Windows 10 refresh leaves PC unable to connect to Homegroup

pdoyle · 07 Mar 2017

I've five Windows 10 pc's on home network connected to Homegroup for sharing.
I performed Windows 10 refresh keeping personal settings on 3 pc's; hopegroup is fine.
I performed a windows 10 refresh keeping personal settings on a fourth pc; now it won't connect to Homegroup, warning 'Windows can't set up a Homegroup on this Computer.' I've tried restarts, deleted files in each pc's peer folder. McAfee Total Protection has all five pc's seeing each other's security status. I've shut off the McAfee while trying to fix Homegroup.
Any ideas?I mainly want UPNP/DNLA to work, which I believe it still does. Maybe there's not a problem, but Homegroup worked before and I'd like it to work now.
Thanks!

bro67 · 07 Mar 2017

UPNP has security holes and it needs to not be used. DNLA is just a group that created one way of allowing music and videos to be streamed from one device to another. As for Home Group, stop using it to only get access to the Library Short cuts and start using regular Network Sharing.

I would personally dump McAfee, because the only thing that it does is give you imaginary protection of your computer, but still lets in malware. There are better programs out there.

pdoyle · 08 Mar 2017

I'll be happier not spending so many hours trying to make Homegroup work again. I had assumed it was essential for file sharing on the home network, e.g. playing music files from another pc on the home network; but apparently it's not.
I can stop using UPNP and Homegroup; and learn more about the 'regular Network Sharing' in TenForums.
McAfee Total Protection was reviewed highly in what I had read; what AV programs would work better? Windows Defender?

I recall having read warnings about UPNP's security flaws before.
Thank you! :)

bro67 · 09 Mar 2017

Home Group was some failed project for companies like Sony and Intel who were pushing for being able to access all computers running windows in the house, along with being able to stream. The problem with Home Group is that something fails to cause computers to sync for the libraries, you are better off mapping to those hard drives.

I use a Synology DS216+2 for file storage and also as a Plex server. You can upgrade the RAM to 8 GB and go as large as 8TB hard drives. I am only doing a 3TB for backups and two 1TB in the unit. It has been a godsend that I can upload files to it quicker than a computer and stream at the same time. It is not like windows where there is always something that causes downloads to slow down.

Windows 10 refresh leaves PC unable to connect to Homegroup

Windows 10 refresh leaves PC unable to connect to Homegroup

better AV program than McAfee Total Protection?