Windows 10 PC Networking

Technology Technology: Chat / Discussions
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Although I’ve worked with computers since 1969, I have never been a “technical” expert - I am more of a competent user … :wink:

The complexities of networking have always baffled me but, several years ago, I managed to set up a Windows home network across 3 pcs, 2 printers and 3 exchangeable disc drives. Windows HomeGroup was supposed to make networking even easier but, when I used it, the whole network became unstable, so I went back to basics and managed to restore the staus quo (more or less).

Last week I decided to “Reset” a 7-year-old Windows PC, which had started to develop some irregularities. The Reset completed with no problems and so far, I have encountered no significant issues reinstalling required apps.

No data was lost due to the Reset but checking and changing system and app settings is very time-consuming, which I expected.

The one problem that I have yet to resolve is networking. The Reset PC took itself off my local network. Extensive searching on the internet revealed that Windows 10 network problems are common mainly, it seems, because of the use of “services”. I have managed to get 2 PCs to see each other but printers were, until recently, invisible. Having achieved some success, I decided to take a break and move back to applications, where progress was much faster.

So, while I was taking stock, over a beer or two, I tried a different search tactic on Windows 10 networking and I found this “tutorial”:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-networking/connecting-pcs-and-users-for-sharing/fb92e439-5dbc-4367-9857-1ef360e9ffdf

Connecting PC’s & Users for Sharing XP, Vista, 7, 8 & 10

The Complete Guide for Home Networks and Sharing

Learn it, Master it and Enjoy it. Fast, Secure and Easy

                      "Revised 6-23-2018 Final"

              7 Easy to Understand Detailed Steps

WOW !!! Just what I want, I thought … :026:

Until I started reading:

Since Windows 10 came out, it has the issue of PC icons missing in Network Folder. One minute they may appear after a restart or Windows Update and the next minute they are missing. And one PC may show them and others not.

… followed by a mass of corrections, workarounds and alternatives, which may or may not work … :103:

No wonder I don’t understand networking, and it’s made completely confusing by the introduction of a surfeit of so-called “services” … :102:

So I’ven up (for now) and have reverted to the tried and trusted manual transfer systems … :lol:

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i found widows10 not the great success Microsoft make it out to be. There are so many features too hard to find out like grove music and the games completely unnecessary just to bulk up the program. Windows 7 was so much better even down to transferring music from Discs, Microsofts biggest cockup of all time is Windows10

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My house is wired as a network as well as having WiFi - I have never used Windows Homegroup the system works fine without it why add complications?

All my TVs, printers, PVRs, servers, NASs, repeaters use this network. Windows 10 seems no better nor worse than previous OS as far as networking is concerned (the internal software looks almost exactly the same).

The most important thing is to ensure that only one device is handing out addresses; my repeaters merely hand off to the main router. I have some devices which use fixed addresses so it is important to ensure that these are in the same domain and that there can be no duplicates.

This is a long out of date plan but it gives you the general idea.

The WiFi Extender is just another router with its own fixed address and the DHCP disabled. It actually replaces the TV Room Switch because now only three ports are needed (plus the incoming network line). If I needed the fourth I could modify the WAN input - but why add unneeded complications?)

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Obviously, you know what you’re doing … :slight_smile:

I haven’t a clue - I just want a point and click solution from a PC … :wink:

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Hi Omah!

Having had some problems with sharing folders between two W10 PCs, I finally got going after following this _

It seems that some of the settings were set to manual after Homegroups were killed off.

Anyway, having followed it, I can now set folders to share and go ahead and share them.

6

Note:-

I forgot to mention that I had to do the “Automatics” on both PCs.

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Many thanks for the link … :023:

It seems that there are multiple threads complaining about theis issue on the MS site - the thread on your link is the largest and most comprehensive, however.

I’ve already performed most of the actions mentioned and I now have a visible network of 2 PCs, 1 Printer and my router but all external hard drives are invisible.

