Windows 11 cannot access other computers, but can be accessed by the other computers

You should only enable SMBv1 if you're communicating with a really old client (pre-Vista Windows) or a device that doesn't support newer versions, such as most home routers. SMBv2 has been around since Vista, so anything of that ilk or newer should not need SMBv1. SMBv1 has been off by default since Windows 10 1709.

pseymour said:

You should only enable SMBv1 if you're communicating with a really old client (pre-Vista Windows) or a device that doesn't support newer versions, such as most home routers. SMBv2 has been around since Vista, so anything of that ilk or newer should not need SMBv1. SMBv1 has been off by default since Windows 10 1709.

Click to expand...

Its just a habit with me as I work with old Computers in my network, it cant hurt whether you enabled them or not in my books.

Except for the vulnerabilities, the excessive network chattiness, and the fact that it's been deprecated for over a decade, it's fine.

A note only for those as stupid as me - I got things working with Wolffz's solution with PC1 on Win11 242H and PC2 on 232H

Forgot to prevent automatic updates on PC2 so had to start the whole process again!

bwj said:

I got things working with Wolffz's solution with PC1 on Win11 242H and PC2 on 232H

Click to expand...

You can mark your problem solved if you have it working.

gunrunnerjohn said:

You can mark your problem solved if you have it working.

Click to expand...

Yes thank you; I'm aware of that

As my posts say though it is not working or at least not working perfectly

Next step for me is this - both networked PCS updated to 242H, all of Wolffz's steps followed PLUS I also deleted the reg key below (which some advice suggested was needed but I seem to think just confused the steps advised by Wolffz)

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters
• Find the key AllowInsecureGuestAuth.

Rebooted, set all the drives to share on both devices using my Microsoft account username and granting all user permissions, (there is some erroneoeus advice out there about using your Microsoft account phone number as the credential name.

Ongoing problem is that on both devices, after a period of time the network shares are forgotten until rebooting both.

I can see in Local Policy Editor some settings bout timeouts etc but have no idea where and what to start editing!

bwj said:

yes thank you; I'm aware of that

as my posts say though it is not working

Click to expand...

Really, I thought you said it was?

bwj said:

A note only for those as stupid as me - I got things working with Wolffz's solution with PC1 on Win11 242H and PC2 on 232H

Forgot to prevent automatic updates on PC2 so had to start the whole process again!

Click to expand...

I guess I don't understand what this post is actually saying.

gunrunnerjohn said:

Really, I thought you said it was?

I guess I don't understand what this post is actually saying.

Click to expand...

If you can bring yourself down to my level then you might get it

Second PC updated to 242H automatically breaking the whole network again

What I do with every 24H2 Install or Upgrade

In Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features\Turn Windows Features on or off.
Check if there are No Ticks are on SMB 1.0/CIFS Client and SMB 1.0/CIFS Server Only a tick on SMB Direct

Make Sure you are on a Private Network NOT Public

Next go into Group Policy (Pro Version Only) gpedit.msc

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local Policies, Security Options
Double click on Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (always)
Double click on Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (if server agrees)
Set both of these to "Disabled"
Click on OK.

Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Network, Lanman Workstation
Double click on "Enable Insecure Guest Logons"
Set this to "Enabled"
Click on OK.

Reboot

Wolfzz said:

What I do with every 24H2 Install or Upgrade

In Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features\Turn Windows Features on or off.
Check if there are No Ticks are on SMB 1.0/CIFS Client and SMB 1.0/CIFS Server Only a tick on SMB Direct

Make Sure you are on a Private Network NOT Public

Next go into Group Policy (Pro Version Only) gpedit.msc

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local Policies, Security Options
Double click on Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (always)
Double click on Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (if server agrees)
Set both of these to "Disabled"
Click on OK.

Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Network, Lanman Workstation
Double click on "Enable Insecure Guest Logons"
Set this to "Enabled"
Click on OK.

Reboot

Click to expand...

