Network Problems After Latest Windows Update

Question

Has anyone had network problems following the latest update to Windows 11.

Prior to the update I had a rock solid home network with 2 PCs.

Immediately after the update I was back to an old problem of continually being asked for Windows Credentials to access PC-B and its shares from PC-A.

PC-A can be accessed from PC-B with no problems.

I use my Microsoft account to login to both PCs, so the username, password, and PIN, are the same on both.

Any advice on what the update could have done, and a suggested fix, would be much appreciated.

UpDate - I can now see both PCs on the network and they can access each other. One peculiarity is that PC-B requires a different Windows Credential to PC-A. PC-A requires my windows username and windows account password, whereas PC-B requires C:\Users\Username and my windows account password.

Can anyone state what exactly a Windows Credential should be? Password protected sharing is turned off, so why it continually asks for a password is a mystery.

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Windows update ***

Answer 1

Hello,

windows 11 requires credentials by default for guest users to access shared files, and because insecure guest logins are not authenticated, important security features such as SMB signing and SMB encryption are disabled.If you do not want to access the shared file by logging in with a user and password. I recommend that you use Registry Editor to enable Insecure guest login, see the following steps:

1. Open Registry Editor. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\LanmanWorkstation.

Note: If the key does not exist, you need to create it. Hold down the "Windows" key (right-click), select "New" > "Key" and name the switch "LanmanWorkstation".

2. Hold down the "LanmanWorkstation" key (right-click), select "New" > "DWORD (32-bit) Value" and name it "AllowInsecureGuestAuth". Double-click, set "Value Data" to "1", and press Enter.

Note If you modify the registry incorrectly, you can cause serious problems. So, follow these steps carefully. For additional protection, back up the registry before modifying it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see Backing up and restoring the registry in Windows.

Best Reagrds

Zunhui

Answer 2

Hi Zunhui

I see in your screenshot that you have a properties tab named NFS Sharing, this does not appear on any of my folder's properties.

Regarding the Windows Credentials question, should it be;

A - C:\Users<UserName> and Windows Login Password, or

B - Windows Login Name and Windows Login Password

Is the PC's Username stored in a registry location?

Best Regards

Answer 3

Thanks for the reply and the suggested solution.

I have now resolved the problem by using System Restore to roll back Windows 11 Pro to before the update. I also paused updates to prevent any updating before I had assessed the situation. I also removed the Windows Credentials for the PCs.

I use my Microsoft Account to login to my PCs, so they have identical Windows Login Name and Password, and C:\Users<Username> is also the same.

The networked PCs now saw each other but asked for Windows Credentials when I tried to access the shares.

The credentials required for PC-A to access PC-B was C:\Users<UserName>, and Windows Password, and the one required for PC-B to access PC-A was Windows Login Name and Password. Why the difference, I have no idea.

The PC settings are:

SMB - OFF

Services: DNS Client - Auto - Running, FDPHost - Auto - Running, FDRP - Manual(Trigger Start) - Running, SSDP - Auto - Running

Workgroup name is the same.

Network Settings: Private, Discovery - On, File and Printer Sharing - On, Public Folder Sharing - Off, Password Protection - Off.

It would be nice if someone would actually define what a Windows Credential should be, because, on this forum alone, there are many, many, questions on the subject of simple home networking, and loads, and loads, of different solutions offered.

Answer 4

Hello,

The credentials usually entered are the username and password of the other computer when it is turned on, unless you use other credentials to map the shared drive. In addition, I recommend that you check whether the share permissions and Ntfs permissions in the shared folders on both computers are consistent.

Best Reagrds

Zunhui