I shall now work my way through that MS Post and see what happens … :wink:

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Presumably you mean for the services … ?

I’ve tried “Automatic” and “Automatic(Delayed)” - the latter seems to work best for me, but that could change with a different permutation of settings … !

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Yes, I meant changing the Manual settings to Automatic.

Once done, you should see both PCs at the bottom of your File Explorer.

As for the files you want to share, you click on the desired file, or folder, and then the “Give Access to” and select Home Users in the people to share with area.

Then you will see all of the folders, you have set to be shared, also at the bottom of the File List.

The old technique, of just setting “Share with, Or Share” seems to have been dumped.

Whatever happened to simplifying stuff?

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I did the Microft MCSE networking course back in the 90’s. Forgotten most of it now though. :cry:

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I got through the first part of the MS post, which changed nothing for me - my settings were the same

Then the post moved on to “Test”, at which point, grammatically, the poster lost me … :confused:

Nevertheless, since I already have a “shared” folder, actually my PC “D” drive, I checked my settings and they were the same.

However, when I came to set “share” for the underlying folders/files, a right-click produced a context menu, which then immediately disappeared … :017:

I tried for the “C” drive - same thing … :confused2:

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You should be able to see all your computers on your network and Windows has shared folder without giving anybody access to your User files. I think it is called “Public” in the latest incarnation of Windows and can be seen from your network. Other computers can place files or get files from there but don’t have access to the rest of your computer.

The only thing you have to do is make sure that your computer is visible on the network by turning on “Network discovery”

One thing which people sometimes neglect is to give their computer a unique name because that makes it easier to find and address.

EG on my network it would be \LENOVO-PC…

This also makes it easier to test if you are on the right computer for example.

if %computername%==LENOVO-PC set “BatchName=LenovoPC.bat”

if %computername%==FLEX-NETBOOK set “BatchName=Netbook.bat”

I also find it useful to ‘map’ areas of my servers etc into my main computer so they have a drive number. This enables programs which normally don’t work over a network access them as if they were part of the main computer, it also makes using batch files easier.

You will notice that my main server (BCLWDEX4) has three ‘mapped’ areas on the same machine. You can do this with any computer on your network (in Windows Explorer)

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Well, I seem to have “solved” the problem … :confused2:

IIRC, I used to access files/folders across the network through drive-mapping but the solution seems to have been arrived at by folder-mapping, i.e. coming at the requirement from a different direction … :102:

But … I still had to reboot the two PCs a couple of times before they saw each other … :069:

14

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15

You might have just been a bit too quick to try to look for them. I have found Windows Explorer only finds what is there at the time you start looking it doesn’t seem to update itself later (that might not be the right description but that is the practical outcome).

It updates itself pretty rapidly if you rename a file in a folder you are looking at via another program like Bulk Rename Utility but for networks it seems to play dead once it has done an initial look and it might take a while for all the IPs on on the network to introduce themselves to each other. From my observation even pressing F5 on ‘Network’ doesn’t always work as you’d expect.

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In that case, now that the connections seem to be set, I’ll allow “waiting time”… :slight_smile:

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I tried “waiting time” but still had to re-boot to establish full connectivity:

0930 Switched on Desktop - Laptop folder only found but offline (correct)

1030 Switched on Laptop - Desktop PC not found

1130 Desktop PC - Laptop folder online - copied files from Desktop

1230 Laptop received files OK - Desktop PC still not found, although Desktop printer, Chromecast connection and router had been - re-booted Laptop

1330 - Rebooted Desktop - verified Laptop PC and folder found

1345 - Rebooted Laptop - Desktop PC now found

1400 - All connections now visible

18

Omah!

Can you confirm whether those services, which we had to turn to automatic, are still showing as automatic?

19

Yes, the services are Automatic (Delayed) and Running.

20

Today:

0930 Switched on Desktop - Laptop folder only found but offline (correct)

1030 Switched on Laptop - All connections visible

… and I changed nothing … :017: