I have 3 computers at my home 1 XP laptop Wireless 1 XP desktop hard wire and 1 Vista Business Desktop hard wire. I am using a Monowall firewall with the latest firmware as my DHCP. My good old Xp computers can release renew Ip addresses freely as they wish, the internet works perfectly fine on them. The router configuration is very basic and simple nothing out of the ordinary. Also anyone who brings over Xp latops can also freely use the network as long as they have the keys and such. My Vista computer was working for about 3 months, but all of the sudden on September 4th for absolutly No reason at all i now get an unidentified network message on my adapter in the system tray. Occasionaly i will get a local access only message at random but reguardless of what message i have in the sys tray I can not connect to the internet. Vista has that Stupid network and sharing center diagram that puts an X over the link between Identifying network and Internet. I am using a Asus P5N-E SLI motherboard, it has a Nvidia Nforce6 series 650i SLI network card.I have tried the following solutionsDiagnose and Repair - error local access only Entering in the MAC address manually on the properties of the network adapterTried a Static IP in the range of my network w/ dns and gateway Tried Automatic\Dynamic Will not renew IP addressCan't uninstall the network adapter because it just freezes everytime i try to uninstall itTried Reseting th TCP stack NetshFlushing DNSI dont have an extra network adapter so i cant try that right nowUnplugging the network cable, rebooting the PC, Router and wirless about 500 timesTried Unchecking the IPV6 also freezes but when i force a reboot it does stay uncheckIconfig /release ipconfig /renew Never renews just gives me thatI get that local 168.XX.XX.XX unsuable Ip address that is assigned to my I do get that isatap device thing that shows up in device manager under networking controllers, i tried googling that too but nothing points to the fact that it would stop your network connection. Some of these solutions worked for other people but I've treid Googling solutions but D%&mm a lot of people are having this problem and nobody knows what to do! just google "unidentified network Vista" see for yourself this is horrible! I must say this Vista as it stands right now is an Awful Awful Awful Awful operation system I hate macs but i swear if it continues like this im going to learn them and recomend them to my clients. Windows is loosing its touch with the common person, My clients have so many problems using vista they can't stand it and comming from a pc guy im really getting bitter with this O.S.Does anyone know the real cause or solution to the unidentified network problem

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in;margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} You have got to be kidding me, I thought since it was Microsofts site maybe i would have better luck posting this here but for real nobody has a clue what this problem is all about? All those MCSEs and MVPs got nothing! you've got to be kidding me. I have at least 30 people who have responded on various other forums waiting to hear an answer on this one, and no one is going to step up to the plate? Any insight would be appreciated on behalf of me and everyone else trying to fix this.

Dru I also have a home network with XP and Vista computers on it. I have two Dell Computers with Vista Ultimate on them and they both give me the "unidentfied network" and "Access Local" while the XP computers are working like champs. I noticed that you were not able to try using an extra network adapter. I just thought you'd like to know, that I do have an extra network adapter and I've tried it. It didn' t help. Oh... I spent 4 hours just last night doing all the things you did, and after a cold boot, the computer could access the network and the Internet again. I went out and celebrated. That was last night. Today, when the computer was booted back up, it was no longer able to access theLAN or the Internet. I'm back at square one. Unfortunately, I just don't have 4 more hours to repeat everything I did last night. I also can't afford to go out and celebrate again. I too would like a definitive answer as to what the solution is, and what is causing this problem. Vista is supposed to make my life easier.But I've been so busy trying to get it to work, I haven't had time to find out. I need a permenant solution. Right now both my Dell Computers with the Vista Ultimate OS on them are doing great imitations as boat anchorswhile my older XP machines that I had hoped to phase out, are the only computers I have that will work correctly. Bry

