Windows 10: I can see my drive over local shared network but can't access it.

Hi there.So I happen to have a desktop and a laptop both running on Windows 11. For conveniece of file sharing, I tried file sharing over the local network using wifi and it works just fine. I can see the shared folder on my other computer and transfer files etc and it works okay. But for convenice, instead of some sophisticated folders I want shared the entire local drive accross my both computers but that doesn't seem to work when it comes to drives. Firstly, the share option for drives comes gray which is not the case for the folder.And yes, I have gone to the advaced sharing options bel

:)

 

Cannot access shared network drive


Personally, I wouldnt use Everyone. If anyone hacks into you, they have full access to everything and can demolish everything on your raid. I would rather set up accounts and access separately for each person. That way, I know who did all that damage. In the end with a little extra work, I feel more secure by using Authenticated Users.


If this helps.
step 1 create non-microsoft account and without email and address without admin rights
step 2 share a drive or folder to specific user account (if Everyone is listed, remove it)
step 3 set security > add Authenticated Users (if more than 1 account) or add specific users
step 3a remove Everyone from list
step 3b uncheck full control and write for all items listed except SYSTEM and Admin account.
step 4 right click Start > Computer Management > System Tools > Shared Folders > Shares ... to verify settings and change anything else. You can also see the number of connections to each share here.

 

Unable to Access Shared Files on Local Network after Windows Update

After a recent Windows update, I have been experiencing difficulties accessing shared files on my local network. Prior to the update, everything was working smoothly. However, since the update, attempts to connect to shared folders result in an error message, and I'm unable to browse or retrieve files from other computers on the network.

Error Message: "The specified network name is no longer available."

Steps Taken to Resolve the Issue:

1. Checked network connections and verified that all devices are connected to the same network.
   
2. Confirmed that sharing is still enabled on the folders I am trying to access.
   
3. Restarted both the local machine and the remote machines on the network.
   
4. Disabled Windows Firewall temporarily to ensure it's not causing the issue.
   
5. Reviewed the event logs for any relevant error messages, but found none.
   

Additional Information:

• All computers on the local network are running Windows 10.
  
• No recent changes were made to network configurations before the issue started.
  
• The issue is persistent across different user accounts on the affected machine.
  

I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions on how to resolve this network sharing problem after the recent Windows update. Thank you!

 

Can access some drives on shared local network, but not others.

I have shared several drives on my desktop pc using advanced sharing - sharing with "everyone" with "full permissions". When trying to access the drives using my laptop, I am able to access one of the drives, as well as the public folders, but the other two drives (the os "C" drive, and 1 other storage drive) I cannot. I get the typical notification:

"Windows cannot access \\PC NAME\f
You do not have permission to access \\PC NAME\f. Contact your network administrator..."

Both pc's running latest windows 10 on the same local private network. The desktop is wired ethernet, the laptop is wireless.

I have shared all 3 drives on the desktop (1 ssd + 2 hdd's) using the exact same process, and yet I can only access one of the hdd's. Can someone please help explain why this could be the case? Why would I be able to access some drives, but not others?

I have shared both drives on the laptop also, but the desktop cannot access the laptop either of them, except for public folders. I have enabled media streaming on the desktop, and can access those files for viewing/playing.

I have gone through most of the typical steps to resolve network issues. What has me so confused here is that I can access some shared drives but not others.

Thanks