Win 11 Home Networking

I had hoped Microsoft would have helped improved the ability to create a "simple" home network when they came out with Win Eleven. I have spent hour upon hour, month after month for years now (of course, off and on) attempting to do what should be a simple task! I have combed the internet found article after article saying how simple it was to do, however, upon following countless different instructions ( many I've repeated several times) NONE of the solutions work. I have three computers, 2 desktops (this one and another) and a laptop. I'm running Win 11 on this computer, Win Pro 10 on the other desktop and Win 10 Home on the Laptop. I am able to do anything I need on these computers EXCEPT get them to see each other!!! I'm not an I-T person, but have had reasonable success in helping out family and friends to solve many different problems on their computers. I'm not brilliant by any means, but nothing I have done makes me feel as stupid as trying to connect my three computers! And if the answer to creating a simple three computer home LAN is simple, I must be stupid.... Once you've finished laughing at my stupid ranting, maybe someone would be so kind as to give me some more suggestions about what I could try. All my computers have their own unique names, are on the same "workgroup", I've tryed with and without my VPN on and also disabled anti-malware and anti-virus programs.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions . . . totally frustrated, Dave

The first thing I would check: in Control Panel -> Network and Sharing -> Advanced Sharing Settings, make sure network discovery, automatic setup and file and printer sharing boxes are ticked. Also that the network connection is set to private.

shaverdave said:

I am able to do anything I need on these computers EXCEPT get them to see each other

Click to expand...

Dave,

I hope you don't mind if I just check something -
1 Are you saying that the computers don't show up in File explorer, Network section
and/or
2 Are you saying that the computers don't show up in File explorer if you enter this format of address in the File explorer address bar
\\COMPUTERNAME\

I'm afraid that I won't be any help to you if both of these fail. I have not had enough experience of network problems myself. I've always used this procedure [WinXP, Win7, Win10 - and it keeps working on the one I've upgraded to Win11]
A consolidated network setup checklist [post #2] - TenForums
and, as I say, it has always worked reliably for me.

Best of luck,
Denis

I have a network but don't have a need to 'see' other computers on it. It consists of a Wireless Router, 8 port Switch, 5 Wired Desktops with 4 different OSes, 2 x 2TB NAS drives, 2 Printers [LaserJet Pro, OfficeJet Pro] and 1 port for my workbench. It will also have various Notebooks connected. I have the 2 NAS drives for data storage and Map the Public folder on whatever machine needed at any time. It's convenient for my wife with her Notebook and printing E-Mails and recipes from the other room. And no particular machine has to be running to gain access to the NAS drives and printers.

Networking at the basic level is quite simple. Let's see if we can sort that out for you.

#1). From any machine, run a command prompt. type: ping computername (where computername is the unique name for your other computers). Does this come back with a reply from, or a reply timed out?

#2). From any machine, hit Win+R, type: \\computername (where computername is the unique name for another one of your computers that happens to have a network share). Once you hit enter, did you see your share listed?

Let's leave it there and go forward after we see where we are.

Identical for W11 except menus in different places.

I have read all the posts here on home networking - everyone keeps saying it's simple to read your other computers on your LAN/WiFi network. I have tried every suggestion I've found - repeated many over and over- using different sequences of checking settings and I found Windows Home Networking to be, at best, "etherial"!
Then I discovered I COULD see shared folders on opening the network in explorer, BUT ONLY! after warm booting (restarting). It DOES NOT show my other computers and my USB/to/router connected drive on a cold startup! I have never been able to just turn on my computer and have my other computers/drives available.
This is the reason I've been so frustrated with networking, it was by accident that I finally discovered the need to restart. Before that it appeared sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't????!!

And still, some shared folders can be opened, others cannot?!

Any idea why this is happening? (See why I see networking as "etherial" and difficult?)

Why can't or won't Microsoft offer an easy way to setup home networking for the average computer user who has no need for all the sophisticated security that requires one to have to jump through hoops searching for, checking, and changing various settings??! I can't believe there are not many others who agree.

Thank you . . . shaverdave

shaverdave said:

Then I discovered I COULD see shared folders on opening the network in explorer

Click to expand...

Have you tried addressing them by putting this in the File explorer address bar
\\ComputerName\ShareName

My normal setting up checklist, written for Windows 10, is at A consolidated network setup checklist [post #2] - TenForums

Denis

Hi folks
@shaverdave

Start right from scratch --

1) enable Network discovery on ALL computers

2) ensure on ALL computers : "Allow remote connections to this computer" is enabled (via control panel etc -- the bottom half of the pane and ensure the 2nd box is left unchecked).



3) while testing disable ALL 3rd party Anti-virus software and Windows firewalls -- you can re-enable security after getting things working

4) enable SMB1 on all the computers --- this is the easiest to get networking running -- you can disable that after Network is running OK.

5) ensure you've set up sharing on relevant disks

6) re-boot router and all computers -> note you should be using DHCP and computers should all be on the same network "subnet" usually something like 192.168.1.xxx -- simply use ipconfig on all of them and on any computer type ping 192.168.1.yyy where yyy is part of the LAN address of any other network.

