Solved How do I remove unwanted homegroup?

[bertilak]

I created a homegroup but now want to get rid of it and don't know how.

I see the message "xxxxxx on XXXXXX has created a homegroup on the network" where xxxxxx is me and XXXXXX is the computer I am running on.

How can I nuke the homegroup?

UPDATE: I don't know how, but just since I posted this a few minutes ago, the homegroup is no longer there. I now see message "there is currently no homegroup on the network."

 

[SandeepP]

I created a homegroup but now want to get rid of it and don't know how.

I see the message "xxxxxx on XXXXXX has created a homegroup on the network" where xxxxxx is me and XXXXXX is the computer I am running on.

How can I nuke the homegroup?

UPDATE: I don't know how, but just since I posted this a few minutes ago, the homegroup is no longer there. I now see message "there is currently no homegroup on the network."

Hi bertilak,

Welcome to Seven forums.

Please check this link below which would help you in resolving this issue:

How to remove workgroup? - Microsoft Community

Hope it helps.

 

[Brink]

I created a homegroup but now want to get rid of it and don't know how.

I see the message "xxxxxx on XXXXXX has created a homegroup on the network" where xxxxxx is me and XXXXXX is the computer I am running on.

How can I nuke the homegroup?

UPDATE: I don't know how, but just since I posted this a few minutes ago, the homegroup is no longer there. I now see message "there is currently no homegroup on the network."

Hello Bertilak, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Glad to hear that it sorted itself out for you.

Usually all members of the homegroup must leave it before the homegroup is removed and no longer available to join.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43980-homegroup-leave.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[bertilak]

Usually all members of the homegroup must leave it before the homegroup is removed and no longer available to join.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43980-homegroup-leave.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

That's probably the situation.

I have a deeper problem and getting rid of the homegroup was part of simplifying things to investigate that.

I installed a new router (ASUS RT-AC66U) and it does an odd thing. It refers to my laptop as "WORKGROUP." My wife's laptop is simply referred to by its actual name, as mine was also, at first. Somewhere along the line the router started calling mine WORKGROUP and I am trying to figure that out. It doesn't seem to be causing any problems -- everything works fine -- but that is a mystery and makes me wonder if something down the line will not work right.

I *think* the problem of the goofy name (WORKGROUP) came about when I hooked up a USB drive to the router and set it to be shared.

I have a question in on the ASUS forum asking about that.

 

[bertilak]

Hope it helps.

Nice background info.

 

[SandeepP]

Hope it helps.

Nice background info.

Hi bertilak,

Its great to hear that you were able to resolve the original issue. Have you tried to change your PC name and check if the router detects the new name?

Are you able to ping to both the systems and share files on a workgroup? If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

 

[bertilak]

Hope it helps.

Nice background info.

Hi bertilak,

Its great to hear that you were able to resolve the original issue. Have you tried to change your PC name and check if the router detects the new name?

Are you able to ping to both the systems and share files on a workgroup? If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Well, the issue of the goofy DHCP client name (WORKGROUP) also resolved itself! What I think happened is that the DHCP IP lease ran out and was renewed. That reset everything. How it got set to WORKGROUP in the first place remains a mystery but I am 99% sure I messed something up as I was experimenting with the router to get it to share a USB hard drive attached to it, including messing with the Windows sharing options.

I already suspected the problem had something to do with the IP lease and wanted to forcibly cause the lease to be renewed but couldn't find a way to do that. On an ASUS router forum someone else was complaining that there seemed to be no way to do that. The response from one of the gurus was that there is no official way to force a renewal (either to the same or to a different IP). It is not part of the DHCP spec. It only happens when the lease runs out naturally. Otherwise the router is not keeping its "promise" to the client. Other routers have various hacks to add that capability but ASUS has a "clean" implementation. Strictly by the spec. All that seems a little uncertain to me, but ...

Time healed all wounds!

 

[Shadowjk]

I already suspected the problem had something to do with the IP lease and wanted to forcibly cause the lease to be renewed but couldn't find a way to do that. On an ASUS router forum someone else was complaining that there seemed to be no way to do that. The response from one of the gurus was that there is no official way to force a renewal (either to the same or to a different IP). It is not part of the DHCP spec. It only happens when the lease runs out naturally.

