Windows 7 Homegroup Issue

[Steelchampion]

Hello!

I've recently installed Windows 7 on my 2 machines at home.

I had a few teething problems (as expected) but I've managed to sort everything out.

My only problem now is that my other machine just does not want to join this machine's homegroup. I've tried alot of things, and tried everything the troubleshooter has to offer, including the web time synchronization, to no avail.

I suspect it may be because of the way I have my network set up - Each machine does not connect directly to the router. I have this machine which connects to the router, and I have the other machine which connects to this machine (the motherboard has 2 sockets for network cables) which enables it to connect to the internet and my network etc so long as this machine is switched on.

I would appreciate any advice - thanks in advance!

P.S. I have no yellow exclamation marks in my device manager, and I have attatched my dxdiag just in case.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're facing difficulties setting up a homegroup between your two machines running Windows 7, especially due to the network topology where one machine connects indirectly through the other to the network and internet. Here are a few troubleshooting steps and suggestions to help you resolve this issue: 1. Network Connectivity: - Make sure that both machines are on the same network and subnet. - Check the network settings on both machines to ensure they are configured correctly for the same workgroup. 2. Firewall and Antivirus: - Disable the firewall temporarily on both machines to see if it allows the homegroup to be established. - Ensure that any antivirus software is not blocking the homegroup setup. 3. Services: - Check that the necessary services are running: - Go to "Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services" and make sure that the "HomeGroup Listener" and "HomeGroup Provider" services are running. 4. HomeGroup Password: - Ensure that the password you are using to join the homegroup is correct. You might need to recreate the homegroup from scratch to generate a new password. 5. Network Discovery: - Enable network discovery on both machines: - Go to "Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings" and make sure that network discovery is turned on. 6. Network Location: - Verify that the network location is set to Home or Work, not Public. - You can change this setting in "Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings". 7. Direct Connection: - If possible, try connecting the second machine directly to the router temporarily to see if it can join the homegroup in that configuration. This will help determine if the indirect connection is causing the issue. 8. File and Printer Sharing: - Ensure that file and printer sharing is enabled on both machines to allow them to communicate with each other. You mentioned attaching your dxdiag file. If you could please upload that file, it may provide additional insights into the system configurations that could help in troubleshooting this issue further.