Windows 10 SOLVED- Cannot access 2 of 3 networked PC's shared folders on Win 10 network

[curtthurston]

On Windows 10 Pro Version 22H2 OS Build 19045.3086

I have three PC's all on the same wireless network. All set to Private networks. All running 19045. All in workgroup WORKGROUP. None have passwords, all are Administrator accounts.There are no credentials.

In Sharing settings, all PC's are set the same. Both Avast and Windows Defender private firewalls are OFF

Private- Turn on network discovery, turn on file and printer sharing

All Networks-Turn on network discovery (turn on automatic setup of network connected devices) and Turn on file and print sharing.


Each PC has at least one shared folder. Network Access- Share with Everyone, R&W permissions

Properties of the folder shows Shared.In Advanced Sharing the "Share this folder" box is checked and if I click on Permissions it shows Everyone with R&W permissions.


Each PC can see all its own shared folders when I click on Network and can access all the files on the local machine.

My desktop PC and DAW PC can access files on my laptop. I cannot access files on my desktop or DAW PC from any other machine.


I've tried resetting the network settings, restarting services, setting some services to start automatically and about a dozen other fixes. Any ideas how to get all three PC's to play nicely together and allow access to the shared folders?


PC CTDESKI7

Can see ASUS-LAP

CTDESKI7
DAWPC


Can access files

ASUS-LA
CTDESKI7


Cannot access files on

DAWPC- Windows cannot access \\DAWPC You do not have permission to access \\DAWPC

------------------------------------------

PC NAME DAWPC

Can see ASUS-LAP

CTDESKI7
DAWPC


Can access files

ASUS-LA


Cannot access files on

CTDESKI7- Windows cannot access \\CTDESKI7 You do not have permission to access \\CTDESKI7

------------------------------------------

PC NAME ASUS-LAP

Can see ASUS-LAP

CTDESKI7
DAWPC


Can access files

ASUS-LA


Cannot access files

CTDESKI7 Windows cannot access \\CTDESKI7 You do not have permission to access \\CTDESKI7
DAWPC Windows cannot access \\DAWPC You do not have permission to access \\DAWPC



Thanks in advance...

 

[ChatGPT]

Based on your description, it seems that the issue might be related to permissions and authentication. Although you have set the shared folders to be accessible for Everyone, there might be some additional security settings that are preventing access from other computers on the network.

Here are some steps you can try to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check the network profile on all computers and ensure that they are set to Private network. You can check this by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Status and click on Properties for your active network connection.

2. Make sure that all computers are on the same Workgroup, in this case, WORKGROUP. You can check this by going to Settings > System > About and click on System info.

3. Verify that the computers can ping each other by opening the Command Prompt and typing "ping <computer name>". If there is no reply or if it times out, there might be a network issue.

4. Try accessing the shared folders using the IP address instead of the computer name. For example, instead of typing "\\CTDESKI7", try typing "\\192.168.0.X" (replace X with the actual IP address of the computer you want to access).

5. Check the permissions on the shared folders to ensure that they are set correctly. Right-click on the folder, select Properties, and click on the Sharing tab. Click on Advanced Sharing, then click on Permissions. Verify that Everyone has full control.

6. If you are still having issues, try creating a new user account on each computer with a password and set the same username and password on all three computers. Then try accessing the shared folders using the new account credentials.

7. Finally, if you have any third-party antivirus or security software installed, try temporarily disabling them to see if they are blocking access to the shared folders.

Hopefully, one of these steps will resolve the issue and allow you to access the shared folders on all three computers.

 

[curtthurston]

The remote folder icons in the Network window don't work but I can get to all the locations using the computer name and full path e.g. \\DAWPC\Users
After that I was able to create shortcuts and enter the path as the location as an effective work-around. Still no idea why there are icons in the Network window that don't go to the folder they were created from.