Windows 11 - Windows 7 file sharing

I just recently ran into this problem trying to access a windows 7 network shared drive using a windows 11 computer. This happened after the following updates KB5077181, KB5066131, KB5071430, KB5050575.

In Command Prompt in Admin mode. type in the following:

net use \\NetworkDriveIP /user:win7name\username password (assuming you have an user account on the windows 7 shared drive folder)

ex:

net use \\192.168.16.3 /user:OFFICE-PC\Mike Password

if it works you will get a message

The Command completed successfully

if it's successful and everything else has failed do the following:

Windows Key + R

type

secpol.msc

go to

Local policies --> security options

Find

Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (always) = Disabled

Find

Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications(if server agrees) = Enabled

Reboot the PC.

This worked for me, and I will have to upgrade the windows 7 shared drive and turn this back on at another time.

Thanks but I have tried all you suggested. I suspect there must be some differences in the registry entries of the two Windows 7 computers. Can you tell me which entries apply to networks so I can check and compare?

Hello pdtex,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Here are some steps you could try to troubleshoot:

1. Make sure that network discovery and file sharing are turned on. You can check this by going to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings.
2. Since you're using Windows 7, check if the HomeGroup settings are correctly configured. Go to Control Panel > HomeGroup and make sure that the computer is part of the same HomeGroup as the other computers.
3. Ensure that the firewall on the problematic Windows 7 computer is not blocking file sharing. You can temporarily disable the firewall to see if it resolves the issue. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall > Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
4. Verify that all computers are on the same network and have valid IP addresses. You can check the IP address by opening Command Prompt and typing ipconfig.
5. Double-check the sharing settings and permissions for the folders you want to share. Right-click the folder, select Properties, go to the Sharing tab, and ensure that the folder is shared with the correct permissions.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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