Greetings from the fourth blizzard to hit North Central Iowa this winter. So much for the 'Global Warming' Liars of the Queer Medias.
I just came back from driving around in the blizzard, which has only dropped two inches of snow so far, but another three inches is expected; and I must say that this Utility Vehicle of mine loves snow and ice! I have a Polaris 900 XP (side by side) and this thing takes to snow trails like a bloodhound to the scent.
[[_I always use 'Rock-A-Billy' tires from Sedona, by the way.]]
I spent three hours outside today in Eagle Grove and nearby Goldfield and there was no problem with the Polaris handling it at all, despite high winds and everything is covered by ice. This evening the weather station is calling for more snow and ice, and 'White Ice' and 'White Outs', but we are quite used to this by now.
Meanwhile, I thought it would be a good time to put out some Good News about how to use Windows 11 Pro machines on any Ethernet network. Prior to this, there seemed to be no way to get this to work. Constantly, the Windows 11 Pro program would not allow users to reach out on Ethernet and connect to any computer. No one had a clue. No one on the internet could find the answer. This remained that way since Windows 11 Pro came out.
Then, one website put out the right answer, and it was quite unlike all others. Everyone else was trying to guess why this was happening and trying to solve the problem with certificates and licenses and etc. Then, one site had the answer and it was simple -- disable all of the Micro-Soft-In-The-Head Queershit. Disable all restrictions, wipe them out.
and ...
IT WORKS!!!!
Which is to say -- it can work.
And, before this the entire situation was a chaos and a mishmash of misinformation and bad guesses, with no help from Micro-Soft-In-The-Head.
I refer, of course, to the dilemma that occurred in businesses and households around the world since Windows 11 Pro (24H2) was injected into almost every new computer that is sold in retail stores and online.
I refer to the dilemma of -- 'It Won't Work On The Ethernet!!!!'
Accompanied by the woeful tunes of a sea of angst and anxiety from the masses who bought new computers with Windows 11 Pro in them.
Of which I was one, bobbing along in the tides with the rest of them, feeling disgust and frustration because no Windows 11 Pro (24H2) computer will work on the Ethernet.
Except ... they will.
Yes, there is a way. And no extra hardware or software is necessary.
So ... here is a complete description of the 'HOW' to make it work again. I will not get into the abyssal ALIENATION and STUPIDITY that this reveals about the imbeciles that work at Micro-Soft-In-The-Head.
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WARNING: THIS ANSWER IS FOR HOME USE ONLY. OR -- IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYBODY TRUSTS EVERYBODY ELSE, AND THERE ARE NO MALICIOUS AGENTS PRESENT.
In other words, a totally safe and harmonious computing environment.
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[[As far as I can tell these modifications only have to be done to the Windows 11 Pro machines, so leave the rest of the network as it is.]]
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Start with the basics.
Make sure your Firewall is turned off in Windows Defender. In an harmonious computing environment you will not need it at all.
All computers have to be set for the same Workgroup. This is usually called 'WORKGROUP'. All computers are recognized by their Computer name -- for example 'anyother'. You can change the workgroup and computer name from the 'System' tab in your control panel.
Ethernet computers access each other with the \\ command. For instance, \\anyother seeks out and finds the computer named 'anyother' on the Ethernet.
If you are using an Ethernet Hub that could cause problems as hubs are dumb. Get yourself an expensive Ethernet Switch. Switches are smart. Switches have motherboards inside. The motherboards are loaded with permanent programs that handle all sorts of Ethernet traffic between different kinds and generations of computers. If your Ethernet network is important to you, spend as much money as you can afford and get a 'business class' Smart Switch. I have one, and it is so smart I have never had to change any control from default. And, it has 28 pages of controls inside for me to change things with. Never had to.
Be sure all of your wires are at least 'Category 6' or above and in good shape.
Sometimes the Ethernet device in your computer will fritz out, but USB Ethernet adapters come with their own programs and side-step that problem. Again, buy expensive adapters.