I have the Evaluation version of Windows 11 IoT Enterprise 2024 LTSC with 24H2 just DLed from Microsoft yesterday. I was going to get everything running that I have to have before I went to a real version. I have only local accounts on the Win 10 computers and this Win 11 LTSC (don't even have a MS account).

I have tried everything in this thread and I still can't connect to a computer on my network. I can ping the network computers from this Win 11 computer, the internet works, my security camera program which is running on the server I can access and use from the Win 11 computer. I have no problem connecting to and using the shared drive of this Win 11 computer from other network computers, , coping files on, off and moving them.

Even stranger my error when I try to connect to my network server (just a repurposed HP 800 G3 which has no user name and password) keeps changing. To start with yesterday it was the screen wanting me to sign with a name and password (there is no username and password on the server), then it went to a check your spelling error after I tried some things then went to you don't have permissions with out me changing anything that I know of. That's where I was when I quit yesterday. After making the changes in this post this morning I'm back to the sign in screen.

I have Linux Mint computers, Win 10 LTSC 2019 and 2021 computers, several Android devices and even my retro computers with Win XP and Win 98 using this server, none of which have any problems.

I have my Win 10 computers with SMB1 enabled and had the Win 11 computer setup the same way. I changed it to just SMB Direct per this post but it didn't make any difference.

Anyone have any other ideas?

This gets stranger. I was using my main desktop computer a short wile ago. The Win 11 computer is on the other end of the desk and had went to sleep the last time I was on it with the file explorer up. I reached over and wiggled the mouse to wake it and after a few seconds I saw something change on the screen out the corner of my eye and when I looked my desktop computer had popped up under network on it. I mapped it as a network drive and it now works as it should (the drive under network works fine too, the mapping wasn't really necessary). I rebooted the Win 11 computer and the shared drive it was connected to stayed working. I had changed NOTHING on the Win 11 computer. The server computer, the only one I need to work, still doesn't, I still get the sign on screen if I try to access it. I rebooted the network computer but nothing changed.

The desktop computer and the server computer are setup identically as far as I can tell. They are both Win 10 LTSC 2021 with identical user name, user setup and permissions, security setup and users, sharing setup and everything else I can find and are connected to the same network switch.

Edit - I turned on another computer setup the same with the same OS and the Win 11 saw and connected to it's shared drive with no problem too so it's just the server computer it's won't connect to which unfortunately is the only one I really need to be able to use to keep using Win 11. Interestingly this second computer is the same make and model as the server computer (and the Win 11 computer).

We went from strange to the Twilight Zone. I came in here to the office a little while ago and brought my main desktop out of sleep (it's the one the Win 11 connected to), and turned the monitor to the server. I had left something running on the server, it was through and wanted to reboot so I did. A few minutes later I turned on the Win 11 computer (it was off not sleep). A few minutes after it came up I clicked on the file manager to see if the connection to my main computer still worked and it did. Just for giggles I put in the address of the server computer and as expected the sign on screen popped up. I clicked on the X to close out the sign on screen and when it closed the drives on the server popped up!!!! I mapped them as quick as I could and they worked. I played with them a little while then rebooted the see if they survived a reboot but they didn't.

If I clicked on one of the mapped drives I got -

"An error occurred while reconnecting Z: to \\192.168.1.27\Data
Microsoft Windows Network: The local device name is already in use

The connection has not been restored."

The other mapped drive did the same.

Typing in the network address just got the sign in screen only again.

I tried recreating exactly what I had done with it and the server when they started working but no go. Tried rebooting and turning off and on the Win 11 computer a few times, nope.

Disconnected the mapped drives and rebooted and shut off, still nope. Tried clicking the x, the cancel and ok on the sign on sign on screen. More nope. Rebooted one more time and this time for some reason when the sign on screen came up I clicked on "more choices" ( I had done this a few times in the past). As soon as I clicked on more choices my server drives popped up again so I mapped the drive agains. I could copy and pasted files to them but if I tried to run one I got the sign on screen.

Reboot and back to the device name already in use on the mapped drives and sign on screen with nothing working when using the network address.

