Why can't I connect to a network?
Troubleshooting connection problems can be a challenge because there are so many possible causes. First, try running the Network troubleshooter to see if it can help diagnose and solve your problem:
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Open the Network troubleshooter by right-clicking the network icon in the notification area, and then clicking Troubleshoot problems.
If running the Network troubleshooter didn't solve the problem, then follow the steps described in Network connection problems in Windows.
If the steps in that topic didn't help, then follow these steps:
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If you're on a home network with a homegroup, and you're trying to connect to another computer, make sure that computer is on and that it has been added to the homegroup.
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If you're on a home network without a homegroup, and you're trying to connect to another computer, make sure that computer is on and that you've enabled file and printer sharing on your network. For more information, see Networking home computers running different versions of Windows.
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Make sure that all wires are connected (for example, make sure your modem is connected to a working phone jack or cable connection, either directly or through a router).
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If the problem began after you installed new software, check your connection settings to see if they've been changed.
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Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type adapter, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network connections.
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Right-click the connection, and then click Properties. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
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Check your router. Because of the new networking features in Windows Vista and Windows 7, some older network routers aren't fully compatible with these versions of Windows and can cause problems. For a list of routers that are compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7, go to the Windows Compatibility Center website.
If these steps don't solve the problem, look for a specific problem and possible solutions in the following sections.
This can happen for one of the following reasons:
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Network discovery is turned off.
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Network discovery is off by default for Public networks. Changing a network location type to Home or Work is the easiest way to turn on network discovery. To learn how to change a network location type, see Choosing a network location. To turn on network discovery manually, follow the steps below.
To turn on network discovery
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Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
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Click the chevron to expand the current network profile.
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Click Turn on network discovery, and then click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
To share files
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Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
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Click the chevron Picture to expand the current network profile.
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Click Turn on file and printer sharing, and then click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
To share files using the Public folders
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Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
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Click the chevron to expand the current network profile.
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Click either Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files or Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files, and then click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
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Do these steps on your computer and on any network computer running Windows 7 that you want to connect to.
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Password-protected sharing is enabled.
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Password-protected sharing is on by default for computers on workgroups. When password-protected sharing is enabled, people using other computers on your network can't access your shared folders or printers unless they have a user account on your computer. There are two ways to enable file and printer sharing:
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Create identical user accounts on all computers on the workgroup (recommended). For more information, seeCreate a user account.
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Turn off password-protected sharing. To turn off password-protected sharing, follow these steps:
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Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
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Click the chevron to expand the current network profile.
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Click Turn off password protected sharing, and then click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.