Help! Network discovery won't stay on / can't start DNS Client service (Windows 11 Home)

[SSovets]

I am unable to access LAN resources on my computer since the last Windows update (could be a coincidence, as uninstalling the update does not fix it). I have found it happens because "Network discovery: in "Advanced sharing settings" won't stay on, which I have traced to the "DNS Client" service which I am unable to start, getting the error "System error 1058 has occurred. The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it." I have tried resetting the network (From "Advanced network settings" - "Network reset"), I have updated the network adapter driver, I switched (from the Realtek 2.5GbE) to the other network adapter (Intel I211) - nothing helped, this seems to be a Windows issue and not network adapter. Everything works fine on other computers in the network (also Windows 11), so the network is configured properly. Scouring the internet hasn't helped me find any solution.

Does anyone here have any ideas that could work, has anyone encountered this problem before? I really hate the idea of having to reinstall Windows just to get network sharing working...

 

[rborth]

%%&^& Microsoft $##W$$ Windows 10 updates! The hours I have spent fixing the broken results! Network discover was broken so many times I just ran out of time & patience. I now find the device in the File Explore search window, for example \\MACYCLARK-HP and then pin it to Quick Access.

See Also: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/problems-with-windows-network-discovery.81273/

 

[SSovets]

I wish it was that easy. I can't connect to a network resource even by LAN IP, never mind names (otherwise my mapped network drives would have worked).

 

[drinkingbird]

I wish it was that easy. I can't connect to a network resource even by LAN IP, never mind names (otherwise my mapped network drives would have worked).

Have you tried sfc?

Using System File Checker in Windows - Microsoft Support

Learn how to run System File Checker in Windows to check if your computer has problems with files.

support.microsoft.com

You could also try uninstalling both NIC drivers (keep uninstalling until all drivers are gone, and select to delete the files), reboot, and reinstall the latest of each, see if that rebinds them.

 

[coxhaus]

To use network sharing in Windows 11 I had to use local accounts and then it worked fine for me.
So for me I just logon with my local account when I want to share. I use my Microsoft account when I want to use the internet. I decided it is a security feature.

I am using a Windows 11 PC as my NAS. I don't use it on the internet just local except for updates. It is not a user PC just a backend PC for storage.

 

[rborth]

To use network sharing in Windows 11 I had to use local accounts and then it worked fine for me.
So for me I just logon with my local account when I want to share. I use my Microsoft account when I want to use the internet. I decided it is a security feature.

I am using a Windows 11 PC as my NAS. I don't use it on the internet just local except for updates. It is not a user PC just a backend PC for storage.

As the old saying goes, “That’s not a bug, it’s a feature”. ;>(

I spend 99.9% of my time in a local account. I didn’t think that could be significant. But to check I logged into a MS account on two very similar but different WIN10 computers. It was months (?) since I did that and had to wait for the latest pushed update to configure. The network results were about the same as the local account as previously posted.

 

[SSovets]

Have you tried sfc?

Yes, no errors.

You could also try uninstalling both NIC drivers (keep uninstalling until all drivers are gone, and select to delete the files), reboot, and reinstall the latest of each, see if that rebinds them.

Will try this, thanks. Should I also uninstall the WiFi drivers, since it's also a NIC?

To use network sharing in Windows 11 I had to use local accounts and then it worked fine for me.
So for me I just logon with my local account when I want to share. I use my Microsoft account when I want to use the internet. I decided it is a security feature.

I am using a Windows 11 PC as my NAS. I don't use it on the internet just local except for updates. It is not a user PC just a backend PC for storage.

I have never played with that, just logged in with my MS (or "live") account since forever and have never had any issues accessing LAN resources (which I do on an almost daily basis).

I have, however, installed NordVPN about 3 weeks ago, so quite some time before this happened, but I wonder if there could be a connection.

 

[drinkingbird]

I have, however, installed NordVPN about 3 weeks ago, so quite some time before this happened, but I wonder if there could be a connection.

You sure you just didn't notice it until now but it may have started a few weeks ago? That would definitely seem like a connection. Make sure it has an exception for local traffic to not go over the VPN with split tunneling enabled. Is the VPN always on? Try shutting it off or even uninstalling it and see if the issue goes away.

 

[SSovets]

As I wrote above, I access LAN resources, mostly the HDD on my router, that is also set up as an FTP server, almost daily (as part of my job), so I'm 100% sure that the problem appeared about one week ago (after the last windows update), and not 3 or 4 weeks ago, when I installed NordVPN.
Split tunnelling is disabled in NordVPN as it doesn't work, and the problem persists if VPN is off; the "DNS Client" service just cannot start, and I understand it is crucial for LAN resource access.

