How to remove a non-existent computer from "My Networking Places"

How do you remove computer shortcuts from My Network Places when the computer
is no longer part of the domain. Is there a way to immediately remove the
computer, or do I have to wait for windows to remove it?

If there is no way to remove the computer myself and I have to wait for
windows to remove it, then how long before windows removes the non-existent
computer? Is there a way to decrease the time it takes windows to remove the
computer? I understand this might involve editing the registry, because
maybe a registry key controls how long before a computer is removed.

I read this Microsoft KB article about the net crawler:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;256248, and it says
that shares and printers are removed after 7 days, but it does not say
anything about computers or work group shorts cuts in My Network Places.

Any insight into this?

-Mark

 

You just have to wait. But make sure there are any entries left behind in
the WINS Server of DNS Server.

--
Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com
-----------------------------------------------------
Understanding the ISA 2004 Access Rule Processing
http://www.isaserver.org/articles/ISA2004_AccessRules.html

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server: Guidance
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/techinfo/Guidance/2004.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/techinfo/Guidance/2000.asp

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server: Partners
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/partners/default.asp

Deployment Guidelines for ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/deploy/dgisaserver.mspx

 

Do you know how long it takes? If I do a complete renaming scheme it is
going to be messy until they drop off. I centainly don't want them lingering
around for months. I have been reading a lot about this, but it seems like
there is no definitive answer, mostly just "wait until they are gone" kind of
thing.

What tool do you use to check the entries of the WINS server, the BrowStat?

-Mark

 

Hi Mark,

My Network Places uses the browse list which in theory should only take
1 full browse cyclewhich is about 51 minutes.

A good tool is nblookup.exe:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/830578/en-us

 

Yes, I read about the how it is supposed to take 51 minutes because of the 3,
12 minute periods, and 1, 15 minute period. I just wish it worked like it
supposed to. Because I have seen old computers on there for longer than a
month. Is there a way to actually look at and edit the browser list, that
resides on the Master Browser?

Thanks you for your and Philip's answers,
-Mark

 

No there is no way to do that, nor anyway to even "see" it that I know of.

But if you have leftover entries for those machines in the WINS Server
database then they will never go away,...don't "tombstone" them, just delete
them outright, on every WINS Server (if more than one). Check the DNS
Server(s) too.

--
Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com
-----------------------------------------------------
Understanding the ISA 2004 Access Rule Processing
http://www.isaserver.org/articles/ISA2004_AccessRules.html

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server: Guidance
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/techinfo/Guidance/2004.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/techinfo/Guidance/2000.asp

Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server: Partners
http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/partners/default.asp

Deployment Guidelines for ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/deploy/dgisaserver.mspx
-----------------------------------------------------

 

Not see it? Net view doesn't show you the list?

 

Actually you are seeing the list. You could also log on to
your master browser and run net view to see the list. But
you cannot edit the list. All workgroup / domain names will
show up in browse list if they are present in WINS.

 

I asked this mainly to make sure that the old computers would go away and was
wondering if there was a backup plan in case they "hung around". What I am
doing is renaming a lot of computers in the domain to make them more logical
and I was worried about the old names not disappearing. I tested changing a
few names and they seemed to have disappeared after a few hours and a reboot
of the server, so I am more confident now that I will have no issues.

Thanks for all your help with this, I am very confident now the name
changing process will go smoothly.

I have a question just out of curiosity though, so does the master browser
create the browse list from the WINS server entries or does the Master
Browser creates its own? Also, what if the domain doesn't have a WINS
server, is the browse list created from the DNS entries? I am guessing
neither of those assumptions are correct because you can have a browser list
on a workgroup without either a WINS server or DNS server. I just want to
make sure I fully understand this browser list stuff.

-Mark

P.S. - I have read all about the Browser Service, but I am just trying to
get my head around how it is related to WINS, DNS, Netbios...ect.

 

No the browser service doesn't use DNS. It is an NT legacy application
and it uses Netbios names, not DNS.

On a single "wire" or LAN segment, the browse list is built by the
segment master browser using LAN broadcasts. WINS only really gets involved
in a routed network.

In a routed network, browsing just doesn't work without WINS. There is a
browse list for each segment and that's it. WINS allows the browser service
to work across routers, because the browse masters can communicate directly
rather than broadcasting (using WINS to resolve the names to IP addresses).
The domain master browser has the job of contacting the segment master
browsers and building a network-wide browse list.

The "old" entries in WINS which show up in browse lists are usually
domain or workgroup names with the Netbios special character set to things
like 1b, 1d or 1e . In other works they are browse master entries rather
than workstation names.

 

Hi Bill,

Very good point. The DMB will query WINS for all domain name 1b
unique names and automatically add those domains (or workgroups) to the
browse list.

 

Thanks guys for all the good info!!

-Mark

 

Ok, I forgot about that.

I was thinking in terms of a file or something you could open in "notepad"
and look at.

 

Therefore the need to manually cleanup the WINS database in some cases. That
was my original point (hmm..I think).

 

Yep!.

 

Yeah I was just thinking back and if my memory serves me correctly, it was
always the domain/workgroup entries that lingered forever and not really the
computer names. That makes perfect sense now and I am serve if you have
deleted them from both the WINS server and DNS server, they would be gone
shortly there after.

Finally got it and it makes perfect sense.

-Mark

 

I could add a bit more like: the DMB also queries the 1b names in the list
in order to obtain that domain / workgroups browse list. The SMB which,
by default is the DMB on it's segment, will collect the local list and pass
back
to the DMB as well as pull the merged list back from the DMB and pass to
clients who request the list. All MS machines will send a host name
to announce it's presence during the boot process at increasing intervals
finally
leveling out at every 12 minutes.. There are other NetBIOS names in the list
which SMBs use to contact each other as well as identify the SMBs. Okay
I'll
stop now..