Home network - can't get all PCs to see each other

Barman58 · 14 Feb 2020

Just a drive by suggestion, often these days we do not rely on the free security supplied with windows although the One supplied with Windows 10 is very capable.

Do you have any third party security suite on any of the systems, these would normally contain a firewall, that, unlike the windows firewall may be set to block the ports used for windows networking.

If you are using 3rd party security confirm that the network ports are open or use the user guide and open them .

The full list of ports is available here List of TCP and UDP port numbers - Wikipedia but it's better to check the manual for any firewall software as they will have more specific lists and maybe a one click open button

Sigurd · 15 Feb 2020

Will check that. I do have a 3rd party security program (Kaspersky Total Security). Thanks.

thomaseg1 · 15 Feb 2020

on each computer try this

open services
scroll down to these two and set for automatic and start or restart them .

worked for me

Attachment 267084

PiKo · 16 Feb 2020

I remember that some years ago I tried to connect my PC A to a share on PC B. I used on A and B only the administrator account. Trying to open the share, it was asked for credentials. Credentials for an administrator account? I set up on B a user account with user name and password. These credentials did the trick and A had immediate access to the shares on B. I had to fill in user name and password only once and thereafter I could forget these and also that on B still some user account is present.
Possible lesson might be that for smb versions higher that 1 authentication plays a role.

Barman58 · 16 Feb 2020

The basic "trick" with windows networking is to create identical accounts on each system with local rights to the data you want to share on that system.

You will be asked for credentials on the first access attempt but have the option for windows to remember these credentials in the future.

This system is a cut down form of that used on "real" server - client windows networking where the information is stored on the server so is always available, without a server present it does sometimes result in a delay from when a system is switched on to when it becomes available to the network (broadcasts are usually every fifteen minutes so a manual refresh of the network can help - just trying to access the network from the newly added system can help

Sigurd · 16 Feb 2020

I'm getting somewhere, though not entirely sure where!
A, B, C & D can all now see each other. Big step forward.
However files on A cannot be seen by the others. Attempt to see files on B result in a name and password request but none of the three possibilities for Id & Pw are accepted.
Oddly, and this may or may not have anything to do with it and is really a question for another thread. Although all have User set to not require a password (ie using netplwiz the box re password requirement is unticked on all 4 machines so none should ask for a password), yet A, C & D still need a password or PIN on switch on. B, the one that is asking for a password for access via network doesn't ask for this and just powers up.
Unfortunately, the two machines I really do want to talk to each other, A & B (my wife's and mine) are the two that won't!

thomaseg1 · 16 Feb 2020

name and password should be the one you use to sign on to each computer.
that is linking A-B computer A should use B sign on and Password B should use A password and signon
There should be at least one shared folder on each.
set to share with everyone

Barman58 · 16 Feb 2020

Have you tried adding passwords to the accounts as a trial?

all the systems I have set up, (many hundreds), are password protected so this may be a factor

I know it's not what you want long term, but if it can be made to work with passwords then there are possibilities to remove the requirements passwords for login locally, and the first login can set the credentials as "remembered" so would be a one off

Do you have both you' and your wife's login on both systems set up the same? do they have local access rights set for the folders you wish to access remotely? and are they shared as Tomas stated above

Sigurd · 16 Feb 2020

In all cases I have a System drive separate from the data drives which are either separate partitions (on laptops) or physical drives (on PCs). All computers have the appropriate data folder(s) or drives shared. In some cases it is just a couple of folders, in others it's the whole drive. Never the system drive.
Access level is for Everyone and Full.
This is the setup on all 4 machines. The only difference being the number of folders or drives shared.
There are only three possible Ids and passwords used on my PCs/laptops. My wife's and my Id are different but the password is the same. The third Id is again different but again shares the same password *.
I have tried removing and re-adding the shares on my PC in case something is corrupted and re-setting from scratch might have helped - it didn't.
As for Barman's suggestion about adding a password, I already have a password requirement on my PC but that is one of the PCs that cannot be accessed and it doesn't ask for a password when I try. The other one is my wife's which doesn't require a password. As I mentioned before it is the only PC that doesn't ask for a password on switch on. The others are set to not require one but do and I can't switch that requirement off (another issue I have). In the interest of marital harmony I would hate to do something to my wife's PC and find that she too then needs a password on switch on because I can't switch the requirement off.

* - I know that is not good security but if anyone hacks my PC they'll find nothing of interest and just waste their time looking! The data on all 4 machines is much the same as it is shared fro convenience. Everything else that requires security is tight).

Barman58 · 16 Feb 2020

THis tutorial I will put here now ...

Sign in User Account Automatically at Windows 10 Startup

Just so it is here to use if your issue is solved but requires login to solve - It can smooth the marital waters

The issue now as I see it is that there is something different with at least one of the three systems that is blocking access between them.

To keep the piece

on your system, give your wife's user full access to the files on your data partition/Drive then access you system from hers and use her login details when prompted, you can also check the box to remember the credentials if you wish.

my reasoning for this is that "everyone" does not have a login ID it should not matter, but I've seen crazy things happen on network access rights before

Another check is to see if you can access any data in any of the systems remotely in one of the Public folders which do not need any credentials to access, by design