Windows Networking Woes (Long)

[JonE]

Warning: lengthy so I can provide fullest info and pre-empt need to ask me some of the basic questions.

Following relocation to UK I've been struggling over the past week or so to get an old ASUS laptop and used Surface Go tablet (both recently acquired) happily co-existing on a Private network through a Technicolor DGA0122 (ISP-provided). No MS Account though my local account on each has the same name but no password.

Both machines are now running Windows Home 19044.1766 (not S edition, Surface having a recent clean install & mode switch) and they've had the same twiddles applied in increasing desperation. ASUS sometimes lists itself, Surface and Router as Computers and also recognises as a Media Device the extension disk in router's USB socket acting as DLNA server storage. Kodi on Firestick also auto-discovers this UPnP server and ASUS lists the Firestick as Other Device. The router is also listed as Infrastructure. On the ASUS I can use File Explorer to drill down in shares on Surface and into the router's external Samba-enabled disk - but that's all only when the ASUS feels obliging whereas it usually won't list the Surface or router as Computers

The Surface only ever lists itself and the ASUS as computers (both in the same Workgroup - as is Samba in router's external storage) but sometimes shows the DLNA Server as a media device and the router as Infrastructure. Attempting to drill down in the ASUS in File Explorer gives a 'cannot access' error: 'the network path was not found', 'check spelling' or run diagnostics (which either finds no problem or else encounters 'unexpected error' so the wizard can't continue). Once or twice the Surface allowed the ASUS to be opened in File Explorer to display the shares - but attempting to expand a share prompted a 'you don't have permission' error which, unsurprisingly, also appeared when I mapped it to a drive and attempted to open that drive but a few minutes later trying to open the drive gave the 'location unavailable' error.

Private network profile active with Network Discovery (& auto-setup) turned on - along with File & Printer Sharing. All Networks has Enabled 40/56-bit encryption (just in case) and Password Protected Sharing is turned OFF. Another 'just in case' is enabling SMB1 Client (only) in Windows Features (and disabling Auto Removal) though I doubt the router might be demanding SMBv1.

Services.msc confirms the Function Discovery services are both running. Both are set to Manual start with Resource Publication being Trigger Start. I haven't bothered trying to force Automatic start: the fact they are Running (on both machines) is enough for me at the moment.

No VPN on Surface and the VPN installed on ASUS was only ever fired-up manually as and when needed (on different LAN abroad with different router).

Enabled gpedit on both machines to check: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Lanman Workstation where I configured as enabled 'Enable insecure guest logons'. This should have nil effect as I understand a non-configured setting allows insecure guest logons anyway - but I've become desperate enough to force it.

I found in regedit that: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters did not show AllowInsecureGuestAuth as asserted so altered that. Again, this should have nil effect as Group Policy should supersede local.

I'm sharing the root of the data disk(s) on each machine with Everyone having Full Control Permission. Turning off Firewall for Private Network on both machines makes no difference. Enabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP on the Advanced Properties (WINS) of the WiFi on each machine makes no difference.

Testing is tedious as I have to assume a restart could be necessary and there seems to be a long (but inconveniently variable) delay before each machine lists other kit it might discover on the network (however incompletely). Particularly peeving is when discovered kit disappears from the list during a session - possibly after a sleep(?). Test results can be inconsistent and this is all incredibly messy but doesn't work for me even when made so very 'open' - so any clue would be most welcome. Thanks for reading this far... unless you didn't.

[ReformedCharacter]

No MS Account though my local account on each has the same name but no password.

Try adding passwords.

Sharing a drive without password protection is possible, but it can be finicky.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-share-drives-windows-pc,36936.html

I'd also try sharing subfolders to see if you get any further.

RC

[Itsallaguess]

No MS Account though my local account on each has the same name but no password.

Try adding passwords

Yep - that'd be my first suggestion too...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[Breelander]

....'ve been struggling over the past week or so to get an old ASUS laptop and used Surface Go tablet .... my local account on each has the same name but no password.

