They Symptom that users are facing
If Network Discovery is turned off on your file or application server it can cause headaches. You try to turn on Network Discovery but something is wrong. To do it, you change the Advanced sharing settings in Network and Sharing Center. However, the changes aren’t saved. Since you can’t turn it on you experience the following issues:
- You can’t browse or find any network share.
- You can’t view shared folders on a local network.
This occurs because the dependency services aren’t running or, Windows firewall or other firewalls don’t allow Network Discovery.
How to fix the Network Discovery issue
Fixing this issue is not difficult and through numerous fixes over the years it has proven to work. Many clients have experienced application issues which we discovered were related to this setting. We first want to make sure that the following services have been started in the services manager:
- DNS Client
- Function Discovery Resource Publication
- SSDP Discovery
- UPnP Device Host
Second we configure the windows firewall by following these steps:
- Open Control Panel, select System and Security, and then select Windows Firewall.
- In the left pane, select Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.
- Select Change settings. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, enter the password or provide confirmation.
- Select Network discovery, and then select OK.
You want to make sure that you configure any other firewalls on the device as well. The final step will be to turn on network discovery again in the Network Sharing Center. This is to ensure that it is working by not shutting down again. If you have hesitancy executing this function based on your level of expertise feel free to contact us. We have a team of Network Engineers that can assist you and are always available.