My No.1 Annoyance with Vista, slow to recognize other PC's on LAN

[Warren]

Why is so slow ? Once they lock on to each other, everything is fine, but
this can take hours.

Are there any tweaks available, I can't believe peer-to-peer commuication on
a LAN is so slow. Microsoft should be ashamed.

 

[Tyro]

My LAN communication is just fine with Vista ultimate on one computer and XP
on the other. I also use a Linksys router. Is it remotely possible that
Microsoft is not responsible for your problem?

Tyro

 

[Gordon]

My LAN communication is just fine with Vista ultimate on one computer and
XP on the other. I also use a Linksys router. Is it remotely possible that
Microsoft is not responsible for your problem?

Takes my machine about 4 seconds to see the rest of the LAN......Vista Home
Premium.

 

[Warren]

Remotely possible, I suppose. Never tried a Linksys, but I have tried
latest & greatest models by D-link "Certified for Vista" and no improvement
was found. I can also usually "see" my Win98PC long before I see the other
Vista PC.

 

[Warren]

Well good for you, mine takes four hours. There should be something rather
obvious about the difference between your configuration and mine. I've done
nothing special with my network so where do we start a meaningful comparison
or check list ? My LAN consists of two Vista PC's, network printer,
Win98PC. Network recognition the same poor performance when only two Vista
PC's on-line behind router.

 

[Nil]

Why is so slow ? Once they lock on to each other, everything is
fine, but this can take hours.

That is not normal or typical. It is not a Vista problem. There is
something wrong with your setup.

 

[Warren]

What is wrong with my setup ? For the longest time I ran a Win98 PC behind
a router, for more secure Internet access, and it worked like a dream.

I then added two Vista machines and giae them wireless connection to my
router, and Internet access worked like a dream for them as well.

The nightmare began when I tried to browse from one Vista PC to the other
Vista PC in the Network folder. Forget it ! What's wrong with my setup ?

 

[Tyro]

Are all your machines part of the same workgroup?

Tyro

 

[Gordon]

Are all your machines part of the same workgroup?

That /shouldn't/ make any difference....

 

[Tyro]

Vista requires them to be in the same workgroup.

Tyro

 

[Tyro]

My mistake. In the book I have in the first paragraph, it says all computers
must share the same workgroup name. In the next paragraph, it says in Vista,
the workgroup name is largely invisible and irrelevant; Vista displays all
computers in the network regardless of workgroup name. However, network
discovery is faster when all computers are in the same workgroup.

Tyro

 

[Warren]

Yes, WORKGROUP

Are all your machines part of the same workgroup?

Tyro

 

[Gordon]

Vista requires them to be in the same workgroup.

That's a change from XP then - are you certain of that?

 

[Gordon]

My mistake. In the book I have in the first paragraph, it says all
computers must share the same workgroup name. In the next paragraph, it
says in Vista, the workgroup name is largely invisible and irrelevant;
Vista displays all computers in the network regardless of workgroup name.
However, network discovery is faster when all computers are in the same
workgroup.

I'm relatively new to Vista. Does network discovery have any bearing on the
problem the OP is asking about? (I'll test it in the morning!)

 

[Nil]

What is wrong with my setup ?

Well, I don't know. You haven't described your setup, so I wouldn't
know where to start.

What protocols are you running on all the machines?

What workgroup are they set to?

Do you have shares set up on the computers in question?

Have you changed any settings in the router from the default?

What do you see when you type "net view" in a command window?

Can you reach other computers at the command prompt via the UNC name
(i.e. net view \\othercomputer" or "dir \\othercomputer\sharename")?


It would be ridiculous for Microsoft to expect anyone to wait four
hours to be able to browse other computers on the network - their
customers would have hounded them out of business if that were typical.
And it's not, unless something is drastically wrong. I can see new
computers on my home network within seconds when they come on line. The
fact that this is not a common complaint should tell you that the
problem lies with your setup. Your reactionary blame of Microsoft is
misplaced.

 

[Gordon]

Don't mind Gordon. He is a bit slow and he thinks that if his machine is
perfect, all the other machines are perfect also. By the way, Gordon
needs to remove the Administrator rights from his machine because he keeps
screwing up his pc and deleting data. He does that all the time!! He is
very careless.

PLONK.

 

[Tyro]

My suggestion to you is to have a knowledgeable person look at your setup
and point out to you what is causing your problem.

Tyro

 

[Warren]

I thought that's what people are on this forum for, having knowledgable
people help out those with problems ?

 

[Tyro]

It takes only one little thing to cause a problem. While many problems can
be solved in forums, your problem is best addressed by a knowledgeable
person taking a look at it. You could be here for a long time trying to get
an answer and perhaps not get one. Pay $100 and get your problem solved.

Tyro

 

[Warren]

Well, I don't know. You haven't described your setup, so I wouldn't
know where to start.

What protocols are you running on all the machines?

******Whatever comes out of the box with each operating system. I don't
think that's an issue because when I shutdown the Win98 PC it's just two
Vista machines that can't find each other.

What workgroup are they set to?

*****WORKGROUP, all three machines the same

Do you have shares set up on the computers in question?

*****Yes and they work fine once you can see the other PC

Have you changed any settings in the router from the default?

******Yes some firewall settings for outside communication with Internet
based services

What do you see when you type "net view" in a command window? ******I see my own computer

Can you reach other computers at the command prompt via the UNC name
(i.e. net view \\othercomputer" or "dir \\othercomputer\sharename")?

******I can open my own Public directory but other computer says path not
found. I should mention it was working for a while and then stopped.