 

[drinkingbird]

As I wrote above, I access LAN resources, mostly the HDD on my router, that is also set up as an FTP server, almost daily (as part of my job), so I'm 100% sure that the problem appeared about one week ago (after the last windows update), and not 3 or 4 weeks ago, when I installed NordVPN.
Split tunnelling is disabled in NordVPN as it doesn't work, and the problem persists if VPN is off; the "DNS Client" service just cannot start, and I understand it is crucial for LAN resource access.

If you can't access LAN by IP then it isn't just the DNS client. The DNS client probably can't start for the same reason you can't access the LAN (whatever it may be). Most likely your DNS is your router IP, which is on the LAN, thus DNS can't reach it. Try using a DNS server on the internet just to confirm DNS client can now start.

Something is blocking LAN access. If you have a firewall installed make sure you didn't block something.

I'd try uninstalling Nord anyway just to see. If split tunneling doesn't work in it that is even more evidence pointing to it.

 

[SSovets]

I uninstalled Nord, restarted, problem was still there. Went on to check the DNS settings and noticed that my computer had a different LAN IP from what I usually set it to, discovered that the manual assignment I made in the router DHCP list has disappeared. As soon as I remade it and reconnected to the LAN to reget the IP, everything works. Can't say I understand why, all other computers on the network have automatically assigned IPs and have no trouble accessing LAN resources, but I'm glad it's solved. Thanks for the help!

The final test will be to install Nord back and see if it doesn't break anything; I need it in order to restore a 10 TB backup from a UK-based backup service, which throttles the bandwidth unless I connect from a UK IP address (like 35 MB/s with vs 1.5 MB/s without VPN).

 

[coxhaus]

I have no trouble changing IPs. My issue was networking in Windows 11 using a workgroup. My Microsoft account would not work so I had to use a local account. This was Windows 11 to Windows 11.

I am not going to use Windows 10 anymore.

 

[drinkingbird]

I uninstalled Nord, restarted, problem was still there. Went on to check the DNS settings and noticed that my computer had a different LAN IP from what I usually set it to, discovered that the manual assignment I made in the router DHCP list has disappeared. As soon as I remade it and reconnected to the LAN to reget the IP, everything works. Can't say I understand why, all other computers on the network have automatically assigned IPs and have no trouble accessing LAN resources, but I'm glad it's solved. Thanks for the help!

The final test will be to install Nord back and see if it doesn't break anything; I need it in order to restore a 10 TB backup from a UK-based backup service, which throttles the bandwidth unless I connect from a UK IP address (like 35 MB/s with vs 1.5 MB/s without VPN).

Any IP on the LAN should work the same, however if you had set any firewall rules on the remote PCs to allow that specific IP, then obviously they wouldn't allow some other random LAN IP.

Do you have anything specified for WINS server in the router DHCP? If you do, get rid of it, that could be interfering. WINS is not needed if you don't have more than 1 subnet (even then, not really necessary).

 

[SSovets]

Any IP on the LAN should work the same, however if you had set any firewall rules on the remote PCs to allow that specific IP, then obviously they wouldn't allow some other random LAN IP.

Do you have anything specified for WINS server in the router DHCP? If you do, get rid of it, that could be interfering. WINS is not needed if you don't have more than 1 subnet (even then, not really necessary).

I have no rules about this in the router firewall, so it should indeed allow any local IP. I really have no idea what was preventing my computer from connecting.
The router is set as my WINS server (RT-AX86U with Merlin firmware), this is the setting I have found to work best from the beginning I set the network up and I have never changed it since then.

I have, by the way, installed Nord again and everything is working fine.

 

[drinkingbird]

I have no rules about this in the router firewall, so it should indeed allow any local IP. I really have no idea what was preventing my computer from connecting.
The router is set as my WINS server (RT-AX86U with Merlin firmware), this is the setting I have found to work best from the beginning I set the network up and I have never changed it since then.

I have, by the way, installed Nord again and everything is working fine.

I mean the firewall on the PCs. Get rid of WINS, you only need it when you want to file share across multiple routers/subnets and it is just one more thing to interfere. May have had a stale entry or something.

 

[sfx2000]

Has anyone checked to see if the network connection profile is set to 'Public" or 'Private"

Network Discovery not working - first thing to check is if the connection profile is set properly - public disables network discovery on the LAN if I recall correctly...

 

[SSovets]

Has anyone checked to see if the network connection profile is set to 'Public" or 'Private"

Network Discovery not working - first thing to check is if the connection profile is set properly - public disables network discovery on the LAN if I recall correctly...

It was set to private, that is one of the first things I checked.

 

[AndreiV]

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