Hi Dru and Bry, I would like to explain that many reasons can cause "Unidentified Network" error message, such as bad network adapter driver, incompatible router, third party programs, corrupted system components, etc. If the computer is in domain, the server settings can also be the root cause. Generally speaking, when the connection has issues, this error may be received. On our computers, we do not encounter such issue. Therefore, we could confirm there are not congenital bug in Windows Vista that causes this issue. Based on our support experience, all of the problems are caused by third party reasons, such as driver issue, software or hardware confliction. Additionally, if the anti-virus, system optimized program or Registry cleaner you used is not compatible, the system components would be damaged. This can also be the root cause of this issue. Dru and Bry, I suggest that you go into Safe Mode with Networking (Restart computer, press the F8 key when the boot menu pops up, select [Safe Mode with Networking], and boot up) and check if the issue still occurs. If it does not occur, I suggest that you reboot to Normal Mode and temporary uninstall the anti-virus and firewall. Then check the result. However, if the issue persists in Safe Mode, the DHCP of the router may be not compatible. The following article has explained this situation. Please try the steps in the article. Windows Vista cannot obtain an IP address from certain routers or from certain non-Microsoft DHCP servershttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;928233 If the above information does not resolve the issue, please try to reinstall the network adapter. Please remove the existed driver and reinstall. 1. Click Start. In the Start Search box type "devmgmt.msc" and press Enter.2. Expand "Network Adapters", double-click on the entry of the wireless network device.3. Click the tab "Driver", click "Uninstall".4. Click Start. In the Start Search box type "appwiz.cpl" and press Enter. 5. Remove the entries related to the wireless network adapter.6. Reinstall the driver with your driver CD. Please restart. Is the issue resolved? If the issue persists, please let me know the contents of ipconfig /all. Please run ipconfig /all > %userprofile%\desktop\ipconfig.txt Also, please enabling Netmon on the computer to capture the network packets for further research: 1. Download NetMon3.1 from the following website and install it on the Windows Vista and Windows XP machines: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=18b1d59d-f4d8-4213-8d17-2f6dde7d7aac&DisplayLang=en 2. Log onto the machines, right-click the Netmon icon and select Run as Administrator to launch NetMon3.1.3. In the Microsoft Network Monitor 3.1 window, click Create a new capture tab 4. In the new tab, select all the Network Adapters in the Select Networks window.5. After that, press F10 to start NetMon. Note: Please start NetMon on both machines. 6. Open Command prompt, enter ipconfig /renew and press Enter. 7. Go back to the NetMon window and press F11 to stop the NetMon.8. Press Ctrl+S to save the Netmon file. 9. If it possible, please paste the contents in you post. If the text is too large, please upload the files to the following space: https://sftasia.one.microsoft.com/large/choosetransfer.aspx?key=0cbac441-596e-4bb5-b9d9-ce33f3104d06 Password: 8Lgj#9bGUd%n)

Arthur it is an absoloute cop out to blame anything but Windows Vista with these issues. Type in 'unidentified network' in google to realise how common this problem has been for people with vista over the last year. Also refer to the post on this forum with 150 posts without a single reply from M$. Why dont you do something useful and get a response from the powers that be in M$ and make a firm commitment to be fixing this bug in Vista and let the users know how you are progressing. That would at least be an improvement to the customer servicewe are currently experiencing. Every single one of the people experiencing this issue could fix it by reverting to an older M$ operating system or something like a mac.

Hi, If it is a bug, how the network can work properly in most of the Windows Vista computers? Part of customers submit this issue online, we can just consider it as a hot issue or else. Based on our experience, this part of function never be corrupt itself, this issue can be caused by too many reasons, so we are not able to only provide a fix patch for this kind of issues. We still need to narrow down the cause and resolve issues in different cases. Do you still have this issue? If so, just let us know. I believe that the communications in this post will be very helpful.

The other users are right. Too many people have this problem. I also have this problem with a new gateway. Worked fine for months and then stopped. It cannot connect to ANY wireless router. It does not get a default gateway. I have tried EVERY single solution that I can find online, and have shipped to gateway twice with no luck. My only option at this point is to go back to Windows XP, which I now have to pay for on top of a new laptop. Whatever information you need to try and fix this,I will send it.

Finally i found a solution that worked and fixed the "Unidentified Network" problem i was having, somebody said to unplug the internet cable from the back of the computer, then pull the power cable from the back of the computer, hold power button to drain any power left, turned off router for 30 seconds (in case it was part of the problem, not sure it was but tried anyway) then turned it all back on and then put the internet cable back into the computer and voila! i have internet again.

