folder sharing issue with small workgroup of Win10 and Win11 PCs

Question

hi there

first of all, I am not a beginner… I work with Windows since it exists, have many MS certifications and managed huge Windows environments with many thousands PCs.

Anyway, I am stucking!

I have a small training environment for elderly people. I have 5 PCs, named PC1 to PC5, all dual boot with Win10 and Win11. They have the same name, no matter which Win booted. All are in the same network and in the same workgroup.

I created on each PC a specific folder to share it with the group, with read/write access for everyone.

In principle it works, but I never can see on any PC the other 4. For example I see on PC1 the folder of PC3 and 5, on PC2 I see PC3 and 4, etc… , and when I simply press the reload button in the file explorer (the round arrow), then it changes, I see on each PC another set of shared folders. Rarely I see them all or none, but usually some are missing. There seems no logic, it changes all few minutes.

I went through all settings again and again, started 4 suggested services automatically as I found in a few articles. I am at the end… I have no clue, what else to search for.

Any hint is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hello there,

There are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the problem. Here's a guide to help you address the issue:

Check Network Discovery and File Sharing Settings:

Ensure that Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing are turned on for all PCs within the workgroup. These settings can be found in the "Network and Sharing Center" or the "Network & Internet" settings.

Verify Workgroup Name:

Confirm that all PCs are part of the same workgroup. The workgroup name should be the same across all computers. You can change the workgroup name in the system properties.

Check Firewalls and Security Software:

Firewalls and security software can sometimes block network sharing. Temporarily disable them to see if they are causing the issue. If disabling solves the problem, adjust the firewall settings to allow file sharing.

Share Folders with Correct Permissions:

When sharing folders, ensure that you've set appropriate permissions for both sharing and security. Give "Read" or "Read/Write" permissions as needed.

Use UNC Paths:

When accessing shared folders, use the UNC (Uniform Naming Convention) path instead of relying on the computer's name. For example, use \computername\sharedfolder to access the shared folder.

Check User Accounts and Credentials:

Ensure that the user accounts used to access the shared folders have the necessary permissions on both the sharing and receiving computers. You might need to enter credentials if prompted.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

Hope this resolves your Query !!

--If the reply is helpful, please Upvote and Accept it as an answer--

Answer 2

hi there

thanks… but I really expected a better answer.

I did not try „Check Firewalls and Security Software:“ and I will do that in the coming days.

All the others do not make sense, if the issue would come from any of them, it would not work at all, but for sure it would not work one minute and not anymore 5min later.

If file sharing is switched off, it would never work. If I would use an account without access privileges, it would never work. If I would use different workgroups, it would never work. If the computer name would be an issue, it would never work.

I will let you know the outcome of switching off the firewall and defender…

Thanks