Target Computer Offline requires Manual Disable/Enable of File & Printer Sharing
I have a bunch of Dell Latitude 7275 and 7285 2-in-1 notebooks in our office all running Windows 10.
A very select few, always fail deployments (Target Computer Offline) until I manually go into the Ethernet adapter settings and Turn off File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks and then turn it back on. Most of the others have no issues during deployment.
All my notebooks are using the same Dell WD15 docks with the same drivers/ firmware. There is nothing specifically unique about the ones that fail. I've swapped docks with those that have succeeded and made no difference to either machine. The ones that fail, still fail. The ones that succeed, still succeed.
If I disconnect said computers from the docks, they switch to wireless and the deploy succeeds. I've looked at NIC properties and found nothing different between the failing machines and their succeeding brethren.
Clearly its something in the Ethernet configuration, but I have no idea what that something is.
I'm hoping someone with better chops than me has experienced this and has been able to solve it.
Thanks,.
Comments
I am having this same problem with Dell 5570,80,and 90's on D6000 and WD15 docking stations. We have about 700 pc's, and around 50 of them are having this issue. This is one of our biggest hurdles of the program, before we commit. It seems that I am able to fix it temporarily by going into the properties of the Ethernet adapter, uninstalling the "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" services, and then reinstalling it. The downside is that the next time the user reboots, it breaks again. We've created a GPO scheduled task for the effected users that runs every day. But this doesn't seem to work 100% of the time, and I have to wait until the task runs before I can deploy to their PC.
I'm not sure if this is a Dell Hardware issue or a Windows issue, because the more permanent fix seems to be upgrading to Windows 1803. Any insight from the pros would be appreciated!
I initially thought it was a Dell Latitude-only problem, but I've run into this on my Surface Book 2 as well. My vote is that it is a Windows issue. My machines are currently on 1803 and have just started moving to 1809, but this problem has been prevalent since at least two previous builds-ago. Worse on 1803 - as in more machines exhibited this problem, whereas it as only a couple on 1709 and previous. So far problem machines that moved to 1809 are not experiencing this issue.
I'll update again after the migration of my other offenders. Fingers crossed.
NealKal - I would be be very interested to learn about the GPO you are running to get those computers to play ball. Can you share?
[Solved] I am happy to report that Win 10 build 1809 appears to have fixed this long-running and seriously frustrating issue. Every single computer that was a problem on 1803 and prior, now receives deployments and has an up to date inventory without any additional intervention on my part.
I would very much like to know what changed between the builds, should it crop up again in a future update. For now, I'm glad it's working as expected.
IngoW - Thank you for sharing. That is good to know. We are planning on testing the 1809 roll out this summer, so if this is the permanent fix, that will be great!
I did want to share a temporary fix that has gotten us by for now. You're right, it's a Windows issue, but it's also a Dell docking station issue. There appears to be a communication problem with the netbios between the dock and the Windows PC. I have no clue what I'm talking about beyond that, so that's all I'll say.
I had all effected users run this fix siliently. https://github.com/filippobottega/ShareFix/blob/master/README.md They must be docked to their main docking station when they run it.
It rebuilds the binding of the network adapter interface. Basically it fixes the communication between the Windows pc and the Dock Nic adapter. The only issue with this is when they use a different dock, it breaks the communication again. Luckily, it reconnects when they go back to their home dock. Maybe someone who knows what they are talking about can explain this better.
We have 700 users and this issue was effecting around 100 of them, so it was substantial. I'll look forward to the 1809 update as well.