Fresh (re)install of Win11 Pro: Cannot get Networking to run properly

Win11 Pro 64-bit
Verison 23H2
Build 22631.2861

I had to re-install Windows 11 Pro 64-bit on my recently purchased Beelink SER5 Pro 5700U MiniPC (AMD Ryzen7 5700U with onboard AMD Radeon graphics). I tried to clone the system drive to a new, larger drive (both are NVMe M.2) but experienced problems that exposed deeper problems. I tried for days to salvage the existing OS, but yesterday finally broke down and conducted a Fresh Install (Windows Media Creation Tool via USB Flash drive).

The install was successful, but I was up until 5:00am last night trying to get the blasted network running properly. With the factory-installed version of Win 11 (21H2, Build 22000.2538I) it took me two days to finally get the Win11 networking to see all three network nodes. With this new installation, I'm having a similar problem, but worse.

This is a network in my home, consisting of three nodes:
Node 'FUJI' is Windows 7
Node 'AMD' is Windows 10
Node 'SER5' is Windows 11

Each node has a shared folder in its C:\ directory.
I'm just trying to implement basic file and printer sharing.

FUJI w7 can see and access all three nodes.
AMD w10 can see and access all three nodes.
SER5 w11 can see and access only FUJI w7.

SER5 w11 can't even find its own shared folder.

In the previous/original Windows 11 installation, SER5 w11 frequently could not see its own shared folder...but sometimes it could. It was always hit-or-miss. Now SER5 w11 sees only the FUJI w7 shared folder.

I've tried everything I could find online:
1. Full access for "Everyone" in Permissions and in the Security tab of the "Properties" for each shared folder.
2. Every imaginable variation of settings for Private, User and All Networks in Advanced Network Settings.
3. Turning on 3 of the 4 SIMB 1.0/CIFS settings in Windows Features.
4. Switching several Registry parameters to "Automatic" via RegEdit.

I'm stumped, and am hoping this forum can point me in the right dirction.

Sorry no one has answered sooner. MS has never been able to completely master networking and the network tree has been unreliable for years. We have many reports with basically the same issue as you, some systems not showing up in the network tree even though all settings are correct..I gave up on using the tree. Instead I've been accessing my Windows 10 computer using its computer name for 2 years.

Have you tried to access the Windows 10 computer from the window 11 machine using it's ip address or computer name?
Make a shortcut in the form
\\COMPUTERNAME

If that shortcut can access the shared folders on windows 10, then your network is set up correctly. You can pin it to quick access if your wish,

If accessing by ip or computer name doesn't work, I know you've checked and rechecked your settings, but you can use this tutorial to see if there's anything you might have missed.

glasskuter said:

Sorry no one has answered sooner. MS has never been able to completely master networking and the network tree has been unreliable for years. We have many reports with basically the same issue as you, some systems not showing up in the network tree even though all settings are correct..I gave up on using the tree. Instead I've been accessing my Windows 10 computer using its computer name for 2 years.

Click to expand...

@glasskuter
Thanks very much for taking time to respond. I'm glad to know (perversely) that it's not just me experiencing this. In fact, I turned up many threads online recounting similar, if not quite the same circumstances. It's a crazy thing; sometimes all three network nodes appear, just like you'd expect them to. Other times, only one or two...and frequently the Win10 and 11 computers can't find their own shared files, respectively.

And I'm really surprised by this: Windows 7 Pro 64bit, the oldest and supposedly least sophisticated of the three, always sees its own shared file, and any other node that's currently booted. I tried very hard to stay with Win7 (sigh), but software apps follow the lead of updated operating systems and eventually you must upgrade. This is a Windows 11 forum, so that's all I'll say about that... =[

glasskuter said:

Have you tried to access the Windows 10 computer from the window 11 machine using it's ip address or computer name?
Make a shortcut in the form
\\COMPUTERNAME

If that shortcut can access the shared folders on windows 10, then your network is set up correctly. You can pin it to quick access if your wish,

Click to expand...

Thanks for that helpful advice. In the course of my struggles I learned (on TenForums.com, I think) to create a shortcut for each shared file, and copy the set of three shortcuts to each node on the (so-called) Network. The shortcuts always seem to work (knock wood) despite the network failures. The shortcuts folder appears on each computer like so:

glasskuter said:

If accessing by ip or computer name doesn't work, I know you've checked and recheckedyour settings, but you can use this tutorial to see if there's anything you might have missed.