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TO BEGIN >>>>
Go to your control panel and select 'Programs and Features'.
If you do not have the control panel tab on your desktop (and it should always be on your desktop) then type 'Control' into your search bar. A new window will pop up with a Control Panel tab for you to hit.
[[Hint Hint -- the Control Panel is easiest to use if it shows icons, so once inside the control panel select 'View by' in the upper right corner and set that for 'Large icons']]
In the 'Programs and Features' window you will see a list of the major programs which you use inside of your computer. Not all of them, but the most prominent ones. These are of NO interest to us at all. What we want is that place on the left-hand side which says 'Turn Windows features on or off'. Hit that and wait.
A new window will pop up, and after a time it will be populated with a list of the Windows features that you can turn on or off. Scroll down until you see a folder named 'SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support'. If it is not already checked, check it and hit OK.
Now back out of the control panel and go back to the desktop. Into the search bar type 'Ethernet'. A new window will pop up and inside it there should be a large tab that says 'Ethernet Settings'. Hit that tab and wait.
A new window will pop up which says something like 'Network & Internet > Ethernet'. Here, there are different controls, all of which I keep at Automatic -- except for one control called 'Authentication settings'.
You should see a bar with that name and to the right is an 'Edit' tab. Hit the edit tab. Now you will get a pop up window which says 'Ethernet authentication settings'. It will also have a control for 'Enable IEEE 802.1X authentication'.
Here is where the rubber meets the road.
This technique assumes that YOU have total control of YOUR computing environment and there are NO Bad Guys around. Boogie Men. Insectoids. Tiny-skulled and malicious Forrid Assholes etc.
You have complete security of your computing environment -- therefore you do NOT need any Authentication Controls.
“We Don't Need No Stinking Authentication Badges!”
So, make sure the 'Enable IEEE 802.1X authentication' control is OFF. Save your way out of this and back out of everything until you are back at your desktop.
Restart the computer. This is just the first time you will restart the computer. We are going to disable ALL restrictions on the Ethernet, so we will be restarting and restarting.
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Universally speaking, there is a network configuration in your computer which is universal to your communications with networks. It has to be set up to want to communicate with the outside world.
We must make sure that this is set properly.
Go back into your control panel. Hit the tab labeled 'Network and Sharing Center'.
Inside that, at the upper left of the screen, you will see 'Change advanced sharing settings'. Hit that.
Another window will pop up, in which you will find three major categories of controls -- Private, Public, and All Networks.
TURN EVERYTHING ON IN EACH CATEGORY EXCEPT ONE THING.
In the 'All Networks' category turn 'Password protected sharing' OFF.
You can keep 'File sharing connections' at '128-bit encryption'.
Back out of the control panel, back to your desktop.
Restart the computer.
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Now for the deeper works.
Windows Pro 11 (24H2) has a new feature of controls that should be in a Business Edition instead of a Public Edition. It is called the 'Group Policy Editor'.
[[Repeat -- as far as I can tell these modifications only have to be done to the Windows 11 Pro machines, so leave the rest of the network as it is.]]
To open the Group Policy Editor is easy. On your keyboard hit the keys 'Windows' (lower left) and 'R' at the same time. The Run dialog box will appear. Into this type 'gpedit.msc'. Hit OK and wait.
A new window will appear that is titled 'Local Group Policy Editor'. This is where the worst restrictions live.
Go slow. Do it slow. Be sure of what you are doing. Do NOT rush.
You will see two columns of choices. On the left, you will see 'Local Computer Policy' and under that will be 'Computer Configuration' and 'User Configuration'. If you hit one of them, more choices will appear below each. With each choice will appear possible controls in the right column.
Hit Computer Configuration, and inside the choices that appear in the right column you will see 'Administrative Templates'. DOUBLE-CLICK on Administrative Templates and in the right column new choices will appear, one of which says 'Network'.
DOUBLE-CLICK on Network and a new list will appear, one of which says 'Lanman Workstation'. Short for LAN Manager Workstation.
