LAN Connection - Is there an explanation?

[speedmaster]

I'm fighting with this for quite sometime without solving it...

I have a small lan, 5 computers, and the network neighborhood only shows two of them... MyLanViewer reports all of them correctly and the network performs ok with the only problem of having to use servername\\resource when mapping a network drive or printer.

Has anyone faced the same issue? Any clues on how to solve it?

Thanks for any replies

PS: first screen shows 8 devices attached due to the router and 2 other wireless connected computer when the scan was run.
Speed

 

[thiggins]

Lots of possibilities from Master Browser battles to variations in the way that various Windows versions handle network browsing.

You always want to have a system that is always on the network be the master browser. But these days with so many mobile devices on and off the network, it's easy for a mobile device to get elected Master browser.

See if this or this helps.

 

[speedmaster]

All of the computers are Windows 7 and MS states that master browsers are not an issue anymore... I've switched off all the network components, including routers, printers, etc and back on with no avail...

Would a mix of dhcp assigned addresses with fixed ips be one of the causes? Fixed IP ahd DHCP having different ranges to avoid overlap but who knows?

Cheers and thanks for the help

Speed

 

[thiggins]

All of the computers are Windows 7 and MS states that master browsers are not an issue anymore...

Really? Where do they say that?

Mix of fixed / DHCP IPs shouldn't matter as long as they are in the same subnet.

Is there any pattern to the problem, i.e. are any of the machines able to see all the others? Are there specific machines that are always missing?

When you brought the network back up, did you do it little by little, checking network browsing on all machines as you went? Yes, it's a tedious process, but it may point you to the problem.

Is that a "/" I see in one of the computer names? See this.

 

[speedmaster]

Yes, there is a pattern... This began to happen when the last Windows Vista was removed from the network (what made me think that machine was the master browser)... I've tried to force the election of a new one but so far with no success and, yes, I've read all over the net that master browser problems are a thing of the past if you have a homogeneous Win7 network... There are two machines that constantly appear in the neighborhood, all others don't... the network is there, working fine but no matter what I do they never show complete in the Net Neigh.... ah, yes, I've powered up little by little... and it keeps happening...

 

[stevech]

My LAN is a mix of Win 7 Home Prem. and XP computers.
Workgroup mode.
The XP computers will disappear from the win 7 network graphical display after a period of inactivity in the shares. If I hit the screen refresh, they reappear for a time, say an hour or so.