Home network computers aren't shown in Windows Explorer

Anonymous
2018-06-24T06:56:05+00:00

I have two laptops A and B. They were connected wirelessly through my router on a HomeGroup and it worked fine. In the latest Win 10 upgrade the HomeGroup has been deleted and since then I have had terrible trouble connecting them.

I hibernate the laptops each night. When I open them in the morning, Laptop A can see and access laptop B in the Network folder of Windows Explorer. But laptop B doesn't always see laptop A and I can't get it to see it (not even by putting \laptopnamein the address bar).

Sometimes laptop B does show laptop A but when I try to access it I get a 'Windows can't connect" message.

I have tried all the sharing, credential and other options to make sure they are all consistent - nothing changes.

The ONLY way I have found for laptop B to access A is to restart laptop B (NOT A). Then it will automatically connect to A.

How do I get back to the old HomeGroup system of both computers accessing one another automatically when I wake them up?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-07-03T10:38:44+00:00

    Brilliant! The MAC addresses have to have : not - between the figures. Thanks for that.

    I now have a reasonable network arrangement - it remains to be seen whether it stays that way. I will let you know.

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  2. Pauli O 16,380 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-07-03T09:22:25+00:00

    When you enter MAC addresses did you use - or : between digits 24-0A-64-B0-32-85 or  24:0A:64:B0:32:85 ?

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  3. Pauli O 16,380 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-07-03T02:51:19+00:00

    Reading those last postings I realize that I have wrongly understand that you have to set IP's to static because that is required by your mobile hotspot, which lead me to wrong track.

    Sorry for that miss understanding.

    In some users (like myself) keeping router on pure DHCP and disabling IPv6 has been helped, but I see form previous postings that you have already try that(?).

    There should be some kind of table on your router (DHCP) settings like I have on my old router. By clicking button "Manual Assignment" that router remember which IP-address belong to each MAC address. (Even while this IPv6 trick work for me  didn't put my router back to full automatic and that's just laziness.)

    New routers / modems may remember this automatic and no changed required.

    Have you look your router manual for IP-assignment?

    Which is branch and model of your router? 

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-07-02T10:17:09+00:00

    So, if you are getting IP addresses now automatically again then check if you are now getting always the same IP address for each PC. Login to the router web interface and check what it says. Usually, there is an option to tell the device to always assign the same IP address to the same MAC address. If you cannot assure that anything beyond this point is moot. You have to first be sure that this works.

    And don't try to apply advice for different problems to the wrong problem.

    Now, if you can assure you get always the same IP address for each PC: What do you want to do after this point exactly? Not just "access the other PC", please.

    Don't turn off the modem/router!

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  5. Pauli O 16,380 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-06-30T02:27:37+00:00

    I have two suggestions:

    1. Keep all PC's in dynamic addressing and setup your router DHCP so that each PC's MAC address is bind to one IP-address this way PC's IP never change and hosts file can be used.
    2. Try this new trick: Keep all PC's in dynamic addressing, but disable IPv6 from all PC's NIC/Wi-Fi adapters. No need for changes to router, no need for hosts file.

    One another user here have found this same, and some users are already reported that this is working: I did this and restore original hosts file back and network is still running.

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