Share Files and Folders Over a Network in Windows 10

How to Share Files and Folders Over a Network in Windows 10

www.tenforums.com

Click to expand...

Many thanks for the link. I will study it. I've read SOOOO MANY articles on how to Network in Windows, but to no avail. Last week I was pretty much an expert, but now that I've thrown in the towel and resorted to a workaround...I'm not sure I could tell you how to do any of it. That's the part I really HATE; getting so stressed and tired that I don't even retain the knowledge. that I worked so hard to gain. Oh, I made lots of notes and screencaptures, and will refer to them next time trouble strikes, but for now my mind is a blank on the subject. =\

Three things I want to say to you:
1. Thank you.
2. Don't mess with Texas. =]
3. Boop-Oop-a-Doop =D

Windows networking (SMB) has been an issue since 1993. Sometimes it works and other times it does not work no matter what you try. You can have 100 100% identical computers including actual Windows binaries and enabled/running services on the network where only difference is their IP adress, MAC address, computer name and serial number. Some computers will see all other computers, some only a few and some can't see anything, not even themselves. This is also very random.

Accessing via computer names and IP addresses solves the issue, but navigation the network trying to look for a specific computer is a task with random success.

It is interesting that on Linux, SMB works much more reliably even if the OS doesn't use the protocol by default unless the vendor has added that support in their distribution.

No matter what everyone says, including my own selection of choice expletives issued while working weird network issues, I always find that it seems to come down to something not properly configured.

Here is the "formula" that I use on my home network that works 100% of the time:

1) Regardless of whether I plan to log in with a Microsoft account, I always create a local user account using the SAME name and password on every machine. This way authentication becomes a non-issue.

2) Make sure that the local network is configured as "Private" on every machine.



3) In the Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings turn ON Network discovery and File and printer sharing, but turn OFF Password protected sharing. If you need an explanation on the Password protected sharing option, let me know.



4) When sharing a folder, I suggest making sure that you have the option in File Explorer set to Use sharing wizard. If you do not do this, then in addition to creating the share, you may need to manually set NTFS permissions for the folder that you are sharing. Again, I'm happy to explain further if you wish.



That's all that I can think of at the moment. If I think of anything else I will follow up. But, with those settings, it works with 100% reliability for me every single time, unless I introduce unusual settings such as Virtual Network adapters for Hyper-V, etc. in which case some additional things should be checked.

hsehestedt said:

I always find that it seems to come down to something not properly configured.

Click to expand...

Most often this is the case, but how do you explain the issues when you have pushed the exact same Windows image with exactly the same configurations, yet some computers don't show up in the network on some computers no matter how many times you look.

Makes no sense.

SlicEnDicE said:

Most often this is the case, but how do you explain the issues when you have pushed the exact same Windows image with exactly the same configurations, yet some computers don't show up in the network on some computers no matter how many times you look.

Makes no sense.

Click to expand...

Good question. Not sure how to answer that. Note that I was relaying my own experience. No doubt others will run into scenarios I've not encountered.

We'd have to do additional troubleshooting to get to the bottom of that. For example, you could eliminate browsing by trying to connect using IP addresses, etc.

hsehestedt said:

Good question. Not sure how to answer that. Note that I was relaying my own experience. No doubt others will run into scenarios I've not encountered.

We'd have to do additional troubleshooting to get to the bottom of that. For example, you could eliminate browsing by trying to connect using IP addresses, etc.

Click to expand...

That is not the issue...works fine to manually connect via IP, just the computers not showing up for some reason. All in same domain and each has their unique static IP. And I don't have the computers here, just some old experiences I was having in huge networks during Windows 10 days and older. Was not the switches either nor any of the other hardware. It was really odd.

My home networks works flawlessly. Thank goodness. Not that I use SMB much anyways, so it would not bother me that much.

@BothHands
In addition to all the steps you've done so far.
Log into your router->LAN Settings and assign a static IP for each PC so that everytime you boot, each PC will have a fixed IP assigned to it.
This is important since your router and all PC's have their own DNS cache.
1. Once done, power off the router for 5~10 minutes.
2. On each PC, open command prompt, type: ipconfig /flushdns then shutdown.
3. Power on the router again. The router will start with a fresh DNS cache.
4. Rerstart each PC, then type: ipconfig /release then type: ipconfig /renew
5. Wait for few minutes for all devices to get in sync
6. Open Network
The screenshots below show my 2 wired Desktops and a Wireless Surface 4:

SlicEnDicE said:

Windows networking (SMB) has been an issue since 1993. Sometimes it works and other times it does not work no matter what you try. You can have 100 100% identical computers including actual Windows binaries and enabled/running services on the network where only difference is their IP adress, MAC address, computer name and serial number. Some computers will see all other computers, some only a few and some can't see anything, not even themselves. This is also very random.

