Two computers connected by an Ethernet cable for file sharing. Steps to set up a private network.
Two computers connected by an Ethernet cable for file sharing. Steps to set up a private network.
I’ve reviewed the discussion and I see you’re aiming for a seamless connection between your two computers. You don’t have to rely on an Ethernet cable; it’s possible without one, especially if your devices support MDI-X or if you opt for Wi-Fi. Since your home network is private—protected by a password only shared with trusted users—it’s safe to proceed without exposing it to public risks. Just confirm both machines recognize this network in their settings.
For file and print sharing, navigate to Advanced Sharing settings under Network & Sharing Center. Enable “Turn on network discovery” and “File and printer sharing.” This should allow the computers to exchange files and printers. Ensure a shared folder exists on both drives, with identical names. Create matching user accounts on each machine, assigning them full access. Test by adding a file to the folder and restarting the devices. Log in via one account to view the shared folder in File Explorer’s network section.
For printer sharing, follow similar steps but adjust settings for printers instead of files. If you’re unsure about any step, let me know—I’m here to clarify further.
Additionally, the Ethernet approach demands manually configuring TCP/IP settings on both Network Interface Cards. Although not a highly complex task, this can be challenging without prior familiarity with the TCP/IP suite. What you're essentially doing is establishing a dedicated LAN network distinct from your home Wi-Fi. I suggest exploring it further if you're curious.
This situation sounds confusing. You tried installing Windows 10 on your old PC, and now it’s working properly. You connected both devices using Ethernet and turned on sharing and network discovery. It didn’t require any changes to TCP, IP settings, or making the Ethernet private. You also noticed that Wi-Fi was off to prevent file transfers over wireless, but it worked fine when you switched it back on.
However, you mentioned that your PC and laptop don’t show each other in the network settings, even though you set everything to allow sharing. When you tried to connect via Ethernet, both devices appeared in the wrong place. Also, after a reboot, the PC went into sleep mode because of the new Windows installation, which affected its network access.
It seems like both devices need Wi-Fi enabled for them to recognize each other properly. The fact that it only shows on your laptop suggests there might be an issue with how the network is configured or shared between the two machines. It’s possible that the settings or permissions are set differently on each device, making them invisible to one another.
Check if sharing is active on PC2. It needs to be turned on on both devices for them to appear for each other.
For those seeking assistance, your lack of thought for others’ time can be frustrating. Reading through numerous texts isn’t always enjoyable when trying to solve issues—sometimes what seems clear to you isn’t obvious to others. I’ll keep this in mind: people on the internet are trying to help, but it’s not always easy to follow every detail. Have you seen YouTube tutorials on this? Navigating all the steps by typing them can be tricky due to many settings that might be incorrect or misconfigured. If your network is private, enabling sharing for everyone might be useful: https://www.laptopmag.com/how-to/share-a...dows-10-pc. When connecting devices without a router, you’ll likely need to manually assign IP addresses so they can communicate directly. I haven’t tried this with Windows, but I’m not sure how it would work without IP information—usually routers provide DHCP for this purpose.
I watched many many videos and read lots of sites. Forget sharing folders. That is not the issue. I have successfully shared whatever I want. That is not the issue at all. I cannot bypass having to type, seeing as this is a forum. 'Wall of text' is simply how it is. It could be even longer if I included screenshots and went into full depth. We have books for a reason. You don't convey info by typing a few sentences. Not possible. There is no point in replying to someone if you have not fully read and understood what they have written, as well intentioned as it might be. it only further adds to the 'wall of text' except it's pointless. As for physical setup here we go: I am in my room. In my room is my laptop and PC. Both are connected to each other via an ethernet cable. They are also connected to the home router wirelessly where they connect to the internet. I do NOT want to use wireless to transfer my data as I have a significant amount, AND I want to learn how to do this, WIFI can obviously be turned off, and even without turning it off, you can disconnect from the wireless network. I HAVE to have both machines connected to the same wireless network IT SEEMS (need to test this), before the ethernet works. Router is located just outside my room. I do not have to manually set IP's as far as I'm aware. It just works, when it does. Hmm I should research this DHCP thing. What angers me, is all these videos and guides online show that you can set the ethernet to PRIVATE. You CANNOT. IT NEVER shows the options to do that. It's so f***** frustrating. That's just one aspect of it. Edit: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/window...-en-us-959 Read that - as you can see no device needed for DHCP
It seems like network performance is inconsistent. If it drops sometimes, it’s not functioning properly. Being offline from Wi-Fi also causes problems. It suggests the other device can reach through the wired connection, possibly because of network stack behavior in Windows. If you’re learning this, remember that DHCP assigns IP addresses automatically. Without a DHCP server, you must manually configure the interfaces with correct IPs and subnet settings. If both devices get the same IP but different subnets, conflicts may arise. To confirm the issue isn’t here, you’ll need to set up the IPs and subnet manually. As the person managing these machines, you act as the DHCP server yourself.
I noted from your message that you’re using Wi-Fi, connected to a router, and the internet stays active in the router. When switching off the Wi-Fi adapters on both devices, the Ethernet connection remains functional. I’ll recheck this soon to confirm it continues to work.