Windows 7 Homegroup creator not seen by other homegroup PC's

[areamike]

Hello,

I have been googling this issue for a while now and searching these forums but have not found a solution.

I have 4 computers all running Windows 7 64bit Ultimate. They have all been part of the same Homegroup for a while now and have worked fine. They all run the same Avast Free antivirus and Windows Firewall is OFF on all computers. They all have the same network and sharing settings.

As of today though, the main computer that created the homegroup cannot see any other homegroup computers and none of the 3 other homegroup computers can see the main homegroup PC.

Even if I leave the homegroup and then re-join, the homegroup wizard sees the main PC with the homegroup available to join, prompts me for password and joins, yet I still cannot see the main homegroup PC.

Things I have tried.
1. Ran Homegroup troubleshooter on all 4 computers.
2. Turned off/on/off/on Network Discovery on all 4 computers
3. Left/joined/left/joined homegroup on all 4 computers
4. Left homegroup on main computer and recreated it, then rejoined with reaming 3 computers.
5. Stood on my head and tried all of the above while meditating.

Also, I can ping the main homegroup PC and it can ping other PC's. The underlying issue is the mian homegroup PC that created the homegroup cannot see any other homegroup computers and none of those three can see that one.

Any ideas?

EDIT:
I also tried eliminating the homegroup completely and just making all the PC's public, but it's the same result. The one "main" PC can't see any other computers on the network and they canoot see it.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you've gone through quite a bit of troubleshooting already. The issue you're facing with Homegroup and network visibility can be frustrating, but there are a few more steps we can take to try and resolve this. Here are some additional steps you can try to troubleshoot the issue with your Windows 7 Homegroup setup: 1. Check Workgroup Settings: - Ensure that all computers are in the same workgroup. You can check and change the workgroup settings under Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings > Computer Name. 2. Network Location: - Make sure that the network location is set to "Home" for all computers. This can be found in the Network and Sharing Center. 3. Check Services: - Check that the Function Discovery Provider Host and Function Discovery Resource Publication services are running. You can do this by typing services.msc in the Run dialog and looking for these services. 4. Firewall and Antivirus: - Temporarily disable the antivirus and firewall on all computers to see if there are any restrictions caused by them. 5. Network Sharing Settings: - Double-check the network sharing settings on all computers to ensure that file and printer sharing is enabled. 6. Check TCP/IP Settings: - Verify that the computers have correct TCP/IP settings and are in the same IP subnet. 7. Restart Router: - Sometimes, restarting the router can help resolve network connectivity issues. 8. Restart Homegroup Services: - Restart the Homegroup Provider and Homegroup Listener services on all computers. You can do this through the Services window. 9. Update Network Drivers: - Ensure that network drivers on all computers are up to date. Outdated drivers can sometimes cause network issues. Try the above steps and see if any of them help in resolving the problem. If the issue persists, feel free to provide more details, and we can explore further solutions.