I believe that I have found the solution, and yes the problem was introduced with Vista when placed into the local area network. Of course it has to be with Vista OS as the computers with it are the ones having the problem when XP machines are working fine. What I find so amazing is that everyone seems to have a fix, without clearly articulating what the problem being fixed is. I went with the theory that the problem was indeed with Vista and proceeded from there by looking at what Vista had in the way of drivers on the Network Interface Card. I mean that is what allows the computer to talk to the network, yes? I also looked at what my Router provided. I couldn't help but notice that Vista had a "Quality of Service" (QOS) component which supposedly tunes the connection to provide improved connectivity.My Router was clueless about QOS. Well, I had a problem updating my router with what was still an old firmware update, so I went and bought a new router from the same manufacturer. This new router I found supports QOS and is marketed as Vista Compatible. (Since when are routers Compatible with a PC OS? Like why would they care?) Well, the new router resolved the "Unidentified Network" problem. I haven't had the problem in 2 weeks. Usually I would experience it within a week of reinstalling Vista. (If you need help installing Vista - I'm your man as I can now do it with my eyes closed.) I think this is an historic occasion in my experience with PCs. The PC OS has specific needs provided by external hardware - in this case the router needs to provide something (QOS is working theory) in order for the OS to allow network connectivity. Ok - above and beyond TCP/IP capabilities.... Now, I received Vista with the purchase of the PC. I have no box indicating whatthe OS requires to work correctly. But I'd wager that the box doesn't indicate what I require routers that provide certain services to work correctly. Of course if I knew that I'd have to upgrade my entire home infrastructure in order to use Vista on my LAN, I would have thought twice about the purchase. Maybe that is why I and a lot of other people find ourselves in the situation we are in. I would have preferred to be told that if I purchase Vista I would require routers with certain features. Instead I find that I have to trouble shoot problems and issues and waste time discovering what other probably people already know and kept to themselves(this is a nod to those who think this is all a big conspiracy.) I think it's obvious as when I walked into Best Buy with the above understanding and saw routers advertised as Vista Compatible - it all made sense. My theory is that Vista's QOS tries to improve the LAN QOS and if the router doesn't respond, Vista keeps tuning and starts to get to extremes and ultimately ends up at "Unidentified Network". Possibly resetting routers or other fixes reset the counter, but eventually the problem will come back. Instead of providing this OS feature if the router supports it, the feature is manditory and if the router doesn't support it, well you're going to have to buya new router. Well, thats my working theory for now... and if the theory is wrong, it at least resolved my problem and it seems to have resolved it for good. It also explains why some people never have the problem - they have routers which provide the services that Vista needs to work on the LAN (theory is for QOS). So please let me know if I'm totally in left field on this one. I've been wrong before, but if I'm right at least 51% of the time, I'm ahead in the game! Bry

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1216473&SiteID=17http://thevistaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=14072http://www.vistax64.com/vista-networking-sharing/52388-unidentified-network-access-local-only.html

Uhhh I think your definatly wrong Arthor XI, this not an issue where you can just say oh ummmmmm.. "Its a general problem so there is no specific fix for this". That is what you tell people who are non-computer savy to get them to go away, its not only immature its also rude. Its okay to talk tech with us MS we can handle it. Please do something about this !!!!!Seriously if you need specifics just check all the links below thousands of forum topics out there and not one solution to a very specific question. My favorite part is that this is such and intermittent issue and it is so random that everyone is like hey I found the solution i installed google earth and all of the sudden it just started working again! Next day " Oh ah i woke up this morning and its doing it again" STILL NO definitive answer to this again VERY specific problem.http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1216473&SiteID=17http://thevistaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=14072http://www.vistax64.com/vista-networking-sharing/52388-unidentified-network-access-local-only.htmlhttp://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread119023.htmlhttp://forum.soft32.com/windows/Unable-Connect-Internet-Unidentified-Network-ftopict375855.html

Hi Bry and Dru, When the issue occurs, does the network still works? If so, this issue can occur after installing certain third party application which interfere with the normal functioning of the machine. Here are some articles regarding the similar issues: Default gateway On-link problem!? http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2907026&SiteID=17 Vista 64 + Itunes 7.6 (bonjour service specifically + Reboot = No Internet? http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1346079 Important Note: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information. Please confirm if you installed certain application before this issue occurs. If so, you may temporarily uninstall it and check the result. However, if the network does not work, please try the above suggestions. Right now, most of the routers support QoS. QoS feature is also provided in Windows XP. Therefore, it may be not the root cause that the router is not supported by Windows Vista. There is another reason that some routers do not support. In Windows Vista the BROADCAST flag in DHCP discovery packets is set to 1. As we know, DHCP is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard specified in Request for Comments (RFC) 2131 for simplifying management of host Internet Protocol (IP) configuration: RFC 2131: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2131.txt DHCP in Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 is IETF standards compliant. Generally speaking, if the network devices are also compliant with RFC 2131, it should work correctly with Windows Vista, no matter whether the BROADCAST flag in DHCP discovery packets is set to 1 or 0. In some cases the Unidentified Network issue is caused by the incompatible router that does not support RFC 2131. In this situation, the following Microsoft KB928233 article may be helpful. If the issue is not resolved, we can try to upgrade the firmware of the router to troubleshoot. Also you may disable DHCP on the router manually assign IP address and Default Gateway on the Windows Vista computer. Since you have mentioned that when the system was installed the issue does not occur. I suspect that you had installed some incompatible network adapter driver updates. I suggest that you do not update the driver, including through Windows Update. Additionally, if installed system updates, the anti-virus program may not recognize the new components and block them. Therefore, when the issue occurs, disable or uninstall the anti-virus. Please also do not use any third party Registry cleaner or file cleaner. Dru, I would like to explain again that "Unidentified Network" is just a general appearance of network issues. The behavior can be caused by various issues. It is possible to release a solid fix that can resolve these issues. Troubleshoot step by steps is required. In many forums you will see that the solutions are different.

