computer science

My Network Places

My Network Places is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand My Network Places rather than just read about it. In short: My Network Places (formerly Network Neighborhood) is the network browser feature in Windows Explorer. It was first introduced in Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 as Network Neighborhood, and was renamed My Network Places in Windows 2000 and later.

Key takeaways

My Network Places belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect My Network Places to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of My Network Places from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

My Network Places (formerly Network Neighborhood) is the network browser feature in Windows Explorer. It was first introduced in Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 as Network Neighborhood, and was renamed My Network Places in Windows 2000 and later. It was replaced entirely in Windows Vista with a "Network" node in Explorer.

Functionality My Network Places maintains an automatically updated history of computers which the user has accessed before, by default placed in a folder called NetHood, found in the user's user profile. The feature also allows enumerating all computers on the local network that support the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol and are open to discovery. The default location can be changed by modifying the pair of NetHood registry entries found under the registry keys HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. In a workgroup of up to 32 computers running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP (or up to 16 computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me), the list of network destinations in My Network Places is generated by one of the computers on the network, which has been designated the master browser (sometimes called browser master). The master browser is elected by several criteria, including the version of Windows installed on the computer, how long the computer has been available on the network, and the hostname of the computer, among others. Sometimes when similar systems are connected to a network, there might be a conflict between master browser with unexpected consequences, such as the disappearance of the list altogether or some system becoming unreachable. A system can be forced to decline master browser status by disabling the Browser service and rebooting. In a workgroup of between 33 and 64 computers running NT 4.0, 2000, or XP (or between 17 and 32 computers running 95, 98, or Me), the master browser assigns two computers as backup master browsers. For each additional respective group of 32 or 16 computers, an additional backup master browser is assigned. Starting with Windows Vista, My Network Places is removed in favor of an integrated "Network" node in Windows Explorer. This node can only enumerate network computers but can do so via WS-Discovery and UPnP protocols, in addition to SMB.

Security flaw In Windows XP, navigating to My Network Places can unknowingly transmit the user's local login password to other computers on the workgroup. This occurs as the Windows XP computer automatically attempts to discover and compile the list of all the shared resources available on the network. If the password for a specific resource has not been previously saved, the operating system defaults to using the current user's local login password to attempt authentication. A serious security flaw arises when an NT 4.0 computer is present on the same workgroup. In this instance, Windows XP transmits the password to the NT 4.0 computer using the outdated LAN Manager (LN) authentication protocol. As LM authentication lacks the cryptographic strength of newer Windows NT authentication methods, it is susceptible to credential theft by attackers eavesdropping on network traffic.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with My Network Places

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what My Network Places claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to My Network Places before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about My Network Places ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of My Network Places

In research: My Network Places appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses My Network Places in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: My Network Places is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Browsers, File system directories, Microsoft Windows stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for My Network Places outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study My Network Places in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what My Network Places means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain My Network Places out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is My Network Places in simple terms?

Why does My Network Places matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study My Network Places?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on My Network Places.