HomeGroup Confusion

Alright here is where I stand:

1. Wired Desktop x32 win 7 (build 7057)

2. Wireless Laptop x32 win 7 (build 7057)

3. Just put clean OS on to them this week

4. Connections > Properties > IPv6 Enable on both PCs

5. Both connect to Internet

6. Both use same router to connect
6a. If I go to my network & sharing center; click on "see full map" I can see both computers with a switch in between (I figure since one is wireless and one is wire)

7. Click Homegroup 'No other people in the home group'

8. At this instance both PCs are on 2 separate HomeGroups (how is this possible?)

9. Create HomeGroup > Change Advanced Settings > Turn on network discovery
9a. If I go back to this change advanced setting enabled button says "Turn off.... etc"

10. Click win start > type "services" chose the 'gear-looking icon one' > scroll to UpnP & SSDP & Computer Browser & Server & TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper made sure all were 'Automatic' if not changed
10a. step '10' allowed to change button to 'turn on network discovery'

11. Still both PCs cannot see each other in HomeGroup

If you have any information, links, ANYTHING please post this is the only reason why I wanted to test windows 7 and now its has become an utter failure. Best information I have found so far is here:


This site shows how it should be done
Windows 7: HomeGroup Overview
IPv6 Reference:
Disabling IPv6 prevents creation of new HOMEGROUP : Windows 7 Networking : Windows 7 Beta : Microsoft TechNet Forums

Services Reference:
unable to turn on network discovery

Side Note: I'm on spring break did really want to reformat the parent's computers and do all of this... this week... Any help would be much appreciated!

go back to your stable build.... 57 deemed not stable by many ppl.... and not much if any has changed from 48.... maybe included the security patch, but that can be downloaded via the update

Why would Microsoft include HomeGroup and make it so only Windows 7 PCs can use it? I don't get that. I suppose because it's a beta. They will hopefully work something out for Vista in SP2. It was easy to connect to my home network but it seem like rocket science to share things between 7 and Vista. That's the only "bad" thing in 7 (because I had a hard time with it) haha I hope sharing is easier when 7 comes out!

nate42nd said:

Why would Microsoft include HomeGroup and make it so only Windows 7 PCs can use it? I don't get that. I suppose because it's a beta. They will hopefully work something out for Vista in SP2. It was easy to connect to my home network but it seem like rocket science to share things between 7 and Vista. That's the only "bad" thing in 7 (because I had a hard time with it) haha I hope sharing is easier when 7 comes out!

One of the reasons besides security i have found is to be able to use Homegroups for sharing that makes it more "neat and clean" for multiple shares and feasability. For instance... if you have 4 different locations on different hard drives or not, you can compile those locations to a single location (library) to then share over the network. Rather than, in my would-be case, having to have multiple shared drives show up in network (for one, eyesore), and having to navigate back and forth thru the shares, rather than loading up THE library of choice to have those scattered shares in one spot.... kinda like a HOME/Parent dir and having virtual paths set to it... like an ftp server in a way of sorts.

I have been fooling with this all day. One of the drawbacks i have seen is for media sharing. WMP will not show the network shared included libraries in the WMP navi pane. Have to manually play or view file if networked shared thru a library on a Homegroup. Have yet to see if adding to the parent pc's WMP library to see if that would work... thats next. I know in build 48 there is the option to stream media... will have to check that out later

If you fish around enough, long enough, you will find there are enough options for the Homegroup sharing almost as a regular ftp server... run it thru vpn, and you have basically created just that, with set priviledges and all, specify users or share with whole Homegroup, how many allowed, time, also enabling pc to not go into suspend mode if sharing, etc.

If you choose not to go homegroup and go old skool, just use the old skool steps, properties/sharing/advanced sharing .... use user accounts and pass to connect .... and for backwards compat, try toggling password protected sharing.

Altho I need to do none of this for XP->7 or vice versa.... I have pass protected sharing on, allow homegroup to manage, am on a Homegroup, with IPv6 enabled and have no problems seeing nor accessing the XP machine or 7. The only difference could be is that I am using an ipv6 enabled router. This COULD be the reason, but i like to say no, since the XP machine is not using that protocol nor installed for that matter. Right now I dont have to enter user/pass to access XP (will fix that), but DO have to enter user/pass to access 7 from XP.

That is all

RRabbit427 said:

Thanks Digger, in regard to switching back to an older build is their an easy way to do this or should I just do a clean install once again? (I wanted to be able to use this until next year since I feel Windows 7 will come out shortly after the beginning of next year

I have found this post to be relevant but does this change the activation parameters as well as the "cutoff" date? UPGRADE from 7057 to 7048 Works -- Yes it does

the expiration date, yes... 7000 is aug 1... but no worry as the awaited RC1 will come just around and about that time... I say 1st week of july for my ultra-late-but-fashioned-prediction-timing-scale. You can still save your user files and the likes... you will just have to reinstall your program files again. Small price to pay for stability for awhile.

RRabbit427 said:

Now Trying to find this User32Backup... clean install with 7048 here I come... goodness grief... Well not yet... Ill sleep on it, ha doubt this will change though Let me know what you think. Thanks again Digger Your the Man!

So I did some more searching and discovered this:
Windows 7 restore watermark

With this I am 95% sure I do not have an original of User32.dll.mui due to no backups anywhere not even a 'user32.dll.mui.bak' is present...

SO I figured okay my last curve ball to throw is to see if the patch that I used just altered the original... so right click 'user32.dll.mui' > properties > previous versions tab > ... and what do you know I did not make a restore point to revert back to it so I am stuck and believe I will remain stuck.

I know in build 48 there is the option to stream media... will have to check that out later

That is interesting....when I hooked on to my home network with 7048, my WMP on my Vista machine popped up and asked if I wanted the option to stream the media on my 7 machine. I have not checked it out (like I should have) but it is potentially pretty cool.

RRabbit427 said:

So I did some more searching and discovered this:
Windows 7 restore watermark

With this I am 95% sure I do not have an original of User32.dll.mui due to no backups anywhere not even a 'user32.dll.mui.bak' is present...

SO I figured okay my last curve ball to throw is to see if the patch that I used just altered the original... so right click 'user32.dll.mui' > properties > previous versions tab > ... and what do you know I did not make a restore point to revert back to it so I am stuck and believe I will remain stuck.

yes, if you search around on this forum you will see a couple threads talking about this problem as well... i think this all started with 22 build if memory serves me right.... grab a gadget to cover the watermark if its that irritable