Hi Dru, What is the situation of your issue? If we need further works, feel free to let me know.

Hey Arthur, I am glad that you are helping so much on this issue. Here is my problem (expecting to resolve it with your help, plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) I bought a brand new Dell Studio laptop that has Vista Home Premium pre-installed. No internet straight away, same 'Unidentified network and local access' error. Some forums suggested that this might be due to thrid party softwares and firewalls and stuff like that, I removed everything. I also followed the DHCP Broadcast Toggele Flag related solution provided on Microsoft KB, no luck. In the end I deletedthe entire partition, re-installed Vista and still am stuck with same problem. Sorry that at this moment I cannot give my Router information, don't know which one it is. But my network adapter is the one provided by Dell, its Broadcom. And I am using a Hub/Swicth between my Router and my Laptop, just to let you know. Please try and help me out, I have almost tried everything :-( Even the Dell online support guys can't help me... Thanks in Advance, Kalpesh.

Just to add some info, my setup is such that my house has a Motorola modem that gets internet through cable internet, after that modemis a switch/hub using which we share our intenet connection. I have a desktop having Vista Ultimate and my house mate has a laptop with Windows XP, both these machines do not have any connection problem at all... Its only my new Dell Studio having Broadcom Netlink Giagabit Ethernet controller that is having internet connectivity problem. It gets local network,I can ping my other computers. I've also tried providing static IP and DNS servers, but nothing is solving this problem. As I mentioned earlier as well,I've installed a fresh vista installation,no antivirus, no firewalls!!! Pleasehelp me...

I'm in the same boat. Have a brand new fresh install and can not rid myself of this problem. Please advise further!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not sure if you are having Unidentified Network problem in short-term (slow to connect to network and internet via wireless connection) or in long-term (never get a connection). I was having problem where I would receive Unidentified network via my wireless connection and it would take upwards of a minute to actually connect. Upon investigating, it appeared the connection was being made to wireless access point, DHCP request and response were sent/received, IP address was assigned, and then the connection would remain in LOCAL access only mode. IE would be delayed waiting for this connection. I happened to click on Unidentified Network in Network & Sharing Center and I saw the local network resources being identified/populated in Windows Explorer. After this was completed, then I would have a working network/internet connection. This made me suspect NetBEUI as often used to broadcast/locate local devices... by default this is turned ON for TCP/IP v4 connections (PROPERTIES_ADVANCED_WINS tab, "NetBIOS setting: Default: Use NetBIOS setting from DHCP server. If static IP address is used or the DHCP server does not provide NetBIOS setting, enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"). I suspect NetBIOS over TCP/IP causes some issues in networks where DHCP server does not support NetBIOS setting (OEM router, ISP, etc) ... it could be related to version of NetBIOS protocol, issue with Vista (I suspect), issue with driver/buffer settings on network interface card/adapter (some of which may not be accessible by user configuration), network devices (eg packet/buffer sizes, frame types), etc. Of course if you have a Windows 2003/2008 Server, which does support, it appears to work, if configured correctly.SOLUTION...So, I selected "Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP" under Network Adapter PROPERTIES_ADVANCED_WINS settings... and I also disabled support for "Link Layer Topology Discovery Mapper I/O Driver" (used to discover/locate networkd devices) on the network adapter properties ... to see if it would speed things up.THE RESULT.... I see the "Unidentified Network" as the connection comes up but I have network connectivity in 5 seconds after enabling the wireless adapter... as compared to a minute prior to these changes. Yes, the local network devices are populated still and accessible... and the network is later identified... I just dont have to wait for it.As a side point, I also cleaned up my networks (merge/delete). I think this is part of network identification and a lot of "junk" networks are learned, especially if you travel with your laptop a lot... so deleting unnecessary/unused networks and merging helps the network identification to occur faster. To do this, I selected CUSTOMIZE the wireless adapter connection in "Network and Sharing Center" then click on link to "Merge or delete network locations" at the bottom of the window. I suspect Unidentified Network issues arise on specific adapters/drivers and/or routers, based on how they respond to Vista and its support of NetBIOS over TCP/IP, and DHCP working properly.I would be curious to know if this resolves anyones problems.... hopefully!...Grant CNW TECH

Driver for adapter is out of date on HP & Microsoft Update Pages. Finally found program that is free to use here is web site http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/ for those with local only connection on wireless. Fixed my local only problem. I would just make sure you get only digitally signed drivers they worked best for me. I have tried every thing in almost every blog and help sites assists I have read for the last month with no luck. Removed all my security & anti virus even used the special removal tools no luck till I found this free Driver Program. Give it a try and Good luck to everyone else with this same problem.