{"id":151482,"date":"2026-03-24T00:05:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T04:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/?p=151482"},"modified":"2026-03-24T00:05:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T04:05:46","slug":"my-struggles-setting-up-a-windows-11-home-network-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/my-struggles-setting-up-a-windows-11-home-network-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"My Struggles Setting Up A Windows 11 Home Network &#8211; Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"daves-1547162878\" class=\"daves-single-post-before-content daves-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7205184075006101\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7205184075006101\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"2700504761\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"false\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><p>I&#8217;ve been struggling with Windows home networking for longer than I can remember, with most results being hit and miss, which is not how I usually experience computing. It either works or it doesn&#8217;t, and when it fails, it&#8217;s usually due to a user setting. But lately it could be down to Windows updates, at least according to my research. So many times I&#8217;ve thrown my arms in the air with home networking, but this time I decided to go full hooligan mode, so please bear with me. I was inspired to go one step further by fellow author Terry&#8217;s articles <a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/how-to-set-up-a-home-network\/\">How To Set Up A Home Network<\/a> (2022) and <a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/how-to-fix-network-error-in-windows\/\">How To Fix Network Error In Windows<\/a> (2019), where he experienced the same connection problems as I have, and illustrated by these quotes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;One thing I noticed on my system is that it doesn\u2019t stick.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And yes, you will have trouble, this is Microsoft after all. <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"emoji\" role=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f642.svg\" alt=\"&#x1f642;\" \/> I still have problems with my network. Just a few days ago it completely vanished. My Gateway desktop comes and goes and I still can\u2019t print through one of my laptops.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Home Networking Three PCs<\/h2>\n<p>This <em>should<\/em> be a very simple task in Windows when the following conditions are met:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Same version of Windows (not obligatory, but it helps)<\/li>\n<li>Same workgroup name &#8211; Workgroup is the default<\/li>\n<li>Same network profile &#8211; public or private (recommended)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In my example, I&#8217;m networking three computers running Windows 11 25H2 (OS Build 26200.8037) with each connected to the router by cable. For the sake of simplicity, I&#8217;ve given them short names, and in this schematic, they are A, B, and C.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-151489\" src=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-640x427.jpeg\" alt=\"home-network\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-640x427.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-350x233.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-150x100.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network.jpeg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On each computer, I&#8217;ve created a shared folder on one of the drives simply called &#8216;Share&#8217; &#8211; it&#8217;s <strong>not recommended to share an entire drive<\/strong>, and I won&#8217;t go into how to share folders here or how to set up a home network because I would simply be repeating what Terry has written in the articles posted above.<\/p><div id=\"daves-3603298670\" class=\"daves-single-post-in-content daves-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7205184075006101\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7205184075006101\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"2700504761\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"false\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-151492\" src=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder-640x315.jpg\" alt=\"shared-folder\" width=\"640\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder-640x315.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder-350x172.jpg 350w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder-150x74.jpg 150w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder-768x378.jpg 768w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shared-folder.jpg 977w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Each of my three computers is in a Private network and the same workgroup, named Workgroup.<\/p>\n<h2>Partial Success!<\/h2>\n<p>On initial setup, A was able to access C and vice versa, so that&#8217;s a result. Once I had finished setting up B, C was able to access B, but not vice versa. In fact, B returned the network error message when trying to access A and C.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/network-error.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-151493\" src=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/network-error.png\" alt=\"network-error\" width=\"522\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/network-error.png 522w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/network-error-350x156.png 350w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/network-error-150x67.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you hit <em>diagnose<\/em>, nothing happens, thanks to Microsoft, so you&#8217;re better off talking to the cat. To simplify my current home network communication, I&#8217;ve updated the schematic as follows:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-151495\" src=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic-640x427.jpg\" alt=\"home-network-schematic\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/home-network-schematic.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So, A-Ryzen5700 and C-Ryzen-TV have no problems talking to each other, and C-Ryzen-TV can access the shared folder on B-Ryzen5600G, which I found odd since A cannot access B and B cannot access A or C.<\/p><div id=\"daves-2055777541\" class=\"daves-single-post-in-content-2 daves-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7205184075006101\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7205184075006101\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"2700504761\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"false\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Still with me?<\/p>\n<h2>Double And Treble Check The Settings<\/h2>\n<p>Clearly, my home network has met the requirements because A and C are talking to each other and C is talking to B, but B inexplicably is not returning the favour. Neither can A talk to B, so there must be something amiss, which is where we don our Sherlock Holmes hats.<\/p>\n<p>One would have thought that turning on <strong>Network Discovery<\/strong>, <strong>File and Print Sharing<\/strong>, and the same <strong>workgroup<\/strong> and <strong>profile<\/strong> would be enough. But what&#8217;s puzzling me is why C can access B but not vice versa, and B will have nothing to do with A, yet flirts with C, but only one way. I followed Terry&#8217;s guides to the letter, even delving into Services, Turning Windows Features On and Off, and trying CMD to bring up the IP address of B from A with no luck. But B would have nothing to do with me and threw up the totally useless network error message shown above. Further, when trying to access B from A, I&#8217;m not being asked for credentials, which is a kind of hint because, even though I turned off password-protected sharing in Settings, I felt that playing with passwords would eventually have to be tackled.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-151504\" src=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings-640x428.jpg\" alt=\"sharing-settings\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings-640x428.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings-350x234.jpg 350w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sharing-settings.jpg 1021w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There is a cheat that can be used by editing the Local Group Policy Editor, allowing insecure Guest access\/logons. I tried it and was able to log on all the way around as a guest with no password. But that doesn&#8217;t solve the problem, and it&#8217;s highly insecure. I DO NOT recommend that course of action.<\/p><div id=\"daves-2135526494\" class=\"daves-single-post-in-content-3 daves-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7205184075006101\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7205184075006101\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"2700504761\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"false\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Down The Rabbit Hole<\/h2>\n<p>There are thousands of guides available that aim to fix most of these issues, and I found <a href=\"https:\/\/support.mkstechnology.com\/support\/solutions\/articles\/8000118411-can-t-access-shared-folders-or-map-network-drives-from-windows-10-and-11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this one<\/a> most helpful. However, there&#8217;s a danger of disappearing down several holes and playing whack-a-mole, which is what happened to me, so I&#8217;ll continue this odyssey in Part Two.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<div id=\"daves-71532585\" class=\"daves-after-content daves-entity-placement\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7205184075006101\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7205184075006101\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"3225321574\" \ndata-ad-format=\"autorelaxed\" data-full-width-responsive=\"false\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ve been struggling with Windows home networking for longer than I can remember, with most results being hit and miss, which is not how I usually experience computing. It either works or it doesn&#8217;t, and when it fails, it&#8217;s usually due to a user setting. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1640,"featured_media":151507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,931,10797],"tags":[11599],"class_list":["post-151482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hardware","category-no-category-selected","category-win11","tag-home-network"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davescomputertips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}