The Network Discovery and File Sharing dialog box may be unexpectedly minimized to the taskbar in Windows Vista

In some scenarios, the Network Discovery and File Sharing dialog box may be unexpectedly minimized to the taskbar in Windows Vista. The Network Discovery and File Sharing dialog box may contain prompts that affect how files and folders are shared on the computer.

For example, the Network Discovery and File Sharing dialog box may be waiting for an answer to a prompt. However, you may not notice the prompt immediately because it is minimized. Therefore, you may unnecessarily wait for the prompt because the dialog box is minimized. In some scenarios, a sharing progress bar may appear on the screen. However, the progress bar never finishes.

This problem may occur if one of the following conditions is true:

• While the computer is connected to a network, you turned off Network Discovery and File Sharing.
• You tried to share a file or a folder.

To work around this problem, open the Network Discovery and File Sharing dialog box on the taskbar to answer any prompts. Or, turn on Network discovery and File sharing before you share a folder. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , type Network and Sharing Center in the Start Search box, and then click Network and Sharing Center in the Programs list.
2. If Network discovery is off, click the arrow button to expand the section, click Turn on network discovery, and then click Apply.
   
   
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   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
3. If File sharing is off, click the arrow button to expand the section, click Turn on file sharing, and then click Apply.
   
   
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   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.