How can I keep my system from resetting my network discovery from off to on each time I restart. Suddenly about 2 weeks ago I started to get tens of firewall alerts from China hackers and elsewhere (could be fake IPs) - all were blocked by my firewall. I did numerous scans including full computer scans and everything was clean - using Fsecure and also used MS online scan and Fsecure online scan. Nothing showed - then I noticed that network discovery was turned on and I was connected to a public network (unidentified) - yikes! I reset network discovery to off and yet it changed to on when I did a restart. I then changed network back to Home profile and network discovery Off - restarted to check and it also goes back on. I may have some sophisticated bug that is resetting it and making me a server on a malicious network. How do I track this down without the obvious of redoing my system. I haven't done a restore yet since I'm not sure how far to go back or if it's something simple.

Windows is designed to be always on connected to the internet Change the3 SSD of your wireless box to a random unique name and then use the hardest security password I use 192-bit on my network Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. I feel badly for my American friends who have to endure the extremists in Washington who are bankrupting the nation over ideology. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews

You can disable the network if you are concerned Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. I feel badly for my American friends who have to endure the extremists in Washington who are bankrupting the nation over ideology. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews

Hi, Network discovery is a network setting that affects whether your computer can see (find) other computers and devices on the network and whether other computers on the network can see your computer. There are three network discovery states: · On This state allows your computer to see other network computers and devices and allows people on other network computers to see your computer. This makes it easier to share files and printers. · Off This state prevents your computer from seeing other network computers and devices and prevents people on other network computers from seeing your computer. · Custom This is a mixed state in which some settings related to network discovery are enabled, but not all of them. For example, network discovery could be turned on, but you or your system administrator might have disabled a firewall exception that affects network discovery. Network discovery requires that the dnscache, fdrespub, ssdpsrv, and upnphost services are started, that the Windows Firewall exception for network discovery is enabled, and that other firewalls are not interfering with network discovery. If some but not all of these are true, the network discovery state will be shown as Custom. If your disable network discovery, it shouldn’t enable after restarting, please try to disable the traffic in Windows Firewall, then check the issue again. 1. Click Start button, click Control Panel. 2. Move to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Firewall\Allowed Programs 3. Find “Network Discovery” option, uncheck it and click Change settings button. Also Network discovery is based on LLTD, you may change LLTD options in GPO: 1. Click Start button, type gpedit.msc in Search bar. 2. Move to Computer Configuration-> Administrative Templates-> Network-> Link-Layer Topology Discovery 3. Double-click Turn on Mapper I/O (LLTDIO), enable it and check “Prohibit operation while in private network”. 4. Click OK. Or you could disable “Function Discovery Provider Host” to stop network discovery. On the other hand, since you connected to a unidentified network, I suggest that you may use “ipconfig –all” to export the IP configuration when this problem occurs. Please post the result here. In addition, I recommend that you may use Microsoft Security Essentials to prevent your computer, it is provide from Microsoft Corporation and it’s free: http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/mse.aspx Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Thanks for your assistance - Nothing seems to work as it should - As background, I have a single computer connected to the Internet on Windows7. All internection hacking attempts were stopped by my Firewall with network discovery on and all scans show no problems - except I wanted the reassurance that nothing could see my computer when I'm away - yet with network discovery on - port80 is open and with it off all my ports are in stealth mode. I had a homegroup - which I didn't need so I disabled that and also disabled and stopped Homegroup listener and Provider - that didn't stop network discovery from turning back on (on restart). I have 2 choices of firewall Fsecure and also Windows - I've tried both separately and no change - I have even run both together with no apparent conflict for all my operations. Network discovery was uncheckd already in my Firewall allowed programs. I have disabled Function Discovery Provider host - no change on restart ie network discovery reappears - why? no idea On rereading your note I'm now going to try LLTDIO ( I have no gpedit - I have msconfig - same thing) By far the easiest is to turn off my modem when away and turn off network discovery each time I restart - I'm just curious why I can't make it automatic - particularly if some of my friends have the same problem and want to know. Thanks again.