Accessing Network Computers in Win 10

[hlewton]

When I try to access my other computers from my laptop I get the dialog box I'll post in an attachment and I cannot access the other computers from that computer. I can access it from the other 2 computers and I have not ever setup any credentials on any machine nor do I know what that means. How can I fix it so this dialog box does not pop up and then access the other computers?

Thanks

Cred.jpg

[JoeP]

Check your sharing settings. Right click the Start button, select Control Panel. Click on Network and Internet | Network and Sharing Center | Change Advanced Sharing Settings (in the left navigation pane). Scroll down and click on the down arrow for "All Networks".

Joe

[hlewton]

Thank you. I will check that out.

[DaveA]

This is where a common account with same name and password is helpful on ALL machines.

This common account name and password does NOT need to open/running just made.
When one sees the above request, the network manager is looking for an account that it can use.
I learned this trick back in the XP days and have not had issue since on Me, Vista, 7 , 8, 8.1 and now 10.
I use this common account, also as another back door, if any account gets clobbered. It has paid off many times.

[hlewton]

This is where a common account with same name and password is helpful on ALL machines.

This common account name and password does NOT need to open/running just made.
When one sees the above request, the network manager is looking for an account that it can use.
I learned this trick back in the XP days and have not had issue since on Me, Vista, 7 , 8, 8.1 and now 10.
I use this common account, also as another back door, if any account gets clobbered. It has paid off many times.

Dave the strange thing is I do believe that is the case here because I never use a password and I am always the administrator on all machines. However the name at the top of the Start menu does differ. Is that what you mean when you say account? Do you suppose the different names at the top of the Start menu makes a difference since there is never any passwords needed?

[DaveA]

I hope you are NOT using "The built in Administrator" account, but one that is a member of the Admin group.

Are you telling us that NONE of your machines have passwords on the user accounts?
Networking does like to have all access to have a password. That just may be your problem.

I make a separate Admin account, such as "Zorro" with the same password on all machines. I use Zorro, as it falls to the bottom of the list in accounts and with Windows Explorer "Users" folder. This also tell the other users that it is for the networking and as a back door. At this time we have this setup on 8 machines Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit, 8.1 64 bit and 10 64 bit.

I normally do not use them, just when I need another back door. The name that appears at the top of the start menu tells me that you have different accounts names on the other machines.

[JoeP]

At its heart Windows networking for workgroups is the same in Windows 10 as it has been in other versions. What worked before works now as long as you can find where to configure everything (that is the trick).

Joe

[hlewton]

I hope you are NOT using "The built in Administrator" account, but one that is a member of the Admin group.

Are you telling us that NONE of your machines have passwords on the user accounts?
Networking does like to have all access to have a password. That just may be your problem.

I make a separate Admin account, such as "Zorro" with the same password on all machines. I use Zorro, as it falls to the bottom of the list in accounts and with Windows Explorer "Users" folder. This also tell the other users that it is for the networking and as a back door. At this time we have this setup on 8 machines Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit, 8.1 64 bit and 10 64 bit.

I normally do not use them, just when I need another back door. The name that appears at the top of the start menu tells me that you have different accounts names on the other machines.

The fellow who I get my machines from sets up an account, other that the "built in Administrator" account that has the administrator privileges. When I turn on my machines it boot directly to that account.

Yes that is correct, none of my machines have passwords and they only have that one other account on them mentioned above.

I will finish more of this reply in the following post so as not to repeat myself.

Thanks for your help.

[hlewton]

At its heart Windows networking for workgroups is the same in Windows 10 as it has been in other versions. What worked before works now as long as you can find where to configure everything (that is the trick).

Joe

This is exactly what I thought but when my machines were updated to Win 10 I started having the trouble mentioned in my opening post. Again the fellow who set my machines up did a lot of configuring so I could use them the same as they worked in Win 7 but obviously some setting has been neglected. I have a program on each machine that allows him to remote in on each of my machines and I think I am going to have to get a hold of him to make whatever correction is needed. The attachment I posted, I believe, was appearing the day he set them up on his visit to my home, if I recall correctly. I just don't remember why it wasn't taken care of at the time. There are some similar but varying issues on the other 2 machines as well. I want to take notes so I can point out exactly how each one is operating when trying to access the other computers.

Check your sharing settings. Right click the Start button, select Control Panel. Click on Network and Internet | Network and Sharing Center | Change Advanced Sharing Settings (in the left navigation pane). Scroll down and click on the down arrow for "All Networks".

Also I did try checking this but didn't see or at least recognize any setting I felt comfortable making. Once I opened the "All Networks" I didn't know what to do.

Thanks for your help.

[JoeP]

You want to turn off password protected sharing.

Joe

[hlewton]

You want to turn off password protected sharing.

Joe

Thanks. I did that, rebooted and still am getting that Enter Network Credentials dialog box. All my network computers show up using Windows Explorer but I can't seem to access them.

[hlewton]

When it asks for the credentials do you suppose it is looking for my user account on the machine I am on or the one I am trying to access. These names are different but neither has a password so I should be able leave that field blank.

[JoeP]

It is asking for the credentials on the machine you are trying to access.

Joe

[hlewton]

It is asking for the credentials on the machine you are trying to access.

Joe

Thank you. With that in mind I turned off the All Networks Sharing on the machines I was trying to access and now I can access at least part of the folders. I thought I was setup to access any folder I wanted to but apparently not anymore. I will worry about that later but right now I only have one more question. By turning off that password protection on all the computers am I opening them up to anyone not on my network?

[DaveA]

This why you need to have passwords.
That said, if you were to make that one user account with a password on ALL machines, then you should be able to access all folders, providing that you have shared the Drives of each machine.

BUT, this will make you select the normal account each time a restart is done.

[hlewton]

This why you need to have passwords.
That said, if you were to make that one user account with a password on ALL machines, then you should be able to access all folders, providing that you have shared the Drives of each machine.

BUT, this will make you select the normal account each time a restart is done.

Thanks but I really don't know how to do that. Still since I am behind a protected router my network should be safe from anyone not on my network, shouldn't it?

[hlewton]

Well I had the guy who builds my computers take remote access of my machines. He got them all working fine and able to access each other just as they had been doing before upgrading to Win 10. Neither of us knows for sure what what happened the only given is I made no changes to any of the permissions mainly because I don't know how to do that any more. He did say, as JoeP pointed out, that turning that all network password protection off should have been done when he upgraded the machines. Actually he thought he had done that. Maybe he did and maybe one of Win 10's updates changed it back. I sure don't know. But in any case all is well now, at least for the time being.

[HansV]

Thanks for the feedback.