I (temporarily) decline your very kind offer of more Kopfschmerz on M Browsers, danke. I really would like to sort this fixed ip. Uninstalling and reinstalling the wifi adapter does not help (and, incidentally, appears to return with IP6 enabled??)
Ethernet and wifi adapters checked, and IP is allocated to the wifi adapter.
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Everything totally unreliable still. I have allocated network locations which seem to be working ok.
Has ANYONE found a way to get reliable home networking with W10?
Yes. Here's part of what I wrote in Post # 22.
My current LAN consists of a main Windows 10 1909 desktop with only SMBv1 Client enabled, a Windows 10 1909 laptop with SMBv1 disabled, a Windows 7 laptop, a Windows XP desktop that runs 24/7, and a few odds and ends XP laptops that are connected to the LAN as needed.
The LAN is stable due, in part, to the fact that the XP desktop runs 24/7 and is always designated as the Master Browser for the SMBv1 machines.
From time to time, I have to shut down the XP desktop for maintenance and the LAN acts funny for a while while the remaining machines renegotiate a replacement Master Browser.
Here's a little more info.
My main Windows 10 PC has only SMBv1 Client enabled. My Windows 10 laptop has neither SMBv1 Client nor SMBv1 Server enabled. My Windows 7 laptop has both function discovery and SMBv1 Client/Server enabled by default. All XP machines are SMBv1 only.
The main PC (SMBv1 Client) can discover and connect to all other machines on the LAN.
The Windows 10 laptop (no SMbv1) can only discover and connect to the other windows 10 machine and the windows 7 laptop.
The Windows 7 laptop can discover and connect to all other machines on the LAN.
The Windows XP machines cannot discover or connect to either of the two Windows 10 machines. The XP machines can discover and connect to each other and to the Windows 7 laptop
Everything is working as it should and the LAN will remain in this stable condition until the 24/7 XP machine is taken off line.
To re-stabilize the LAN, I have to shut down all computers and then restart the 24/7 XP machine. After that, I can restart the other machines in any order. The 24/7 XP machine recovers its Master Browser status and everything is fine again.
Windows 10 networking is designed to operate without SMBv1. When SBv1 is enabled on any given Windows 10 machine, that machine then runs two separate (incompatible) networking modes simultaneously. Most times, I'm amazed that Windows 10 networking works at all under these conditions.
JackHughs
Thanks for the amplification, Jack. It has got a bit confusing as you said I needed SMB but now I should not have it! You also described a significantly different network with XP & & machines.
You have posted
"Windows 10 networking is designed to operate without SMBv1. When SBv1 is enabled on any given Windows 10 machine, that machine then runs two separate (incompatible) networking modes simultaneously."
This is causing me to wonder - are you now saying I should remove SMB from all machines?
No.
Windows 10 retains SMBv1 capability because so many older network-connected devices require SMBv1. That's why I have SMBv1 Client enabled on my main Windows 10 machine. I need it to access the Windows XP computers. I do not have SMBv1 Server enabled because I do not want the XP machines to access the main Windows 10 machine.
JackHughs
Forgive the confusion! If all my machines are W10 and all have SMB client enabled -
a) Is that right?
b) Am I generating 6 networks?
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