Solved Homegroup Will Not Connect 3 Computers

JimInWI

New Member
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All, please forgive me if this has been answered somewhere deep in the threads, but I can't find it.

I have three computers running Win 8 that have completely failed to work in the network after I upgraded from 7 to 8.

Computer A is a desktop, it is connected to the router by Ethernet cable to a Netgear WRN3500L modem.

Computer B is a laptop, wirelessly connected to the network. (It has also been connected via Ethernet with no help.)

Computer C is also a laptop and wirelessly connected to the network.

We have created a homegroup, and it worked great, up until the upgrade....

Now, Computer A, sees everything and is able to connect to B and C via the homegroup, play songs, etc.... It is also able to see appropriate icons etc on the network as well.

Computers B and C get only generic icons in the homegroup and no files can be accessed. Attempting to connect via the network gives the following error:

\\COMPUTER (A B or C as appropriate) is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

The network address is invalid.

I have done the Microsoft troubleshooter, checked to make sure the appropriate services are running, and done everything imaginable from Google and Bing searches to no avail. All three computers have identical settings. I even created an identical account from the one on Computer B on Computer A, but to no avail. Computers B and C can not access files on another computer and give the error message whenever I try to access another computer via the network.

I really don't want to have to use a password every time I want to play a song off my wife's computer which I understand I will do if I set up a work group. (Which I really haven't figured out how to do.)

I am normally pretty decently tech savvy but this one has me and my 18 year old son (Who is much better at this than I am.) completely befuddled.

Please help!! :confused:

Thank you in advance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Checked, and No Help

Just to be sure the permissions are set correctly, right click on every shared resource on each of the three computers and select "Share with > Homegroup."

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/9990-file-sharing-set-share-stop-sharing-windows-8-a.html

Thanks NaySayer, but no luck. The files were already selected for sharing, but I reselected them anyway to make sure.

A can see B and C and share files with both. Neither B or C can see or share files on/with any other computer. This didn't fix the network error message either that both B and C get when they try to click on any other computer in the network section. A does get appropriate icons for both B and C. B and C get nothing but generic icons for music etc... on any other computer except themselves.

I am hoping beyond hope that it is something obvious that I've missed, but I'm thinking there is some stupid setting deep in the registry that should be a 0 and is a 1 or something like that.

It could also be that there is an IP address problem too. That Network Address message bothers me a lot, and I can find no real answers for it.

Thanks for the suggestion NaySayer!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Try this... Open a command prompt on each computer and type:

net view \\computernameA

net view \\computernameB


etc., with the actual machine names inserted, and let me know if you get any error messages. You can also try pinging each computer from the others via IP address.

A couple other obvious things to check: Go the the Network and Sharing control panel, click on "Change advanced sharing settings," and make sure "Network discovery" is turned on. Also, Homegroup requires IPv6 to be working correctly on every computer, so right-click each machine's network adapter (under Network Connections), select Properties, and make sure "Internet Protocol version 6" is ticked.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
All, I've marked this as solved. I can't tell you why it got solved, but my Homegroup is working just fine.

I had to leave for work, and I left all the computers at home connected. One thing I discovered is that NONE of them had an IPv6 address which is required for the Homegroup. That had to be the issue.

Magically, when I cam back, 4 days later, each computer had an IPv6 address, and the Homegroup functioned as it should.

Why IPv6 addresses weren't assigned almost immediately after the homegroup was created, I have no idea. Why one computer would work without the IPv6 addresses, I have no idea. How it took for the network to function correctly after I left for work, I have no idea. The homegroup had been created for at 10 hours before I made my original post here.

To anyone who is having homegroup problems, I strongly suggest that you check the IPv6 addresses of all computers. If they aren't there...wait. In my case in something over 10 hours, and in less than 5 days, the IPv6 addresses got assigned and the homegroup started working.

Thanks to everyone who took an interest in this thread and who contributed to it.

--Jim
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
windows 8 homegroup

i managed to download an activated copy of windows 8 consumer preview. i was able to log it into my homegroup her and was able to access the network her easily just like windows 7. my laptop is windows 7 and logs into the homegroup via wifi successfully. i have even had windows xp computers successfully logging in via cable and wireless. i have a WD network harddrive that all computers accessed with reading and writing permissions. the two thins i was disappointed about the windows 8 consumer preview was that if i opened the network and sharing center i couldnt assess a full network map. And the search engine in windows ecplorer (same as windows 7) couldnt fins a file even if you were in thew folder where that file is. Having said all that, i was so impressed with the consumer preview i bought a windows 8 upgrade. i was also impressed with the $59 price tag. i upgraded the windows 8 consumer preview with this copy and as it was a little different with the start page, looked pretty promising. untill i tried to log into my homegroup. it couldnt log into my existing homegroup and if i created one my other computers wouldnt log into it, and if i tried to access my network harddrive i didnt have administrator permissions. i am the administrator of my own network and became very frustrated with how i could not do anything with my network anymore. i am seriously considering going back to the consumer preview as it works just as good as windows 7. I an not going to risk another $59 to try to upgrade my windows 7. and i am not sure if there a full install of windows 8 do install from a clean drive. I would like to know though if anyone has had experience with a windows 7 upgrade to 8 or a clean windows 8 install.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    m3n78-em amd
    CPU
    amd athlon II x2 255 processor
    Motherboard
    m3n78-em amd
    Memory
    5 gb ddr2 ram
    Graphics Card(s)
    ati redeon HD 5300
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