Windows 10 Mixed Windows Environment Workgroup Issues

[Paulash]

I work at a small non-profit that is running about 30 computers that range from Windows 7 to Windows 8. We are connected through a multitude of routers as the connections were established piece by piece.

We are trying to set up a Workgroup or anything we can do to try and set up a simple file/print sharing and it hasn't worked. We have discovery turned on, but the population never fully shows up on any of the computers. What steps should we take ? I would really appreciate any help.

Thank you.

 

[ussnorway]

Hi Paulash,

30 computers that range from Windows 7 to Windows 8

So you have no 8.1 or 10 systems* right?

Log into one of the Windows 8 machines with the others all off or at least not on the network and set up a basic homegroup… give the homegroup a simple password (lets say the password is "firephotons" for example) then boot each of the other systems up and join them to this homegroup using the same "firephotons" password.

*Use the highest system to setup the homegroup, so if you do in fact have a 8.1 machine then start with that one because Windows is backwards compatible but not forward.

This will get the systems talking to each other but a workgroup should (by design) only be 10 systems maximum and for anything above that number you are better using a server.

If it MUST be a workgroup then I would split them up into 6 or so smaller five system per set workgroups with a Windows 8 in each set and then have a printer per set controlled by the routers… not ideal but certainly much better than trying to have 30 old systems all yelling for a single printer at once.

 

[Paulash]

We have a couple of machines that are running Windows 10 that we just upgraded recently. The issue we have here is that almost all the machines we have have been donated (we run a soup kitchen that also does some adult ed stuff). Some of them are home premium, some of them are pro. It's all over the place.

Someone created a homegroup at one point, so whenever we try to make one, it says that one has already been created. Is there any way to delete the homegroup and restart?

I really appreciate your help.

Hi Paulash,

So you have no 8.1 or 10 systems* right?

Log into one of the Windows 8 machines with the others all off or at least not on the network and set up a basic homegroup… give the homegroup a simple password (lets say the password is "firephotons" for example) then boot each of the other systems up and join them to this homegroup using the same "firephotons" password.

*Use the highest system to setup the homegroup, so if you do in fact have a 8.1 machine then start with that one because Windows is backwards compatible but not forward.

This will get the systems talking to each other but a workgroup should (by design) only be 10 systems maximum and for anything above that number you are better using a server.

If it MUST be a workgroup then I would split them up into 6 or so smaller five system per set workgroups with a Windows 8 in each set and then have a printer per set controlled by the routers… not ideal but certainly much better than trying to have 30 old systems all yelling for a single printer at once.

 

[ussnorway]

Why does a soup kitchen need 30 computers in a workgroup?

If you can't afford a server then a nas box starts around $200 (2t) and prob the better option... what type of area are we talking here i.e 30 in one room or all over the country in different offices?

Do all the w8 pro machines already have a homegroup or is there one that is blank... if so start there if not then you Must start with a system that is alone i.e they should only say a homegroup is avalable if they can see other machines on the network and removing those other machines from the network (unplug the network cable or just turn those machines off is the normal way) until you have your new homegroup setup.

Window 10 machines;
WX can be a right bitch to homegroup with W7 because it is designed as an upgrade system so tries to keep some of the old system settings and without doing a fresh WX install you will always hit issues... it can be done but I don't recommend it just because they are there. The W7 machines are very old and only support one homegroup at a time but W8 is ok with mutli-homegroups... thats one of the reasions we like to start with the W8 machines.