DOUBLE-CLICK on Lanman Workstation and you will get a long list in the right column, at least 19 settings. We will now change the setting called 'Enable insecure guest logons'.
Scroll down to 'Enable insecure guest logons' and DOUBLE-CLICK on it. Bang, a new window will appear entitled 'Enable insecure guest logons' at the top. Of the controls inside, it will probably be set to 'Not configured'. Select 'Enabled' instead, then hit Apply and then OK.
Go slow. Do it slow. Be sure of what you are doing. Do NOT rush.
Back out of the editor, back to the desktop.
Restart the computer.
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Now, 'Once More Into The Breach Dear Friends!'.
Hit 'Windows' and 'R' at the same time, again.
The Run window will appear. It probably still has 'gpedit.msc' in the open bar. Make sure 'gpedit.msc' is in the open bar and hit OK.
This takes us back to the Local Group Policy Editor.
This time follow a different pathway ... Computer Configuration ... Windows Settings ... Security Settings ... Local Policies ... Security Options.
Inside of Security Options is a longer list than any before. Two of these say ...
'Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (always)'
and
'Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (if server agrees)'
DOUBLE-CLICK on each one to see its internal control window.
Disable both. Hit Apply and OK each time.
Back out of the editor, back to the desktop.
Restart the computer.
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With all of my Windows 11 Pro machines this works like a charm, but there is still another problem because of Micro-Soft-In-The-Head. The Network explorer in Windows SUCKS!!!!
I never use it. Not ever.
Instead I make my own ports of access. This is easy to do.
1. Choose any shortcut icon on your desktop. Any. Copy it and paste it back onto the desktop. It will say 'copy'.
2. Right click on the icon. From the pop up window that appears choose 'Properties'. Another pop up window will appear called 'Explore Properties' or 'Shortcut Properties'.
3. In the 'Shortcut' tab, at the 'Target' bar, type in the Ethernet Address for any other computer. Example ... \\anyother
4. Hit apply.
5. Now change the icon. At the bottom of the Shortcut tab you will see 'Change Icon'. Follow that and choose a new icon. Then hit OK and Apply and OK. Back out to the desktop.
6. Change the Shortcut label on the desktop to something appropriate.
Now you have created a Network Shortcut (through Ethernet) to another computer called 'anyother'. IF that computer has that computer name 'anyother' then the \\ command will send you to it along the Ethernet.
Double-Click on your new desktop shortcut and suddenly the Public folder of that computer (anyother) will appear in a new window, along with the icons of external hard drives attached to that computer. Those external hard drives have to be set (in sharing) for 'Everybody' and 'Total Control', but that is another story.
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As simple as this sounds, this was all impossible before.
If you can access the 'anyother' computer on the Ethernet, you can access all others if the names match. Also, all NAS machines on your Ethernet will be available, but most of them also require installing their own communications programs, which they come with.
When this succeeds you will be limited only by the amount of sharing drives you have connected to network computers ...
and one more thing.
Until the advent of USB 3.2 it was impossible to access any drive that was connected to any computer on the Ethernet, except by its own computer.
For example >>>
Ethernet computer 'Charlie Brown' wants to send a message to a hard drive (or flash drive) connected to Ethernet computer 'Little Red-Haired Girl'. Charlie Brown wants to send the message (love letter) to drive 'L' at Little Red-Haired Girl. This is via the Ethernet, and both computers are connected. IF -- the 'L' drive is NOT made for USB 3.2 or higher, Charlie Brown can see the 'L' drive from his computer, but he cannot access it and send his love letter.
Before USB 3.2, it would only work if the drive was an SD or MicroSD card, which do not have those restrictions.
So, when you have all of your Ethernet computers happily talking to each other and you want to access any external drive from any other computer -- make sure the external drives are all USB 3.2 or higher.
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Summary:
Once again the retarded law of economics has raised its ugly head and spit upon our Species in the name of cheapness and the endless fever in business which dictates that the only businesses that can (and should) survive are those which always bring in an increased profit each and every year ... compared to last year.
