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Getting Network Neighborhood to recognize newly attached computers

Intended For
Windows Vista
Windows XP
Windows 2003
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
Ever connected a computer to your network, and cursed at Windows because it doesn't show up in Network Neighborhood like it's supposed to? While this is a common problem, there are solutions. (Note - the following assumes that networking has already been set up and is functioning properly.)

  • Check the cables and make sure all the lights (if any) on your hub and network cards are lit. A lit light means that the cables are properly hooked up.
  • Open Network Neighborhood (on any computer), and press the F5 key repeatedly to refresh the display. More than 5 or 6 times is unnecessary.
  • Try closing Explorer and re-opening it. Do this on the computer that was just connected, and on a computer you know is working.
  • Select Toolbars from Explorer's View menu, and if Address Bar is not checked, select it. In the address bar toolbar, type two backslashes followed by the name of the computer that won't show up (or if you're on that computer, the name of any other computer). Example: \\server or \\bigboy.
  • As a last resort, restart the computer that won't show up on the network. If that doesn't work, there's something wrong with your network setup.


Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

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