Looking for step-by-step instructions to network 2 HP laptops with Windows 11

@gfr92y It looks like, in post 8, you're using a PIN to log on. Is that still the case? You can't use a PIN (or any Windows Hello method) to authenticate to another computer. You have to setup a password at least once.

antspants said:

1. You haven’t listed your Wifes laptop and OS build. Yes it’s 11 Home but what build? Press Win key + S type “winver” press enter.
2. You haven’t given any indication of what you have tried and where it went wrong.
3. You can’t really expect people to compact a (now somewhat) complicated process into 4 steps. At least not unless you advise us on (2) and we can see an obvious place it fell over for you. It actually could be simple (hopefully ) if we know that.

See Computers on Network in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to see the computers you want on your network in Windows 11. When computers on the same network and workgroup are discoverable, you can see them in File Explorer > Network. This allows you to share what you want among the devices connected to the network...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

The settings described in the instructions contained in the tutorial above were already properly set.

At this point, nothing has changed and no progress has been made.

pseymour said:

@gfr92y It looks like, in post 8, you're using a PIN to log on. Is that still the case? You can't use a PIN (or any Windows Hello method) to authenticate to another computer. You have to setup a password at least once.

Network problem with wifi laptop and desktop.

I was thinking of the same to switch of windows hello, but it's still strange I can connect to my laptop but not to my desktop.

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

Oh crap!

I am going to read the tutorial you posted.

pseymour said:

@gfr92y It looks like, in post 8, you're using a PIN to log on. Is that still the case? You can't use a PIN (or any Windows Hello method) to authenticate to another computer. You have to setup a password at least once.

Network problem with wifi laptop and desktop.

I was thinking of the same to switch of windows hello, but it's still strange I can connect to my laptop but not to my desktop.

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

What do I do if my wife and I have a user account on both computers and we have both been using Hello methods to sign in to our accounts for so long we forget the original passwords?

gfr92y said:

What do I do if my wife and I have a user account on both computers and we have both been using Hello methods to sign in to our accounts for so long we forget the original passwords?

Click to expand...

just as an add on to all the good advice above.
you can set your password then when you set your pin make it the same as the password

if you use characters and numbers in your password when the pin set up window opens there is a box that allows you to use characters and numbers, tick that box. then set the pin the same as your password.

that way both are the same and its very unlikely that you will forget them
i have that set up that way on my wife's Windows 11 25H2 computer.

best of luck Steve ..

pseymour said:

Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password | Microsoft Support

Learn how to reset or change your Microsoft account password. Get help with a forgotten Microsoft account password.

support.microsoft.com

Click to expand...

You da' GOAT!!!

3.5 years of useless, meaningless bullshit and pontification. Lotsa How could you's... You should've's...

You sifted through the nonsense and were a terrific help!

@pseymour @XxXxX @antspants

Everything worked last night!

Today...

I can access my laptop from my wife's user account on my wife's computer and I can access her laptop from her user's account on my computer.

However, I cannot access my laptop from my user account on my wife's computer and I cannot access her laptop from my user's account on my computer.

I am lost, again!

Thanks!

gfr92y

All kinds of networking issues are a result of Microsoft tightening security for Windows 11 24h2 and above. You might try this.

Create a Windows credential for an account & password on all computers on your network you are sharing files between. It must be a password, not a pin. While you can still use a pin to login to the device, you must restart the device and log into it using a password at least once for this to work.
Even if you are using the same MS account on both devices, a credential should be created.

In other words, Each computer should have a credential for each of the account on other computers it is sharing files or printers to/from.
You would have to do this under each user account on each computer for each user account on all the other computers.

To create a credential:
Go to Control Panel>Credentials> Windows Credentials>add a windows credential
In the "Internet or network address" box, type the name of the computer on the network that you want to access.
In the User name and Password boxes, type the user name and password that you use for that computer, and then click OK.

For example, here's mine. I have only one user account on 3 computers. They all use the same MS account. If I had 2 user accounts on each computer I was sharing files between, I would have double the amount of credentials than what I have. (3 computers X 2 accounts = 6 credentials)