Unable to see created game in AoE2 in Windows 7
Well, I finally cracked it. For anyone having this issue, the problem is that Windows 7 does not support natively the IPX protocol anymore.
So to overcome this, you can download this app : http://www.solemnwarning.net/ipxwrapper/
This will automagically convert your network packets to IPX using UDP tunneling. I tested it and it works like charm! Now the game works fine and we can play through Lan with no issues and most importantly no lag at all.
So, to quickly sum up, this is what I did to make it work:
Deactivate the firewall in your Domestic network in the Windows Network setting.
Download IPx wrapper and unzip all the files in the same folder as the executable of the game. For instance, we play The Conquerors expansion so I right click on the properties of the shorcut and then on Open file location.
Thats where you should place all the files. Do this for every machine that will join the game. Once the files are copied there are two .reg files you should execute, depending if you are in either 32 or 64 bit version of Windows. Execute it before going to the next step.
Open the game in one machine and create a game using IPX protocol. NOT using TCP/IP.
Other users are now able to see the game even if they are in Windows 7.
Enjoy an awesome game.