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In Win7 when you connect to a new network you're prompted to set it as a Home, Work, or Public connection. Presumably this influences default security settings.
That's all well and good, except for the part that everytime I USB tether my smartphone Win7 comes up with a new dialogue. I think I'm up to generic connection 25 or something? It's getting ridiculous.
Is there anyway to get Win7 to remember the phone tether as ONE connection only?
Open Network and Sharing center, click on the icon of the active tethered network under "View your active networks", click on merge or delete network locations to delete networks not in use.
You can try this if you don't mind the network icon not showing that you're connected.
regedit.exe).HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.0001 to 0019. Look in each subkey in descending order (start from 0019) for the one with DriverDesc value having your smartphone's RNDIS driver name (same name shown in your Network Connections view as the "Connect using" value).You will no longer get a prompt asking for network location whenever you connect your smartphone, but you will still get the prompt when connecting other devices.
Important Note: When you are only connected to your smartphone, your computer's network icon will continue to show that you are not connected to any network. However, the internet will still work fine.
Source: Windows 7 starts a new network every...: Apple Support Communities
Open Network & Sharing Center
Change adapter settings
Right click (on your tethered "Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device", in my case its "LAN-Huawei-USB")
Status
Details
Copy the IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway & DNS Servers (in my case it's- ipv4: 192.168.42.11, subnet: 255.255.255.0, gateway: 192.168.42.129, dns servers: 208.67.222.222 & 8.8.8.8)
again Right click (on your tethered "Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device", in my case its "LAN-Huawei-USB")
Properties
Highlight "Internet protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
Properties
Use the following IP address:
enter what you copied earlier from STATUS here
OK
close all windows
Now your computer will stop creating Networks, mine has stopped at "Network 14"
Here's how one bridges 2 internet connections in Windows 7
A network bridge is software or hardware that connects two or more networks so that they can communicate. You can create only one network bridge on a computer, but one bridge can handle any number of network connections.
Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type adapter, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View Network Connections.
Hold down the Ctrl key and select each internet network connection that you want to add to the bridge.
Hold down ALT to reveal Advanced Menu and click Bridge Connections. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
You should now have a new network type named "Network Bridge" created.
Now Bridge the internet connection from your android phone with your alternate connection you usually use as described above.
Leave this internet bridge on your system.
Assuming one would use USB tether internet where home connection is unavailable, when you now connect your phone, instead of showing it as a NEW CONNECTION EACH TIME, Windows will directly recognize it from the internet bridge. This will stay so even after you restart your system and you are saved from registry tweaks.