...On the ASUS I can use File Explorer to drill down in shares on Surface and into the router's external Samba-enabled disk - but that's all only when the ASUS feels obliging whereas it usually won't list the Surface or router as Computers

The Surface only ever lists itself and the ASUS as computers (both in the same Workgroup - as is Samba in router's external storage) but sometimes shows the DLNA Server as a media device and the router as Infrastructure. Attempting to drill down in the ASUS in File Explorer gives a 'cannot access' error: 'the network path was not found', 'check spelling' or run diagnostics (which either finds no problem or else encounters 'unexpected error' so the wizard can't continue). Once or twice the Surface allowed the ASUS to be opened in File Explorer to display the shares - but attempting to expand a share prompted a 'you don't have permission' error which, unsurprisingly, also appeared when I mapped it to a drive and attempted to open that drive but a few minutes later trying to open the drive gave the 'location unavailable' error.....

I have a network of quite a few PCs, plus an external usb HDD shared out by my router. All my PCs have a folder named Temp that I share out for transferring files between PCs.They can all access each other without issues. Like you, I use the same local account name on each PC and do not have passwords. Adding a password isn't going to change anything for you.

Addressing that last point, there are two sets of permissions you need to set up in order for another PC to access a share on your PC. The first is obviously the Share permission. Less obvious may be the ntfs file permission for the folder being shared. Both share permission and ntfs permissions need to be set such that the user account trying to connect will be granted access. In my case I set the share permission and the file permission for the Temp folder to Everyone: Full control.

The USB shared out by my router requires an SMB1 connection, most such ISP routers with a usb port only support using SMB1, despite it being obsolete. So to access it all my PCs have to have the 'SMB/CIFS 1.0 client' enabled in Windows Features, which is usually disabled by default. I also make sure to turn off the 'SMB/CIFS 1.0 automatic removal'.

The 'SMB/CIFS 1.0 Server' is not necessary and for security should be left disabled. It is only ever required if you need to connect to a share on a Windows 10 PC from a machine running Windows XP or earlier. Even Windows 7 can use SMB2.

On all my PCs I have Password Protected Sharing turned off. See this tutorial.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/498 ... -10-a.html

If you still have problems, see if this tutorial will help.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/111 ... -10-a.html

[JonE]

I have a network of quite a few PCs, plus an external usb HDD shared out by my router. All my PCs have a folder named Temp that I share out for transferring files between PCs.They can all access each other without issues. Like you, I use the same local account name on each PC and do not have passwords.

Thanks to all for responses. I mentioned not using passwords because that's something I want to continue. My previous network (in which the ASUS participated) worked fine without them.

Somewhat surprised that SMBv1 could be required by router. I found documentation on A&A site [1] which mentions Samba file server and printer sharing but doesn't mention version so, since Technicolor doesn't claim higher numbers, one must assume the default to be v1. The USB is stated to be 2.0 but I can live with that even though the external disk has USB3.

As I'd stated, the SMB settings were already exactly as you suggest 'just in case' (prompted by previous network including Linkstation NAS which was SMB1) and Password Protected Sharing was also turned off. There's nothing in the linked tutorials that I hadn't already done. One small variation is that some Services which are running anyway but had Manual start specified have now been set to Automatic start just to ensure I have a defined state which doesn't vary from 'the script' all such tutorials set out.

ReformedCharacter suggested sub-folders and your config involves folders whereas I've been trying to share the root of a drive so I tried sharing folders located in the root - and that worked straightaway! To get the root shared I needed, as you indicated, to change NTFS Permissions on the desired drives (not the system drive on either machine) by adding Everyone on the Security tab of Properties and allowing Full Control. Result! I have no recollection - and no record - of having done that on my previous (mixed) network. Hey, ho.

Cheers!
[1] Visiting the A&A website reminded me of when they announced on the uk.telecom newsgroup that they'd registered aa.nu - a URL matching the brevity of bl.uk and both still working.