while either the router of any of the PC's may disconnect the
network resources in line with its own network security policies - it's
a bit like saying 'The XP user isn't doing anything and it seems they
forgot to disconnect so just to be on the safe side I'll disconnect
them'. Consequently, when you go to check your network places on the
Vista machine it only sees the active links - its own shared resources
and the router. As soon as you go to the Network and Sharing Centre you
are then asking Vista to check the network for any connections this
sends a signal to the router asking for the info on which connections
are active, so both Vista and the router check each link against its
security settings and re-establishes contact with those that meet its
approval hence they show up in My Network Places again.
One solution is to map to a shared folder on your Athlon from your vista
machine. This will create a virtual drive on the Vista machine which
Vista should try to keep active so it never disappears.
Paul
*From:* jhb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jhb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On
Behalf Of *Frank Turley
*Sent:* 04 April 2010 19:57
*To:* JHB List
*Subject:* [jhb] Network Mystery
I thought I would consult the gurus on this list to explain something
that has me baffled.
I run a small network here, connected via a Netgear router which
connects all machines to each other and to the internet. I use my old
Athlon machine running XP Home for e-mail and downloads, and my Vista 32
bit machine for FSX.
When I download a file for FSX I save it on my Athlon machine, to a
shared directory. From my Vista machine I access the appropriate folder
on the Athlon and copy the file across to the Vista machine. All makes
sense so far.
Now for the mystery. Normally, when I select Network from my Vista menu,
it brings up a folder, and listed in the folder are my machines plus the
router. Sometimes, however, it doesn't seem to find the other machines,
I just see the router listed. What makes it more mysterious, is that if
I then select Network and Sharing Centre form the network screen, and
then click on View Full Map, I can then see the other machines, so Vista
is obviously detecting their existence. Anyone seen anything like this?
Is there a cure?
Frank T.