Accessing via computer names and IP addresses solves the issue, but navigation the network trying to look for a specific computer is a task with random success.

It is interesting that on Linux, SMB works much more reliably even if the OS doesn't use the protocol by default unless the vendor has added that support in their distribution.

Click to expand...

Thank you, @SlicEnDicE. I much appreciate knowing this, and wish I had known it before WASTING the better art of a week trying to do the impossible. I just use shortcuts to each of the three shared folders. It works, and that'll just have to do.

SlicEnDicE said:

All in same domain and each has their unique static IP.

Click to expand...

If you are using static IP addresses, why not implement an LMHOSTS file? Then your name resolution issue would be solved. No need to depend upon the browsing service.

hsehestedt said:

If you are using static IP addresses, why not implement an LMHOSTS file? Then your name resolution issue would be solved. No need to depend upon the browsing service.

Click to expand...

That is off the point...most people don't do that kind of stuff. Windows networking has always been a random bag of nuts with a hole in the bag, it is now and will always be.

SlicEnDicE said:

That is off the point...most people don't do that kind of stuff.

Click to expand...

LOL. Even me. I had to look up what LMHOSTS was. @hsehestedt is so far ahead of me in the game I realize just how inadequate I am. Gotta say, he knows his stuff, though. If anyone deserves the word "Guru" by his name, it's him.

BothHands said:

The shortcuts always seem to work (knock wood) despite the network failures

Click to expand...

I don't think you have had any network failures.
I think you have only referred to network devices not being shown in the chronically defective File explorer, Network section.
That is a File explorer fault not a network fault. It has been a problem for, I think, six years.

If you do have network faults, set your network computers up like I do. I don't get network faults.
A consolidated network setup checklist for Windows 10 and 11 - my post #4 - TenForums

BothHands said:

Turning on 3 of the 4 SIMB 1.0/CIFS settings in Windows Features.

Click to expand...

Remove SMB1. As you'll see in my checklist, you don't need it and it is not very secure.

BothHands said:

Switching several Registry parameters to "Automatic" via RegEdit.

Click to expand...

I urge you to undo the changes and just set up everything the way I have explained in the checklist [by referring to reliable tutorials].


All the best,
Denis

SlicEnDicE said:

some computers don't show up

Click to expand...

SlicEnDicE said:

just the computers not showing up for some reason

Click to expand...

File explorer, Network section has been unreliable since Windows 10 Version 1803.
So don't hold your breath waiting for MS to fix the problem.


All the best,
Denis

glasskuter said:

LOL. Even me. I had to look up what LMHOSTS was. @hsehestedt is so far ahead of me in the game I realize just how inadequate I am. Gotta say, he knows his stuff, though. If anyone deserves the word "Guru" by his name, it's him.

Click to expand...

You are way too kind, but it's funny because I'm always impressed with the suggestions you often have. I think we all just have different sets of areas that we specialize in. But that's what makes a community like this so useful - you can get views from a great number of people and most often somebody is going to have some ideas. I've gotten a heck of a lot of answers here myself.

As for the issues related to networking, I'm not really buying into the whole assumption that networking is so broken and here is why: There are thousands of companies, many with really big networks that are composed of thousands upon thousands of systems all networked together and networking works very well for them. Surely scaling this down to a miniscule home network should work just fine . But I will agree that sometimes proper configuration can be a bit much for a home user.

Other things I've discovered: Hardware makes a big difference. Some el cheapo network cards seem to have garbage drivers, so I try to always use what has worked reliably for me in the past. Also, experimenting with things like virtual network adapters, especially when combined with the aforementioned el cheapo hardware seems to cause issues.

Maybe I just get lucky, but when I stick to the basics and use reliable hardware it just seems to work fine for me every single time.

hsehestedt said:

But that's what makes a community like this so useful

Click to expand...

I agree.

glasskuter said:

I realize just how inadequate I am.

Click to expand...

I disagree.

hsehestedt said:

I'm always impressed with the suggestions you often have

Click to expand...

I agree.

hsehestedt said:

I'm not really buying into the whole assumption that networking is so broken

Click to expand...

I agree.


Oh, things are going ping, gotta go,
All the best,
Denis