network devices not showing in File Explorer

Question

I have always had a problem with Windows 7, 10 and 11 not showing network devices in File Explorer, I can use \MyComputer or \NetworkComputer

I have tried most discovery settings and other options.

Event viewer says :

The name "WORKGROUP      :1d" could not be registered on the interface with IP address 192.168.0.104. 

The computer with the IP address 192.168.0.1 did not allow the name to be claimed by this computer

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Performance and system failures ***

Answer 1

Hello ,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.
Based on your description, the issue may be related to a registration conflict for the name of the workgroup. Here are some possible solutions:

1. Make sure all computers are in the same workgroup. You can check and change the team name by right-clicking on the This PC> Properties> Change Settings > Computer Name tabs.
2. Sometimes, IPv6 can cause network discovery issues. You can try disabling IPv6.
3. Make sure that network discovery and file sharing are enabled in Control Panel> Network and Sharing Center, > Change Advanced Sharing Settings.
4. You can try to register the workgroup name manually using the command line. Open a command prompt as an administrator and enter the following commands:
   net localgroup administrators "NETWORKYourUsername" /add
   Replace YourUsername with your username.
5. Make sure Windows Firewall or any third-party firewall isn't blocking network discovery. You can try disabling the firewall temporarily to see if that resolves the issue.
6. Try restarting your network device.
7. Make sure your network adapter drivers are up to date.
8. Make sure NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled.

I hope the information above is helpful.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Regards,
Jill Zhou

Answer 2

Hi Jill,

Thanks so much for your detailed response, you are very kind.

 1. Make sure all computers are in the same workgroup. You can check and change the team name by right-clicking on the This PC> Properties> Change Settings > Computer Name tabs. 

All workgroups are same, I even changed them to MYWORKGROUP, with no difference to my problem

 2. Sometimes, IPv6 can cause network discovery issues. You can try disabling IPv6. 

I have always had IPv6 turned off

 3. Make sure that network discovery and file sharing are enabled in Control Panel> Network and Sharing Center, > Change Advanced Sharing Settings.

Always had these settings enabled, and double checked this

 4. You can try to register the workgroup name manually using the command line. Open a command prompt as an administrator and enter the following commands:

net localgroup administrators "NETWORKYourUsername" /add

Replace YourUsername with your username.

Could not get this command to work:

net localgroup administrators "MYWORKGROUP\david" /add

This command did work, but made no difference to my problem

This did work, but not a solution:

wmic computersystem where name="lucifer" call joindomainorworkgroup name="MYWORKGROUP" FJoinOptions=0

Restarted PC, did not help

 5. Make sure Windows Firewall or any third-party firewall isn't blocking network discovery. You can try disabling the firewall temporarily to see if that resolves the issue.

I have turned all AV and Firewalls off

 6. Try restarting your network device.

Done this many times, and resetting adapters

 7. Make sure your network adapter drivers are up to date.

Drivers are all up to date

8. Make sure NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled.

Never been quite sure of NetBIOS over TCP/IP - set this acordingly but did not help

Thanks again, much appreciated

David

Answer 3

Thank you for your feedback! Sorry we couldn't solve the problem for you. We can further troubleshoot:

Make sure that the IP addresses of all computers are within the same subnet, for example, 192.168.0.x.

Enter ping 192.168.0.1 and the IP address of another computer in the command prompt to check the network connection.

In Control Panel> Programs, > Enable or Disable Windows Features, make sure that SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support is checked.

Try resetting your network settings: Enter netsh int ip reset and netsh winsock reset in the command prompt and restart your computer.

In gpedit.msc, make sure "Enable Network Discovery" is set to "Enabled".

Monitor the Event Viewer for clues to relevant error messages.

Connect to a different network, such as a mobile hotspot, and see if the problem persists.

Uninstall the network adapter in Device Manager and let Windows automatically reinstall the driver after restarting.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help you solve the problem! If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.