windows is now saying I don't have permission to access a network drive I use daily.

Microsoft has never gotten this right and they never will. I mean no disrespect, but when you see anyone reply to a problem that says that they are a Windows certified this or that, or a Microsoft this or that, they NEVER EVER help. Ignore what they say and avoid their links to lengthy articles. You all know I am right!

I've been using windows for over 20 years and I still have the same problem.

Why do they make file and printer sharing over a home ethernet network so difficult?

Maybe they could work a little harder on it they could make it absolutely impossible.

Thanks much for your reply, Gerald (and others). Actually, beyond a most basic entry level suggestion, I haven't received anything even slightly helpful from Microsoft. I have just learned to live with the problem.

This is really annoying. Network sharing works one day on two PC's with fully up to date W10 PRO then doesn't work the next day... I just wanna transfer some files I'm working on. but instead have to spend time and energy to do these gymnastics of diagnosing what is wrong every single time: to deal with network sharing missing some permissions or something. Often postponing work because I just cannot RE-START PC X-times a day to re-apply settings I've ALREADY set after hours of searching the internet to get network file share to work at all in the first place.

Then all of a sudden, after days and hours of additional searching about the issue on the internet, I touch or re-apply a random setting that is supposedly already set and somehow things start to work again. Well partially at least.

For example. Just yesterday I wanted to share a 4th folder from computer A. Nope - No permission when i try to access from computer B.

So today I go directly into the folder: network->desktop->folder 4 and I re-apply permissions... Voila. Today it Works. For now.

To resolve above issue I yesterday messed with some casual sharing settings - nothing worked, then I supposedly REVERTED the settings back cause nothing resolved the above issue, but guess what: Upon reverting to old settings that used to work at least partially, I then lost totall access. I could not even see either PC on the network, Still I cannot access computer B from computer A... -> have to go re-assign the workgroup -> restart...

Microsoft has never gotten this right and they never will. I mean no disrespect, but when you see anyone reply to a problem that says that they are a Windows certified this or that, or a Microsoft this or that, they NEVER EVER help. Ignore what they say and avoid their links to lengthy articles. You all know I am right!

You are stop on!

As a retired IT technical professional for 30 years, I can tell you that almost all support reps. don't actually read what you write, or they can't comprehend what you wrote. Therefore, they scramble back to their scripts and pull something or anything out to send you.

These support reps are not actually IT technical people. They are script readers trying desperately to match what you wrote to their script. BTW, be EXTREMELY careful when a support rep tells you to do something that doesn't sound right. I had one tell me to reformat my drive and reinstall windows. It turns out that it was a problem in the registry. I fixed it and everything was OK again. It's also very possible that you know more about your pc than the rep does. Look for folks that have solved the problem and be very careful taking advice from a post that is ancient. Noone ever goes back to delete those posts.