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I have a laptop that I use on several different networks, some of which use DHCP and others which require a static IP address. On Windows XP I was accustomed to being able to simply set up as many LANs as I wanted, and just enable/disable them as and when needed. I can't seem to find the option to do this on Windows 7, and have had no luck with searching Google or Super User. If I go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Set up a new connection or network > Set Up a Network, I get the following message:

Choose the wireless router or access point you want to configure
It might take up to 90 seconds for unconfigured devices on your network to appear.

However, nothing appears, and I never had to wait for it to detect devices on Windows XP.

If instead, I go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings, there is no option to add a new network, unlike Windows XP which had this option in the equivalent screen.

How then, can I add new networks? I am aware of the "Alternate Configuration" option within the IPv4 settings, but this is not a solution for me as I need more than two configurations.

EDIT: An example of what I would like to do:

Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings

Inside there I might have 5 different configurations for a single NIC, named "work", "home", "college", "friend's house", etc. Each would have their own unique settings e.g. "college" might be configured to use DHCP, "work" configured to use a static IP address, and "home" configured to use a different static IP address. Depending on where I am, I can then just enable the connection I need, so that I don't have to transport/update the settings every time I switch.

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Do you mean VPNs? I don't recall XP allowing you to add more LANs than network cards were available. – MDMoore313 Feb 5 at 18:43
I will try it on an old XP machine when I'm at work tomorrow and confirm. – Jon Bentley Feb 5 at 19:04

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

One trick is to press alt on the change adapter settings page. This gives you the menu options to do more things like create an incoming connection (used to configure your own VPN for example). You are limited by how many hardware devices you actually have that can be used as connections. ie, most motherboards have 1 or 2 Ethernet ports max.

Check here: http://superuser.com/a/270421/160458

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I edited my question with an example, at the end. I've already tried alt but there is nothing useful there for what I need. – Jon Bentley Feb 5 at 19:22
Ah, so it sounds like you want adapter profiles... Have you looked around IPv4 properties (first right click on adapter and click properties) namely in advanced and in using the alternative configuration? Also, if you click configure on the adapter properties screen, your device might be capable of more there. For instance, i can create VLANS through an intel software capability. – Enigma Feb 5 at 19:24
Check my edit. Sounds like the third part approach would probably be best if you want more than 1 alternative profile. – Enigma Feb 5 at 19:30
Thanks, I downloaded one of the suggested programs on that link (NetSetMan) and it does exactly what I need. – Jon Bentley Mar 19 at 23:08

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