<Refresh>.<lnk> file in Network Neighborhood. What is it, why is it for?

[beb]

I don't use Network Neighborhood frequently enough and cannot remember if I have ever seen <Refresh>.<lnk> there at all.
At the same time, this is barely documented, and I cannot find anything (including help) to satisfy my curiosity.
The best topic I can see here on the board so far is:

10.07.16 Fixed: Network Neighborhood: Do not show "Refresh.lnk" entry on Windows XP or older (32/64)

Fix confirmed. Thanks!

I have <Refresh>.<lnk> in my network neighborhood under Windows 7; it doesn't disappear in any case.
Is this intentional or a regression?

Yes, it's intentional, it forces a reload.

However, reading this I'm getting more questions than had before.

Please, explain like I'm five.
What is it, why is it for?
Why it is intended to be always there and to enforce something to reload?
Is there a way to hide it from my sight (because it's just, ehm, ugly)?

[Dalai]

What is it, why is it for?
Why it is intended to be always there and to enforce something to reload?

Ghisler explained it in the quote you posted. It reloads the Network Neighborhood. But as I've written in the bug report you quoted from, it's not really necessary to refresh it this way.

Is there a way to hide it from my sight (because it's just, ehm, ugly)?

Set

Code: Select all

[Configuration]
NetHoodStyle=2

in wincmd.ini. Note that all networked systems are then shown in a subfolder instead of directly in NetHood.

[beb]

Code: Select all

[Configuration]
NetHoodStyle=2

I was keeping it as NetHoodStyle=0
Unfortunately, NetHoodStyle=2 enables the "Network (WORKGROUP)\" entry which I have no use of.
I would like to have the option to see neither "Network (WORKGROUP)\" nor "<Refresh>.<lnk>".
For my use case, the file system plugins list is only thing I need there.
Ok, then. At least I got informed a bit more on this.
2Dalai
Thank you very much.