Can't access the other Windows 11 computers on my home network

Don, Please see my comment just below yours, it sounds just like my problem, and I fixed it with https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-fix-network-error-0x80070035-on-windows-11/9a22d852-a1b9-421a-8a59-eace7ab970eb option 5. Good luck!

Good afternoon, Michael:

I have wrestled with this problem for weeks... tried everything offered to no avail. I was about to go back to Win 10 and face the lack of support!

Fortunately, just yesterday, I found this "answer" via ChatGPT. had already done all but the last two steps with no success. I skipped the Registry modification and used the PowerShell steps. Voila and Hallelujah. Finally.

So, thank you for your response and taking the time to notify me.

Don C

Glad you got it working, but what you’ve done by using Method 5 is remove any security.

The real issue to this problem is that Microsoft have not fixed a LONG LONG standing bug where if you save connection credentials to one PC on your local area network but have different credentials to another PC on the same network, you end up not being able to access resources. There is no way to use different credentials across PCs/shares as Win11 doesn’t provide for it (no prompt, nothing).

The work around that will still ensure “security” is to make sure the user account used across all your local area network clients/PCs has exactly the same user credentials.

There are other options to work around this issue like having a domain controller and active directory etc.

Unfortunately Microsoft have done nothing to address this issue even in the most current version of Windows 11. We should be permitted to have different credentials for different resources on our local area networks without having to disable a bunch of security.

Don, Please see my comment just below yours, it sounds just like my problem, and I fixed it with https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-fix-network-error-0x80070035-on-windows-11/9a22d852-a1b9-421a-8a59-eace7ab970eb option 5. Good luck!

SOLVED! But by a different method... I have spent about 3 DAYS looking for ways to fix networking after purchasing a new Windows 11 PC. I did all of the suggestions here with typical networking settings, checking that services are all the same, creating a local account, and NOTHING worked. I was about 20 minutes from returning it thinking nobody should have to spend days working to fix problems like this that should never happen in the first place. Incredibly frustrating. This has also happened on the Windows 10 machines many times in the past after updates, and the usual settings and permissions could fix that.

Background: All of my windows 10 PCs could see each other and all drives, and could also see the new PC and drives (some of which this article made progress on, so don't dismiss that some of the things in this article may help!) But the new PC could not see any old PC.

My error code was 0x80070035 meaning “Network path not found”. (it was also asking for credentials when it shouldn't, which eventually stops with a message that "Windows cannot access \PCNAME" or something like that and it doesn't ask anymore). Incredibly, when changing the new computer from password required for other users' file access to not required, none of this made any difference, the other PCs could all read the new 11 PC with no issues. But the 11 PC could not see any others no matter what. Sometimes it would post the network name of the other PCs, but could never connect. Other times I would have to type \PCNAME and that would show the remote PC but would also never connect. Finally, I looked up the error code 0x80070035 and found the following article:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-fix-network-error-0x80070035-on-windows-11/9a22d852-a1b9-421a-8a59-eace7ab970eb

Like many others, Method 5 worked for me instantly after a reboot. I had already tried others except option 4, but the comments indicated option 5 was fixing LOTS of PCs. I just wanted to post this back here since this thread has so many users are having huge networking issues and this is a GREAT thread. I hope this saves you a few days!

Commentary and advice: I've worked in Automotive for 20+ years. If we ever put out a defective product like this, even once, the consequences of having the customer spending days fix our problems would be staggering, the cost imposed would be unthinkable. We would probably be banned from new programs, shipments halted, all kinds of nasty (but completely necessary) things to protect the customer. Automotive is brutal. The fact that this has been going on for YEARS with no permanent fix is ample evidence that Microsoft's quality assurance process is a failure. But hey, I HAVE to use office.

Microsoft: I strongly suggest you adopt the 8D problem solving process, required in automotive worldwide. It REQUIRES issues like this to be reviewed, prioritized, analyzed, solved, tested, proven, validated and distributed not only on the local issue but globally to prevent recurrence PERMANENTLY. Closed loop. You can whip your process into shape in months once the discipline is developed. You could probably fix 80% of your problems in WEEKS, but you must have a system! Do it, I'm begging you!