Wired and WIFI Networks

Helloooo! I hope everyone is happy and healthy during these strange times!

This is my first post, and I am a relative noob, so please be gentle :)

I fully expect I might need to get someone in, for this problem. I am not trying avoid paying anyone. But seeing as I cant get someone in, at the moment, and because I like to tinker with computers and expand my learning, I am giving things a go on my own.

I have 3 machines - 2 small towers (Dell Optiplex 3040) and 1 laptop (Dell i7 17779 I think). They are all on windows 10 pro latest update. The towers don't yet have any additional virus software added. The laptop has Mcafee.

All machines connect to the internet via WiFi. They are located in the loft, and the WiFi is on the ground floor. They work fine.

I want to create a wired data transfer network between the three of them, that is not connected to the internet. I have a Netgear unmanaged switch (GS205), and some RJ45 Cat5e (non crossover).

I have connected the machines via the switch. Because the WiFi runs on 192.168.1, I have fixed the Ethernet IP addresses to 192.168.100 and given each machine .1 .2 and .3. The subnet mask auto populated as 255.255.255.0 and there is no default gateway (which I understand is correct as there is no internet). I’ve tried the DNS blank and as 8.8.4.4 and 8.8.8.8. But this doesnt seem to make a difference.

The Ethernet shows as an unidentified network and I cant change it to private as there is no option to do this. I only see “Set as a Metered Connection”, IP Settings (Automatic DHCP) and Properties.

I’ve done all the steps that YouTube mentions... making sure things are running in services, turning all discovery and file sharing on etc on each machine (private, public, and All Networks). Password protection is off. Ive also added them all to a named workgroup, both via Network ID and “Change”. (Wasnt sure what the different was)

I have pinged every which way, and got replies.

I am working with the WIFI switched off, so I know I am only seeing the wired situation.

I am in file explorer, in the network section.

I dont see one tower on the 2 others. It appears on the laptop briefly and then disappears.
I dont see anything regards the workgroup - do I need to do something to make it appear?
I cant access Shared folders - regardless of what machine I am on, and which computer I am trying to access. I get the “cannot connect, contact admin” message.
When I click to access one machine, it requests its own log in details.

I basically just want one folder on the laptop to have permanent and unpassworded access to everyone on the wired network only - read and write. Ive created test folders and given read and write permissions for everyone

Please help, I am losing the will to live... What am I doing wrong? I think the machines are communicating, if they have pinged ok?

What could be creating the fact that I cant see one tower, on the other two, even though all the settings are all the same. (And its just running the same standard windows defender as the other tower - both are fresh installs)

What could be creating the fact that I cant I see the workgroup?

What could be creating the fact that I cant I see the shared folder?

Why might one of them be asking for credentials (if password protection is switched off)?


Thanks in advance

Welcome to the forum. You don't need DNS that's only used on the internet not local. You have wrong settings set PC to 10.0.0.1 subnet 255.255.255.0 the rest in order is 10.0.0.2 10.0.0.3 etc they should all work but it may take time to show when browsing but you can access straight away by using \\10.0.0.1\sharename

Hi there, thanks for taking the time to reply. I have done as you say and nothing has changed. I get a network error for \\10.0.0.2\sharename (which I replaced with the computer name - was that right?)

What error do you get access denied or other? You should be able to set the network as private now.
Run this with all pcs on https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/netbios_scanner.html

post results so we can see the master browser often running it on all pcs brings things back up

I've read that this can be done but you have to use a wired router for your intranet rather than a switch. The wired router cannot be connected to the internet and cannot have a gateway specified. The wired router must operate on a different set of ip addresses and a different subnet from your wireless router.

I have no personal experience here, good luck.

JackHughs

Hi to you both, thanks for your replies. Will look into both answers, tomorrow.

Hi Samuria. Sorry for the delay! Work got in the way!

I have run NetBScanner on each machine. I told it just to scan the 10.0.0.XX numbers which came up by default. I hope that was ok?

Machine 1 = 10.0.0.1

I see IP address 10.0.0.2 and 10.0.0.3 along with the computer name, workgroup, MAC, the network adapter company and the Master Browser is Yes for 10.0.0.2 and No for 10.0.0.3

Machine 2 = 10.0.0.2

I see IP address 10.0.0.1 and 10.0.0.3 along with the computer name, workgroup and MAC, the network adapter company and both show Master Browser as No.

Machine 3 = 10.0.0.3

I see IP address 10.0.0.1 and 10.0.0.2 along with the computer name, workgroup and MAC, the network adapter company and the Master Browser is Yes for 10.0.0.2 and No for 10.0.0.1

Does this mean the switch is ok to use for the separate (non internet) ethernet network? I do have a spare router knocking about.

I am not sure why machine 2 is the master browser. I don't know what one of those is

- - - Updated - - -

In file explorer, typing \\computer-name or \\10.0.0.X

Machine .1 and .2 both say

Network Error - you do not have permissions, contact your admin

Machine .3

I have accessed .2 by typing in the credentials

I cannot see .3 at all

I also still don't have any option to set the ethernet connection to Private.