Is it possible to change an "Unidentified Network" into a "Home" or "Work" network on Windows 7

Posted by Rhys on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by Rhys
Published on 2009-05-18T11:55:44Z Indexed on 2010/05/07 6:38 UTC
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I have a problem with Windows 7 RC (7100).

I frequently use a crossover network cable on WinXP with static IP addresses to connect to various industrial devices (e.g. robots, pumps, valves or even other Windows PCs) that have Ethernet network ports.

When I do this on Windows 7, the network connection is classed as an "Unidentified Network" in Networks and Sharing Center and the public firewall profile is enforced by Windows. I do not want to change the public profile and would prefer to use the Home or Work profile instead.

For other networks like Home and Work I'm able to click on them and change the classification. This is not available for unidentified networks.

My questions are these:-

  1. Is there a way to manual override the "Unidentified Network" classification?
  2. What tests are performed on the network that fail, therefore classifying it as an "Unidentified Network"

By googling (hitting mainly vista issues) it seems that you need to ensure that the default gateway is not 0.0.0.0. I've done this. I've also tried to remove IPv6 but this does not seem possible on Windows 7.

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