Can't access shared folder on Windows 10 computer (shared on another Windows 10 computer)

[SHOOK_Linus]

Hi, so I have a Plex server running on another Windows 10 computer that I own, and for a while now I've been using Window's file sharing to access the main hard drive of the other computer to add/delete files and things like that. But randomly it just stopped working a couple weeks ago.

I also use remote desktop to access it because it's most convenient for me, but transferring files through remote desktop is much slower and more inconvenient, as you have to keep the connection open the whole time. Either way, I followed this guide to set up the file sharing and it WAS working great but now it just stopped and the error that it shows is attached as an image to this post, any help is appreciated, thank you!

[TylerDurden!]

24 minutes ago, SHOOK_Linus said:

Windows 10 computer

join the club.  Windows always does weird shit like this, usually restarting the computer magically makes shares start working again.

 

Setting up an actual domain could be a better solution

[SHOOK_Linus]

1 hour ago, TylerDurden! said:

join the club.  Windows always does weird shit like this, usually restarting the computer magically makes shares start working again.

 

Setting up an actual domain could be a better solution

Yeah I noticed, ugh. Either way what do you mean by setting up a domain, also just to note I'm connecting to a computer on the same network as me and I don't need to be able to connect from outside my network either. So there's that

[BHJohnson]

I've had lots of issues with using a network share drive in Windows. Solutions have been computer naming getting messed up (without me touching it), IP addresses getting messed up and it not being able to resolve the problems themselves, credentials required for the file randomly deciding they weren't right, the file password protecting itself (but the password was blank, it just added the popup for a password), and I'm sure there's a few others that I'm just not thinking of.

 

I'd start with making sure your computer names are correct and that you're seeing both PC's on the switch the way you expect to. Then see if you can use a different computer to access the folder. That'll split it to either the client or server computer as the problem. Then make sure the security and sharing settings are what you expect on the folder. Try adding your account on the client PC as a specifically allowed user instead of just making it "all users". Make sure the folder is in the same place as when you created it. Try unsharing and resharing.

 

Unfortunately the error message isn't super useful, so you kinda gotta dig through each layer of how the folder gets to the network. Like it won't tell you the difference between "this is the wrong address" and "you aren't allowed to see that", so your only solution is to half split until you get to what the actual problem is. Then you can fix it.

[Slayerking92]

How are you resolving the computer name? DNS or via HOSTS file?

[GoodBytes]

-- Moved to Windows forum section --

[SHOOK_Linus]

I solved the issue by using the built-in FTP server you can setup in windows itself rather than the sketchy folder sharing that decided when it does and doesn’t wanna work. If you have this issue this was the fix I used, otherwise I don’t know how to fix it