Deleted mapped drives and rebooted. Then for some reason it hit me to try the share name of the server and not the network address.

[Sam Kinison] ARRRGG AARRRGG ARRRGG[/Sam Kinison] while banging my head against the wall!!!!

Using the share name and then mapping the drives that come up with it work perfect and survives a reboot and a shut down. WHY would using the network address work sometimes and not sometimes with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING being changed on either computer!!!!! On that third computer I tried early this morning all I used was the network address and it worked perfect, but it had found and used the share name of my main computer from the start though and never used the network address so I don't know on it and I'm tired of screwing with this right now.

Maybe all this will help someone else doing a search on this problem.

Since I expect people will keep stumbling over this thread when they have similar problems, here's another tip:

Make sure you're not running a VPN. You might have one set up for your employer, or for security, and it can interfere with connecting to your local machines, even if you can see them, and even if you have successfully connected to them before.

I just saw the lanman group policy setting... I guess I missed it from before. I hope it works. I really want to cuss at MS for everything they wreck, but can't do it here... I am sure other computer users would also love to tell them off but they don't care. They wrecked networking around the time Win10 before Win11, which was the final nail in network coffins. Those of us at home could care less about this secure network b.s. we are not at a job, we are at home with a couple computers!

Wolfzz said:

What I do with every 24H2 Install or Upgrade

In Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features\Turn Windows Features on or off.
Check if there are No Ticks are on SMB 1.0/CIFS Client and SMB 1.0/CIFS Server Only a tick on SMB Direct

Make Sure you are on a Private Network NOT Public

Next go into Group Policy (Pro Version Only) gpedit.msc

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local Policies, Security Options
Double click on Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (always)
Double click on Microsoft Network Client: Digitally sign communications (if server agrees)
Set both of these to "Disabled"
Click on OK.

Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Network, Lanman Workstation
Double click on "Enable Insecure Guest Logons"
Set this to "Enabled"
Click on OK.

Reboot

Click to expand...

Sorry for old post reply. My win 10 pro sees my win 11 pro 25h2 but not the other way around. Do i do the above edits on both?
I can make a shortcut to a shared folder on the win 10 pc and put it in a shared folder on the win 11pc and map drive to that folder in the win 11 pc but can't map drives in file explorer on win 11 pc to win 10 pc shared folders using iP address or folder share name. Very very weird.
Anyway any help is appreciated

@amber438 You would only need to change the settings on the Windows 11 PC (signing, encryption, all that stuff above).

pseymour said:

@amber438 You would only need to change the settings on the Windows 11 PC (signing, encryption, all that stuff above).

Click to expand...

Thx. Ill try it.

amber438 said:

Thx. Ill try it.

Click to expand...

If your on the home version you need to install GPEDIT and you can do that by following the below information...

1. • Open Notepad and paste the following two commands:
     

Code

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\\servicing\\Packages\\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

Go to File > Save As, choose All Files (.)** for "Save as type", and name it gpedit-install.bat. Note any name.BAT is fine

1. • Run the Script:
     
     • • Locate the gpedit-install.bat file, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.
         
       • A Command Prompt window will open and run the DISM commands to install the necessary packages.
         
       • Press any key to close the window once it's done.
         
   • Open Group Policy Editor:
     
     • • Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
         
       • The Local Group Policy Editor should now open, allowing you to make changes.

MikeRuth said:

If your on the home version you need to install GPEDIT and you can do that by following the below information...

1. • Open Notepad and paste the following two commands:

Code

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\\servicing\\Packages\\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

Go to File > Save As, choose All Files (.)** for "Save as type", and name it gpedit-install.bat. Note any name.BAT is fine

1. • Run the Script:
     • • Locate the gpedit-install.bat file, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.
       • A Command Prompt window will open and run the DISM commands to install the necessary packages.
       • Press any key to close the window once it's done.
   • Open Group Policy Editor:
     • • Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
       • The Local Group Policy Editor should now open, allowing you to make changes.

Click to expand...

Both versions are pro