This law is fully embraced and loved by the swarm of grubby little greedy insectoids called 'investors' ... which are the games players that economics uses to grease the wheels of its Alien Progress with.
If not for that operational disease (fueled by naked greed) Windows 11 Pro would not have been mangled and disoriented and alienated from the needs of the Human Species, with the excuse that doing so provides increased security. Now, the only way to get it to work is to deactivate all of their idiotic restrictions. Fortunately, that is all which is required.
What should have been done, but would have cost more money and might not have satisfied the worst law of economics, was to create an entirely separate Windows 11 BE ... Business Edition ... and put those restrictions only in the BE version. That would mean Micro-Soft-In-The-Head would have to create a new division within its corpse, that is totally dedicated to the needs of small and medium businesses -- in which all of those restrictions are relevant -- and it would be accompanied by profuse amounts of tutorials about those restrictions and what they mean and how to use them and how to not use them.
Instead, they just slapped it all into Windows 11 Pro and expected all businesses to use that edition; with the maximum load of restrictions inside. Despite the FACT that 80% of the users of Windows 11 Pro are NOT businesses. This is true because, every time you buy any new computer these days it is loaded with Windows 11 Pro.
I have never seen a new computer online or in a retail store that has the Windows 11 Home edition. I am not even sure there is one. Instead, the INFAMOUS '24H2' edition of Windows 11 Pro is forced upon everyone, loaded with restrictions that can only pertain to the 20% of buyers that are businesses. AND! Even today there are NO explanations given to the buying public about any of this. That is hugely obvious from the chaos about this issue which is rampant upon the internet. 99% of those people who complained about it, and 99% of those people who thought they had the answers (which never worked) could not fathom what was really wrong and what is really the answer.
I will NOT say which website had THE ANSWER, because that might cause the Proudless Prideless Pervert Pretenders and Exploiters(-) to attack that site and its owners with hoards of tiny-skulled insectoids sucking on Stinking Forrid Badges. PPPPE(-)
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Tell me, if they cannot handle a simple platform like Windows properly, how is Micro-Soft-In-The-Head going to handle (and control) their new Scam Intelligence machines (AI) and the killer robots that are controlled by it?
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Added Value:
Keeping with the Spirit of Winter, which we cannot avoid, I have put together a Chill Audio for your listening enjoyment -- or chilling. This is a combination of three renditions of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 called 'Winter Dreams'. The orchestras are in this sequence ... Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iN9umvLS3MxEl5WrFE5pAQRUFHkrfavL/view?usp=sharing
Tchaikovsky--Sym 1--G minor Op13--Winter Dreams--3 Orchestras--FINAL--03-2026--Slower--Softer--more Bass--01
This rendition is slightly slower with pitch adjustment, and not so loud and has slightly more bass to make a better chill effect. It is in MP3 format at 307 MB.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BlS-spfU8FmCFW9niBih9OfqVcDZbRXc/view?usp=sharing
Tchaikovsky--Sym 1--G minor Op13--Winter Dreams--3 Orchestras--FINAL--03-2026
This is the original WAV version. The download is 2.06 GB and I will not reduce it because I do not want the quality to be lost. As always, everything I post is virus checked for you.
I listen to the music podcasts that I send to you, in the House That Justice Wrought, as Chill Music of course.
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Speaking of chills -- in these fluctuating weather conditions you must guard against any physical chills to your body and avoid sudden temperature changes. Ease into new temperatures, from cold to warm or from warm to cold. Try to maintain a steady body temperature using layers of clothing. This will avoid Spring Colds.
I just saw several children in my neighborhood running around in this icy weather (15F) dressed in single layers with no gloves, and falling on the ice. They run fast and they think that will keep them from harm. It will not. One bad fall and they will freeze and lose toes and fingers. No kidding, a seven-year-old just ran past my house with pajamas on.
Twenty minutes -- I just saw another one, (14F), thin single layer with a hood, wearing shorts and running on ice.
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Happy Listening and Computing!
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https://voices-of-iowa.blogspot.com/
