Windows 10 struggles to connect to nearby Windows 10 files on Wi-Fi alone.
Windows 10 struggles to connect to nearby Windows 10 files on Wi-Fi alone.
Hello, I own a modest office space with three Windows 7 desktops linked through Ethernet. Recently, I bought two laptops running Windows 10 Pro, both equipped with Intel Wi-Fi cards. The issue is that when both laptops connect via WiFi, they can view and use the three Windows 7 desktops, but the desktops cannot reach the laptops. Additionally, the two Windows 10 laptops fail to ping each other or discover shared network resources over WiFi, though everything functions perfectly when connected via Ethernet. This behavior wasn’t present on my old Windows 7 machine. No antivirus or firewall software is installed. I’ve attempted various fixes: enabled SMB 1, set services to start automatically, reinstalled Wi-Fi drivers, used netcfg -d, disabled the firewall, turned off Windows Defender, changed the network location to private, assigned manual IP addresses, and adjusted sharing settings in Network and Sharing Center. All updates remain active and frequent. The only solution that worked is connecting both laptops over Ethernet, which resolves the connectivity problems completely.
The firewall zone controls which traffic is allowed or blocked. Public will prevent pings and SMB if that’s correct. Don’t turn on SMB1. Your Wi-Fi configuration appears to be set up to restrict peer-to-peer connections. This issue seems related to your network setup. Also, consider upgrading from Windows 7—especially on work devices—to address security concerns.
I really dislike Windows 10 because it runs slowly and has many issues. Frequent updates often cause problems, and I’m considering switching to Ubuntu for better performance.
That's another choice, just use a supported OS you should be able to upgrade to 10 for free. Your laptops can connect via Wi-Fi or wired connection? The new laptops work with wired as well. I’ll check a NAS or cloud storage system—storing data on other systems isn’t ideal. If you try accessing something like \\pcname\share, what error do you encounter?
Laptops respond only via Ethernet, not Wi-Fi. The updated models function well on wired connections. I plan to transition to Linux eventually. I’m open to switching to a NAS. When I type \\pcname, the system says Windows can’t reach it—possibly due to a misspelling or network issues. Error 0x80070035 appears.
What error appears when you attempt to ping it? Is the IP address being resolved properly?
It doesn't fix the IP issue at all. Pinging to the IP doesn't work, and the destination host can't be reached. Just basic file sharing without any ads. Disabling the firewall on both devices didn't help.