Network shares stop working

Question

Network shares stop working

CTrey 40

I work with different offices/clients. None of them are on a domain, just workgroups. Since early this year, I've had issues with workstations losing network connectivity to shared folders. Sometimes it's because Network Discovery just decides to disable itself. Turning it back on usually works. I can connect via IP, but not UNC. Pinging returns the proper IP address. There aren't any special network configurations going on. DHCP/DNS is coming from the router. The only fix I have found is to flush/register the DNS, and rebooting the pc.

Any suggestions that don't require digging around the registry or changing things that shouldn't need to normally be changed?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Suporte - CRCPN Petrolina Suporte 20 Reputation points

2026-02-21T12:57:41.0133333+00:00

426

-----------COMMANDS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Open REGEDIT as administrator (ADDRESS HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - Software - Microsoft - MSLicensing - delete everything (only the folders inside MSLicensing) Run PowerShell as administrator and type: set-smbclientconfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false set-smbclientconfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true
Arnaud Hertz 0 Reputation points

2026-05-11T22:13:49.8566667+00:00

The best advice found on the net to access my SMB server (mycloud home by WD) from windows 11 family.

I deleted with regedit MSlicensing folders and I removed the requirement for securitysignature with powershell. I didn't succeed enabling Insecure guest login : as a matter of fact it was not necessary ! Now it's working well.

6 answers

Your answer

Suporte - CRCPN Petrolina Suporte 20 Reputation points

2026-02-21T12:57:41.0133333+00:00

426

-----------COMMANDS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Open REGEDIT as administrator (ADDRESS HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - Software - Microsoft - MSLicensing - delete everything (only the folders inside MSLicensing) Run PowerShell as administrator and type: set-smbclientconfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false set-smbclientconfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true
Arnaud Hertz 0 Reputation points

2026-05-11T22:13:49.8566667+00:00

The best advice found on the net to access my SMB server (mycloud home by WD) from windows 11 family.

I deleted with regedit MSlicensing folders and I removed the requirement for securitysignature with powershell. I didn't succeed enabling Insecure guest login : as a matter of fact it was not necessary ! Now it's working well.

Answer 1

It sounds like you're experiencing intermittent connectivity issues with network shares in a workgroup environment. Here are some suggestions that might help without requiring registry changes:

Check Network Discovery Settings: Since you mentioned that Network Discovery sometimes disables itself, ensure that it is enabled on all workstations. You can do this by going to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings and ensuring that Network Discovery is turned on.
Use IP Address for Mapping: If you can connect via IP but not UNC, consider mapping the network drive using the IP address instead of the hostname. This can sometimes bypass DNS issues.
Check Firewall Settings: Ensure that the firewall settings on each workstation are not blocking file sharing. You might want to allow File and Printer Sharing through the firewall.
Update Network Adapter Drivers: Ensure that the network adapter drivers are up to date. Sometimes, outdated drivers can cause connectivity issues.
SMB Settings: Make sure that the SMB protocol is enabled on all devices. You can check this in Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off. Look for SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and ensure it's enabled if necessary.
Check DHCP/DNS Settings: Since DHCP/DNS is managed by the router, ensure that the router is functioning properly and that there are no IP address conflicts. You can also try assigning static IP addresses to the workstations to see if that resolves the issue.
Network Reset: If the problem persists, consider performing a network reset on the affected workstations. This can be done in Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset.
Use Command Prompt: You can also try using the command prompt to reset the network stack by running the following commands:
- netsh int ip reset
- netsh winsock reset
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /renew
- ipconfig /flushdns

These steps should help improve your connectivity to network shares without needing to delve into the registry.

Answer 2

Carl-L 22,155 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello CTrey,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. It's my pleasure to help you today.

I understand that you are having issue with network sharing. Before we proceed, I'd like to ask a few questions to better understanding the situation.

May I know if there are any error message appears when you are trying to connect via network center when this happens?
May I know if this issue happens 2 ways or only on your computer?

I'll see what we can do in this. However, we might still need to make change to some configuration if necessary.

I'm waiting for your reply so we can work on it together.