Here I've got a single laptop running W11 and a NAS server -- no problems



With things like Networking especially on HOME networking - get rid of as much of the security systems as possible while testing. When its working gradually tighten up security more and more until you are satisfied. Otherwise you won't know if it's a Network or security access problem.

(Note some ISP - Internet providers have routers that dish out IP adresses for a limited lease time -- set that on the router to something sensible like 30 days -- usually to get to the router settings use a browser to address 192.168.1.1or similar -- should be in the ISP's or router docuentation with the admin password).

Cheers
jimbo

Thanks, jimbo! I'll go through your suggestions as soon as I get a chance - I'll let you know if it works for me:)

@shaverdave, I feel your pain bro. I'm quite adept in most things that I take on. I've been a Windows computer user since 1996 when I bought my first PC and there isn't much that I can't figure out. One of those things however is Windows "Networking". I can figure it out in the sense of how it's suppose to work as well as all the little hurdles one must endure in order to get one set up. I can even get one set up... to work once or twice!

All I have, and have ever really had since the old phone line based modems, is a single broadband modem, cable or adsl depending on the service provider's technology, connected to a single wifi router. I have a single USB storage/media drive connected directly into the router so that certain files and folders can be placed there and accessed by any device that can access the network and drive without having to play the file and folder/printer sharing blah blah blah game, which works fairly good most of the time when the "network" decides it wants to be visible.

I do this for a couple of reasons and also in order to do it, your router must have a USB capable of supporting a media device. Number 1 is security of course. I have the drive encrypted and also use a dedicated VPN on the router itself. That way, even if someone is able to get past the first line of security, which is highly doubtful for even a semi advanced hacker, they run into a hard wall. Then, if they are able to get past it, they are only able to access whatever is on that USB drive and not any of my devices because they are not visible on the network unless they are actually connected to the drive at the time. That alone is enough to keep anyone who is looking for common hacking material such as personal info and such. Anyone looking to get data isn't going to be looking to break into my boring life so I don't worry too much about advanced hackers, I do not have anything they want. I'm a broke construction worker without very much more than a pot to pee in

The other reason, which pertains more to similar woes as what you were (or possibly still are?) experiencing is to bypass Windows "Networking" (sort of). All I have to do is access the drive from any pc that can access it and transfer any and all files and folders onto it (it's a 2 TB SSD) and then any and all other devices are able to access those files and folders. It's sort of a "workaround" for me but the only downside is that the individual devices must still be able to be visible on the network and must be able to see the network itself, which isn't always the case and still even then sometimes I'll get hit with some type of error message as to why I am not able to do what should be a very simple task.

Usually that will be a window asking for network credentials, which is another pile of necessary Windows garbage in itself. I have a username and password that I've set up to access my router and once I'm logged into the router interface, guess what? I am able to access what's on the USB drive that I use for the network shares, BUT! I am NOT able to access it through Windows with those credentials because good old Windows has to intervene and force us to use our Windows log in or Microsoft ID for username and password credentials in order to access our own "private" home networks! I think that alone is absurd, not to mention all the other things that make this seemingly quite simple and what should be a straight forward process so painstakingly and unnecessarily difficult!

And then there's the "what happened to the network that I just finally got to work a few hours ago?" issue! once I finally do get Windows "networking to display a network at all, and then finally get everything working, "poof!" just like that, 9 times out of 10, it's gone from existence the next time I want to access it! Sometimes I can go through the motions from scratch and it will pop up and work for a day or 2 but more often than not, I actually have to keep going from scratch and continue until the network "wizard" is finished. Rinse and repeat. It's totally frustrating and ridiculous, especially when, when it comes to most other things, we are smart as can be. I've hated Windows networking since the first time I tried to use it on Windows 98' and throughout it all it hasn't changed much and in some cases has changed but certainly not for the better. The only time I've had limited success with Windows "networking" was for the short period of time that I ran Windows XP Pro on 2 PCs and it was only with the Pro version, which I didn't get until shortly before Windows ME and Vista convinced me to simply do away with Windows based computers altogether. I missed out on the pleasures of Windows 7, 8, and 10, however I recently found myself in need of the use of one so I now have a Windows 11 Pro laptop to play with. And I see that Windows "networking" still has the same ol same ol, just like most of the other things that make owning Windows based PCs such a joy...

This is in a nutshell what the original poster is probably complaining about which I agree with.
There is no reason why Microsoft can't get their networking protocol implementation right. We all remember the HomeGroup disaster, yes?

I'm also versed in Linux Samba file and printer sharing and I tell you, it is simple to set it up. You install and start the services. Write a simple config file which come bundled with the install package. The template config file is easy to read too. Then restart the services and bam!

The table is scaled down, but it pretty much outlines the issues with the problem in the discovery protocol and File Manage Network folder.

My solution to missing local computer name in the Windows 11 Network folder