Do you have a router in this network? If so, the router is dynamically assigning ip addresses that are not the same as in your hosts file. I battled this problem for weeks until I changed routers and entered the ip and MAC address in the routers static addresses list. Problem gone!

On the win 10 system go to Network and View Network Properties. Is the Ipv4 address the same as in your host file? If not then this is your problem. You should be able to view the properties in the win 7 system the same way.

I have Windows 10 1809 with no Homegroup anywhere. I've enabled all the requisite services and done all the advanced sharing setup. The IP address of my Windows 7 computer is included in both the hosts and lmhosts files, and I can see the Windows 7 computer in the network browser. I cannot access it, receiving a "the network path was not found" error. I can ping the W7 computer using either IP address or computer name, but if I try to use net view to see its shares I get a "The network path was not found" message. What am I missing?

Here is short description how I get my network sharing work with Windows 10 v1803.

(I haven't never use Homegroup so I start directly from step 2.)

1. Only for those PC's which are still using Windows 10 v1709 or older:

    Disconnect from non-existing Homegroup if you have used it.

2.1. All PC's: Check Network profile and Network discovery and Share settings

Sometimes this selection to change between Private and Public network profile is missing from Settings / Networks page. In that case profile must change by PowerShell. Right Click Windows Icon (Start button) and open PowerShell (Admin) and use following commands to get interface index number and change profile to Private (or Public):

Get-NetConnectionProfile

Set-NetConnectionProfile -InterfaceIndex <index number> -NetworkCategory Private

2.2. All PC's: Check Network Discovery and Share settings

https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/f7770a4f-8e37-48c9-a436-2fe4e8e12ca0?platform=QnA

3. All PC's: Set Start type to Automatic and start following services that allow PC's to be visible on Network. (Reboot.)

   Push Win Key and type "Services", locate these services.

   - Function Discovery Provider Host

   - Function Discovery Resource Publication

   - SSDP Discovery

• UPnP Device Host

4. Setting shares.

4.1. Check your current shares.

Open file explorer and type \localhost to address bar to see what shares are made in this computer.

![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/d9a66593-0cd1-499b-908f-36a6854f27c1?platform=QnA

4.2. Create new share (here I use folder "Test"). 

(Setting "Turn on sharing so anyone …" in Step 2.2.  make share for folders in C:\Users automatic.)

Folder is now shared and Network share path is: \PCNAME\Test

4.3. Safe way to share folders.

Create user account to all users on your network to whom you want to give access to shared resources.

Use same user ID and password which they have on their own computers.

Right click "Test" and open Properties and select Security tab to see current settings.

Default security settings are shown in next picture.

Those settings allow access to shared folder(s) only for those users who have user ID on that computer.

4.4.  Sharing folder "Test" to Everyone" (Very unsafe setting! Think carefully do you need to select this!)

If you want that everyone have access to that share then go to Security tab and:

• Click Edit
• On Permission dialog click Add.
• New dialog open and you can add "Everyone" to that list https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/c1f22caa-ec01-4f49-8c76-01b18ed8061f?platform=QnA

• When back to Permissions dialog select which rights you want to give to "Everyone".

Now anyone on your home network should have access to shared folders without credentials or having user account on your computer.

5. Now when click Network on File Explorer all your PC's should be visible in Computer and Network sections.

This should be cover the essentials to sharing your data over local network. This share is not limited to C:\Users folder, every folder can be handled like shown in steps 4.

Now your PC's should visible, but if not then try to reset all network settings:

Go to Settings / Network & Internet / Status, scroll down to find "Network reset, on next window click "Reset  Now" button.

It will takes about 5 min to perform this reset and then PC reboot automatic.

When you sing in first time you get notification something like "Do you want your PC to be access by other computers", click Yes for that.

If you get error message "Windows cannot access \PC_NAME" when you try to connect shared folders then continue to step 6.

6. There is some bug on Windows 10 1803 and because of that PC's can't always connect to each other by Name.

If you get error "\PCNAME path not found" you can solve this by adding your PC's and IP-addresses to hosts file.

6.1 New routers (or modems) may have feature to remember which IP-addresses are assign to each device, but with older routers (or modems) you have to check that your router or modem is set give predefined IP-addresses linked to each PC's MAC-address.

This way PC's will get same IP-address every time when it ask IP-address form router (or modem) DHCP-server.

There should be some kind of list of PC names with MAC addresses and given IP-addresses of each connected PC. 

Picture show that list on my router. In my case with old router I had to select manual assignment  in each line. 

6.2. Add all PC's IP-addresses and Names to hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts). 

You can check your IP-address and PC's name by opening command prompt (CMD)

For IP-address type command: ipconfig you get line like this: IPv4 Address ………. 192.168.100.101

For PC name type command:  hostname

Write down IP-address and Name of each PC and add those to that hosts file.

To edit copy hosts file to some another location, right click it and use notepad to edit and save it. Replace original file with edited file. Because hosts file is located on system folder replace will ask administrators rights to perform it.

localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.

# 127.0.0.1             localhost

# ::1                        localhost

192.168.100.101  PC1   # Ethernet  

   192.168.100.102  PC2   # Ethernet

   192.168.100.202  PC2   # Wi-Fi

Thank you so much. I have been trying to solve this most evenings for a month. I was the section 6 part that worked after trying so many things. I have been solving problems with computers for 35 years now and this was the first time I thought I might have to get someone else to have a look at it. When it just worked after a month of trying everyone in the house new about it. To say I'm happy is an understatement. Now I can get back on with my life. You are the business.

I use .bat programs to do my backups.  A number of the Windows 10 updates have changed the NET commands.  DOS based networking (WorkGroup) use netbios support.  As referenced above;         -Function Discovery Provider Host

   - Function Discovery Resource Publication

   - SSDP Discovery

• UPnP Device Host

were disabled in one of the Win 10 upgrades. 

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-access-files-network-devices-using-smbv1-windows-10

gives some information on why the recent update affected using a Homegroup.  I searched SMBV1.  I couldn't find any information on how to continue using NET commands without SMBV1.  This posting is only to give some information on why.  Pauli O's post is very complete and useful.

There is another option here.

Essentially, homegroup no longer exists between Windows 10 1803 and other releases.  The answer is to shut down homegroup completely and open up sharing on your older machines differently.

See: Description Here

Over the long run I would not count on any solution that continues to prop up homegroup.