CTrey 40 Reputation points

2025-12-04T18:57:42.41+00:00

The situation is one pc has a shared directory that the office can access. Occasionally, there are issues accessing that directory. It can be any pc on the network. When we try to access the directory through file explorer, it'll just sit and spin. If i use the IP, it will connect. Eventually, a could not connect message will appear. The pc we are connecting to usually doesn't have any issues connecting to others.

FYI. I've tried restarting the Function Discovery Provider Host services as well. But I usually try that if the PC isn't visible on the network.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-05T14:02:14.47+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Based on what you said, it can be fix temporarily by flushing and resetting the DNS, so it could come from the connection of the affected machine to the DNS itself.

I'll see what else can we do and get back to you later.
CTrey 40 Reputation points

2025-12-05T19:50:38.0566667+00:00

FYi. This is in several locations with a mixture of 3rd party routers, ISP provided routers and different ISPs.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-06T13:26:49.1066667+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Thanks for letting me know.

Just in case, do you remember what happened when the issue start to happen? I understand it has been a long time so any brief information would be fine.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-09T14:30:31.7966667+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Just checking in to make sure that you have received my reply. Please let me know if there are any updates.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-11T13:41:53.62+00:00

Hello CTrey,

It's been a while since we last heard from you. May I know if you still need assistance in this?

Any feedback is appreciated.
Nanda Goodman 0 Reputation points

2026-06-09T16:05:15.6166667+00:00

It is only an issue on my computer.

Specifically when trying to open Quickbooks, it is saying my file is no longer available.
gene brooks 0 Reputation points

2026-08-19T01:42:10.2966667+00:00

no error message only this computer
Loren Meck 1 Reputation point

2026-09-16T05:15:13.29+00:00

What nonsense. Networking used to WORK before Microsoft decided that users needed to be over-protected. If you can't make it work, at least make network diagnostics capable of determining where the problem lies. It's beyond ridiculous that, in the 21st century, users are supposed to just try this and that, including LOSING ALL OF THE CONTEXT OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING BY RESTARTING DEVICES. If an attempt to connect to a network share fails, some piece of code knows the reason, but refuses to divulge it to the user. Just fix it.

Answer 3

C Tremayne 10

oops wrong acct.

0 comments

Answer 4

CTrey 40

Sorry for the delayed response.

There wasn't anything that happened before. About the same time, we had issues with Network Discovery turning off for no apparent reason. I don't know if those issues are related.

Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-12T14:43:11.9333333+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Thanks for getting back to us.

I'll check to see what I can do.

I'll keep you updated.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-13T13:17:36.74+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Thanks for getting back to us.

As you said, this is not always the case. However, this could be related.

Just in case, can you please go to Control Panel > System and Security > Allow an apps through Windows Firewall to see if that service is allowed?

I'm waiting for your reply.
CTrey 40 Reputation points

2025-12-22T09:12:54.74+00:00

Network Discovery is already allowed.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-23T14:31:44.65+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Thanks for getting back to me.

If you can connect via IP but cannot via UNC, there is a chance that the hostname resolution is not correctly configured. If possible, could you please try to use an affected device and try to ping the hostname and the IP directly and tell me the results?

I'm waiting for your reply.
CTrey 40 Reputation points

2025-12-23T19:49:27.9833333+00:00

pinging either works with the same result. That's why it's so frustrating.
Carl-L 22,155 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-25T13:37:25.0333333+00:00

Hello CTrey,

Thanks for getting back to me.

Thanks for sharing this. In this case, I'd suggest that when it is possible, you should try and perform an in-place upgrade on the machine that have the shared folder to reset any configuration and let the others try to connect again. This usually will keep the data, however, you should just make a backup just in case.

I fully understand if you don't want to go with that option. I suggest that you can try to allow insecure connection to see if the affected PC can work fine. However, it will require action on all affected PC.

Please let me know your choice and we will proceed accordingly.

Answer 5

Adrian Womack 0

Just had a similar issue, shares from my Win 11 machine were no longer accessible elsewhere. I'd shared them to "Everyone".

Turns out after a Windows update - the "Password-protected sharing" option had been turned on. Turning it off again fixed it. (Find it under Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings).

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