The gurus at the router forum must not have heard of the ipconfig command then :sarc:

ipconfig /release

The above will obtain a new lease for its CURRENT ip address

ipconfig /renew

The above will obtain a new ip address from the DHCP server (router)

If you wanted to refresh all addresses then you would have to disable the DHCP server on the router and then re-enable it

Hope This Helps,
Josh!

 

[bertilak]

The gurus at the router forum must not have heard of the ipconfig command then :sarc:

ipconfig /release

The above will obtain a new lease for its CURRENT ip address

ipconfig /renew

The above will obtain a new ip address from the DHCP server (router)

If you wanted to refresh all addresses then you would have to disable the DHCP server on the router and then re-enable it

Hope This Helps,
Josh!

Great! I will put those in my mental toolbox. To be fair to the "gurus" I think they were talking about forcing the release/renew from the DHCP server end. I guess I'm the one who extrapolated that to "can't be done at all."

 

[Shadowjk]

Fair enough, it is possible but you need big fancy Cisco equipment to do it (Costs $$$$$$!!!). The only way to do it on a normal home router would be to reboot both router and device

Josh

 

[jobeard]

There's a timing issue here; The Computer Browser service only renews its view of the workgroup every 12 minutes.
If you change the Computer Name, then you need to wait 12 minutes to see it in the other systems by the new name.
View Microsoft Network can expand [+] Workgroup and the list of active computers will be seen; this is where the name change occurs.

If you attempt \\newcomputerName\shareName and find you cant access the system, this is also related.

 

[SandeepP]

Hi bertilak,

Its nice to know everything worked out well. And, yes either release/renew or power cycle of router provides a new IP address until and unless you have not made a static IP address.

Feel free to to reach out to us for any future queries.

 

[jobeard]

yes either release/renew or power cycle of router provides a new IP address until and unless you have not made a static IP address.

sort of.
There are two ip addresses when you have a router:

1. the dhcp address assigned the PC from your router - - aka the LAN(private) address
2. the public ip address assigned by your ISP to the WAN(public) ip address

From your PC, a /release, /renew will only go as far as your router, leaving you with the same public address.

To attempt a new public ip address, you need to use the facilities within your router to perform the
/release, /renew sequence. You should also know that due to the existing LEASE, you may see no change
and just get the existing ip again. To ensure a new ip address, you must power off the router until the
lease period has expired.

 

[Shadowjk]

yes either release/renew or power cycle of router provides a new IP address until and unless you have not made a static IP address.

sort of.
There are two ip addresses when you have a router:

1. the dhcp address assigned the PC from your router - - aka the LAN(private) address
2. the public ip address assigned by your ISP to the WAN(public) ip address

From your PC, a /release, /renew will only go as far as your router, leaving you with the same public address.

To attempt a new public ip address, you need to use the facilities within your router to perform the
/release, /renew sequence. You should also know that due to the existing LEASE, you may see no change
and just get the existing ip again. To ensure a new ip address, you must power off the router until the
lease period has expired.

But the question was related to the DHCP server on the router? Not the public IP address assigned by the ISPs router(s)

Josh

 

[SandeepP]

yes either release/renew or power cycle of router provides a new IP address until and unless you have not made a static IP address.

sort of.
There are two ip addresses when you have a router:

1. the dhcp address assigned the PC from your router - - aka the LAN(private) address
2. the public ip address assigned by your ISP to the WAN(public) ip address

From your PC, a /release, /renew will only go as far as your router, leaving you with the same public address.

To attempt a new public ip address, you need to use the facilities within your router to perform the
/release, /renew sequence. You should also know that due to the existing LEASE, you may see no change
and just get the existing ip again. To ensure a new ip address, you must power off the router until the
lease period has expired.

Hi jobeard,

I completly agree with you release/renew would only assign new LAN IP address but would not change the Public or WAN IP address.

However, some routers like mine have an option to release the WAN IP from the router configuration page and it provides new WAN IP address whenever I use it.

I understand it would also depends on ISP as well whether we would get a new WAN IP address or not.

Thanks for the useful information.

 

[Shadowjk]

True though some ISPs will statically assign you a public address and in those cases nothing will change that from the router side. All your router knows is to send traffic it does not have a route for in its routing table to the WAN interface (Default Route - 0.0.0.0 = All traffic)

An example of mine is below however I set the IP address:

 

[SandeepP]

Hi Shadowjk,

Thanks for sharing this information with me. Its great to learn something new everyday and this forum is truly a abundant in knowledge.

 

[Shadowjk]

No worries, I'm always happy to help when I can

Josh