PCs can't access / share folders across my network

Oneeasygeezer

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I’m having real problems with my home network which has been in use for the last 20+ years with few problems but since October last year the PCs refuse to allow access to each other and nothing I’ve tried has remedied the problem, access to the internet is unaffected. I am of course set up as the administrator for both PCs.

I have a main PC running Win10 pro, a laptop running Win10 home, and a NAS system, all of which are on a cat 6 Ethernet network. The router has both 2&5 GHz wireless bands named xxxxxxxxxxx2 & xxxxxxxxxxx5. Both PCs can access the NAS with no problem, however the laptop can see the PC but cannot access any of the folders in the drives / partitions all of which are set up for sharing within their individual properties. likewise, the PC can see the laptop but again can’t access any of the folders in its partitions despite them being set up for sharing within their individual properties.

With WI-FI disabled the laptop connects to the private Ethernet network ”xxxxxxxxxxx2” with the sharing options for the private network set to file and printer sharing ON. However, the PC connects to the private Ethernet network “Network 2” ?? with the sharing options for the private network also set to file and printer ON. When trying to access folders/files in either direction I can only access the drive, when selecting the folder / file I require the pointer just reverts to the parent drive, checking the properties of a particular folder I noted it wasn’t showing as shared so to experiment I changed it to shared, this now shows as a separate entity but when selecting it, it states I’m not authorised.

I’ve tried different numerous things including reluctantly trying the different permutations of the above with both AV & Firewall turned off as well as changing network discovery OFF in different combinations, all to no avail. So, after many months of trying to resolve the problem I’ve now given up as the problem is either so simple, I’ve just overlooked it or it’s something I’m obviously out of my depth with.
 
Have you tried creating an account on the PC the same as the account on the laptop? I had to do this to share some stuff with my wife's laptop.
 
These sort of issues are rarely to do with the "network" proper, so I wouldn't expend your energies "worrying" about ethernet, cables, Wi-Fi and so. If you can "see" the servers advertising themselves, then it also suggest you don't have IP addressing issues.

Typically this kind of thing is down to credentials (userids and passwords) on the servers and/or "Permissions" of the relevant Shares and/or Folders and Files. Even in the sort of "open" unsecure systems that SOHO users build, if you access a shares folder over a network then you are notionally accessing using some set of credentails - either present by the workstation (ie Windows) of under the auspices of a "guest" account on the Server.

BY way of diagosis, try accessing your server user interface over the network: If that works, then you knoe it's nothing to do with ethenet, Wi-Fi, routers and IP - ie you've proved "the network" is working correctly. Thence if you still have an issue accessing shared folders, you can be more confident it's a problems with either the sharing protocol, credentais and/or permissions and concentrate your investigations there.
 
Have you tried creating an account on the PC the same as the account on the laptop? I had to do this to share some stuff with my wife's laptop.
Thanks for the suggestion but yes it's the same account on both PCs
 
These sort of issues are rarely to do with the "network" proper, so I wouldn't expend your energies "worrying" about ethernet, cables, Wi-Fi and so. If you can "see" the servers advertising themselves, then it also suggest you don't have IP addressing issues.

Typically this kind of thing is down to credentials (userids and passwords) on the servers and/or "Permissions" of the relevant Shares and/or Folders and Files. Even in the sort of "open" unsecure systems that SOHO users build, if you access a shares folder over a network then you are notionally accessing using some set of credentails - either present by the workstation (ie Windows) of under the auspices of a "guest" account on the Server.

BY way of diagosis, try accessing your server user interface over the network: If that works, then you knoe it's nothing to do with ethenet, Wi-Fi, routers and IP - ie you've proved "the network" is working correctly. Thence if you still have an issue accessing shared folders, you can be more confident it's a problems with either the sharing protocol, credentais and/or permissions and concentrate your investigations there.
Thanks for that Mick that clarifies my thoughts as both PCs can access the router, internet, & NAS, by servers do you mean the router? If so as you say it comes back to permissions on the PCs but I've checked the sharing options for the private network and they're both set to Network discovery ON and file and printer ON, and the permissions of the drive are showing as shared. I'm missing something somewhere but for the life of me I can't find so for the last few months I've been forced to create a folder on the NAS to put files on so I can work on them from the other PC.
 
Windows update 20H2 re enabled password sharing (around October time). Even if it was set to off before. Have you checked in advanced sharing settings?


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...by servers do you mean the router? If

I guess technically "Servers" means any host providing some kind of "service," but in this context I mean your NAS. If you can access the NAS management screens across the network, then it demonstrates the network connectivity is OK and you've got an issue with one (or more) of the services it provides - ie offering shared storage over a network.
 
Both PCs can access the NAS with no problem, however the laptop can see the PC but cannot access any of the folders in the drives / partitions all of which are set up for sharing within their individual properties. likewise, the PC can see the laptop but again can’t access any of the folders in its partitions despite them being set up for sharing within their individual properties.
It can see the PC but can it see the shares?
 
It can see the PC but can it see the shares?
It can see the PCs but not access the shares that's the whole problem despite the fact that the individual drives can be accessed and the folders can be seen I can't open any of the folders to access the files
 
I'm using SMB2 and I've confirmed it's running, I'll try creating new accounts on both machines tonight.
Make sure that they are different on each machine. Eg on machine 1, create account test1. Do not have the same on machine 2
 
Make sure that they are different on each machine. Eg on machine 1, create account test1. Do not have the same on machine 2
I've done as suggested and the only difference is that that despite setting the laptop & PC "Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center\Advanced sharing settings" to network discovery ON and file and printer sharing ON the PC settings revert to OFF no mater what I do??? which I've not seen happen before.
 
Try this

From the search bar type Services.msc

Make sure these services are set to Automatic. I they are not running start them

*DNS Client
*Function Discovery Resource Publication
*SSDP
*UPnP Device Host

Once they are running go to network settings and turn on network discovery and file sharing.

Let us know how that goes.
 
Try this

From the search bar type Services.msc

Make sure these services are set to Automatic. I they are not running start them

*DNS Client
*Function Discovery Resource Publication
*SSDP
*UPnP Device Host

Once they are running go to network settings and turn on network discovery and file sharing.

Let us know how that goes.
I've done as suggested and found one of the services wasn't running and the others were on manual start so I've set them all to automatic as a result the problem with the trying to set the network discovery ON and file and printer sharing ON whereby the PC settings reverted to OFF no mater what I did has now been resolved but the original problem still remains, sorry.
 
Do you share to specific people as per this process
I have, although the process is somewhat different as can be seen from what MS proposes fig.1 and what I have fig.2, I've set permissions for everyone at present to try and resolve the problem but it hasn't made the slightest difference.
 

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Yes the share permissions are fine but what about the file permissions. can you give us a shot of those too please?
 
Well that was interesting I'm logged in on the PC as Pablos and the laptop as Test 2 when I try and assess in either direction the result is the same no access. I then went down the avenue of sharing the link first to the account with the same name on the laptop, again with no access to the file, I then tried with the laptop signed into the test account again with no access pic attached. I just don't understand how access the drive but not the folders if they're' set as shared. For clarification the PC is named Mothership and the laptop Orbiter
 

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Are you not trying to use windows explorer to access the shares, only your browser?
 

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