W7 Network map tree with "?" between laptop and wireless router

Okay, now I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I think I might have gotten it. This is what I did. Opened Network and went to "full map". I got the "Windows cannot discover any computer or device" message. I proceeded to restart my laptop. Ok, I don't know if this part matters, but I waited a couple minutes after it restarted and let the logon screen sit, giving laptop time to connect to my router. I usually logon immediately and have to wait for connections after logging on. Once again, I don't know if it matters, but it is what I did. I checked network again and still nothing. So I disconnected wireless connection, by clicking on signal meter in task bar. I then clicked connect on my router. Once the connection was made, I went to network and viewed "full map", and this is what I got.



I am not going to consider this solved until I allow my laptop to go to sleep and see if disabling NIC power save worked. Maybe even a couple sleep cycles. Here's hoping.

Did you actually have a valid connection when you got the "Windows cannot discover any computer or device" message?

IMycroft said:

Okay, now I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I think I might have gotten it. This is what I did. Opened Network and went to "full map". I got the "Windows cannot discover any computer or device" message. I proceeded to restart my laptop. Ok, I don't know if this part matters, but I waited a couple minutes after it restarted and let the logon screen sit, giving laptop time to connect to my router. I usually logon immediately and have to wait for connections after logging on. Once again, I don't know if it matters, but it is what I did. I checked network again and still nothing. So I disconnected wireless connection, by clicking on signal meter in task bar. I then clicked connect on my router. Once the connection was made, I went to network and viewed "full map", and this is what I got.



I am not going to consider this solved until I allow my laptop to go to sleep and see if disabling NIC power save worked. Maybe even a couple sleep cycles. Here's hoping.

As to your question: did I have a valid connection. If I understand your meaning of "valid". Mouse over signal meter in task bar pop up window identified my router "ssid name" and "internet access". And, in simple network map saw connection between my laptop, router and internet. And, I was able to browse internet. So I did have "active" connection.

As for the update. I have my laptop set to sleep after 3 hours. My laptop was in sleep for rougly 6 hours. After waking laptop, my scheduled virus scan was running. I decided to wait until scan was complete before checking network map. I wanted to keep parameters as simple as possible. I wanted to make sure when I checked I didn't have any active programs running that might interfere. After scan was complete, about an hour. I opened network map, clicked on "full map" And received the following outcome.



If you notice the map is almost identical, the only difference is icon for my wireless router. In my last screen shot the router image is lay-flat design. In this screen shot the router is a more accurate image of my actual wireless router, standing model. If anything the network map has gotten even more accurate. Also the names for my laptop and router under images are also accurate. I removed them for my own paranoia's sake.

Prognosis: So Far So Good.

Looking good! Still have to see if the "?" appears after a few re-awakenings, right? Also, is the map redrawn accurately at each refresh (F5) of the screen?

sibbil said:

Looking good! Still have to see if the "?" appears after a few re-awakenings, right? Also, is the map redrawn accurately at each refresh (F5) of the screen?

To answer your question, is my map redrawn "accurately" at each refresh(F5), Yes. After I click refresh(F5) the map is "accurate", meaning there is no "?" and the connection is represented correctly, dashed green between laptop and router, solid green between router and internet. Only as you can see in the following screen shot, the router icon is changing.



As for Update # 2, I stated before that I have my power setting set to put laptop to sleep after 3 hours. My laptop was in sleep mode for roughly 7 hours, totaling an estimated 10 hours of inactivity. When I woke laptop my internet connection was "disconnected" I clicked connect, connection was made with no problem. I proceeded to check network map. As you can see in screen shot, the overall map is working properly, only the icon for my router has changed once again. Initially, after I implemented NIC(s) power save disabling, the icon represented a lay-flat design router, after first sleep cycle, the icon represented a standing model. Now I am seeing a lay-flat design again. This seems a rather trivial issue. The overall function of the network map is still "accurate" and above all, the "?" is still not being seen. My only question is why my connection was "disconnected" when I woke laptop, perhaps this had nothing to do with laptop per se, perhaps my router itself disconnected while laptop was in sleep. I will keep an eye on the disconnection. This is the first time I can recall my internet connection "disconnected" on wake up. Will update after next sleep cycle.
One more thing: between sleep cycles, while using laptop, I sporadically check network map. So far, no issue with network map while using laptop.

Are you going to leave that power toggle disabled for a while? It would be interesting to see how many cycles you can go through without ever seeing the "?". Then toggle back for a while to see if it appears again...

As far as the network disconnect is concerned, is it set up to automatically reconnect?

Yes, my connection is set to "connect automatically", which is another reason why I was perplexed. And as for leaving the power save disabled, I don't actually move my laptop very often, or even unplug it, I have power setting set for "high performance", so I don't see any reason in the near future to re-enable the power save of the NIC(s). When I did disable I did get a notification stating that not having power save on could affect battery life. But like I said I don't run on battery often. So, I would say I am gonna leave it disabled. Question is should I wait for the "?" then re-enable and see what happens, or wait a certain amount of time, and then re-enable, regardless of "?" reappearance, to see if "?" does reappears.

I'm pretty confident that your network disconnect-reconnect episode has nothing to do with the change you made to the power setting of the NIC, but I would kind of keep an eye on that. Hopefully just a one-time glitch.

If it was me, I would leave that power setting "as is" for enough cycles to make me fairly confident that the "?" issue is likely due to how the power setting is set. IOW, see that it never draws the "?" for enough cycles for you to conclude "well, based on how often I've seen it in the past, I should've seen it 3 or 4 times by now". Then I would change the power setting back to see if I can get it to draw the "?" again. And for added confidence I'd do it all over again.

Ok. Not completely happy after third sleep cycle. Laptop was in sleep for 9 hours w/ 3 hour power setting equaling 12 hours of inactivity. When I woke laptop, once again, my connection was "disconnected", I proceeded to connect, no issue. When I checked network map, I got the "Windows cannot discover any computer or device" message, refreshing(F5) did not remedy issue. I restarted my computer. My connection didn't "automatically" connect. I connected and checked network map. I saw the "Windows cannot discover any computer or device" message. I "disconnected" my connection by clicking on signal meter in task bar. I reconnected immediately with no problem. I then checked network map, once again. This time I got the correct map. My real issue is the whole disconnecting thing, when I go to reconnect the check box for "automatically connect" isn't an option. It's not there and I know that it was before. Strangely if I right click on my connection and choose "Properties" the option to "automatically connection" IS selected.