Connection failure to homegroups in Windows 10

[Gary Cardinale]

Perhaps I am a little daft on homegroups, but all I want is to have 3 ethernet connected machines in my house and one Wifi laptop to use a homegroup. However every time I attempt to create the homegroup and then join the homegroup with a second pc, the second machine tries to connect and then windows comes back with the message that "Windows no longer detects a home group on this network". So I delete the home group from the first machine, turn both machines off and try it again only to get the same message. I have let Windows trouble shooter try to solve the problem but of course it doesn't. I have made sure that my firewall (Bitdefender 2016) is not preventing the other IP addresses from seeing each other. I have done this 5 or 6 times to no avail. I thought it was supposed to be easy to get a few pc's to share files but this wonderful homegroup tool does not appear to work. I am using a Lynksys WRT 1900AC router with a Lynksy WRT 8 port switch and all the machines are connected via ethernet except the one laptop. Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[davehc]

I have a similar set up, but with one stationery and two laptops.

What I do is first create a homegroup on the principal machine - that would be the stationery, and , of course, not the password.. I then go to each of the other (laptops) and, in the Control panel, click the homegroup icon. The other machines should be on. Normally it then says at the top, something like "a homegroup is available to join" (not sure of the exact wording) I click this, which comes up with the dialogue to join. After this first attempt, I am, assuming the other machines are available (on), I am permanently joined.

 

[Gary Cardinale]

I have followed the same process and it is only when I have typed the pasword on the 2nd ethernet connected computer, that after 25-30 seconds, that machine comes back with the response that "Windows no longer detects a homegroup on this network". Now it detected it before I typed the password, but after I type the password to connect, it suddenly no longer detects the network. This has happened over and over and over, even after I have remove the homegroup from the 1st computer, turned both machines off and then on again and trying to add a homegroup again. I can always create the homegroup, but it gets pretty lonely in a home "group" when no other pc can get connected to it.

 

[davehc]

Very lonely - lol.

There are some good guys on this site who specialise in problems such as this. Hang in and someone will pop in and help more than I can.
But. Have you mad sure all the computers have different names/identities?
If you are using a third party firewall or antivirus, try disabling it temporarily. Maybe a red herring, but I do recall sometime in the past, that computers in a homegroup needed to be IPV6 capable. I don't fully support that, but could be the case. But that would be contradictory to the fact that you do start with a connection, which subsequently is lost.

 

[Frank Hartshorne]

I am new to this group, so this may not be the right place, but it is at least a place to start. I have 3 desktop PC and one laptop all running on a wireless network in the home. When running Windows 7 on all units, I had no trouble with the units communicating with each other. I put windows 10 on all but one desktop. The units that have Windows 10 are communicating via the network with no problems. However, they will not communicate with the Windows 7 unit. When I go to the Windows 7 unit and try to connect, it comes up with a screen saying I need to enter my id and password. I entered the router id and it picked up the name on the id area, but will not take any password I enter. Any suggestions?

 

[Gary Cardinale]

Very lonely - lol.

There are some good guys on this site who specialise in problems such as this. Hang in and someone will pop in and help more than I can.
But. Have you mad sure all the computers have different names/identities?
If you are using a third party firewall or antivirus, try disabling it temporarily. Maybe a red herring, but I do recall sometime in the past, that computers in a homegroup needed to be IPV6 capable. I don't fully support that, but could be the case. But that would be contradictory to the fact that you do start with a connection, which subsequently is lost.

They all have different names. I specifically added the ip addresses of the other computers to the Bitdefender firewall allowed list. But I will try the firewall disabling later today and let you know if I am successful. Thanks for the help.

 

[Trouble]

computers in a homegroup needed to be IPV6 capable

While IPv6 is not necessary for general networking, it is absolutely mandatory and is the backbone for Windows Homegroups, but......
I would expect an IPv6 error message during Homegroup troubleshooting if that were the case.

I will try the firewall disabling later

There are historically many instances of various third party security suites causing issues with networking and generally speaking these can not be routinely "disabled" globally.
I suggest uninstalling the program completely, first by using the Programs and Features Applet in the Control Panel and then using the vendor specific proprietary removal tool (all top tier vendors have one) you can Google for it, or http://www.bitdefender.com/uninstall/
You can always reinstall the product if it proves not to be at issue.
Finally.... it seems that there have been multiple cases of Homegroup issues after the most recent round of Windows Updates (November update to version 1511 Build 10586.11) and the subsequent Cumulative Update for that
Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1511 for x64-based Systems (KB3118754)

I can't say that any of the above is actually the cause for your issues. Just providing more food for thought.

 

[Mr Crowlee]

I had the same error message in Windows 10: "Windows no longer detects a homegroup on this nework" etc. etc.. after going thru the steps of creating a HomeGroup on one computer and then trying to add another computer to that same HomeGroup. Incidently, I also had Bit Defender 2016 installed but it shouldn't matter which antivirus you are using. All machines were running when I fixed it.

This is what worked for me:


1) Disable all Firewalls and Antivirus software.


2) On Computer 1, create your Homegroup and write down the password it gives you.


3) On Computer 2 (where you are getting the error message) go to:

Control Panel-->HomeGroup. Look for "Start The HomeGroup TroubleShooter" and click on it.


4) Look for the word "Advanced" on the lower left. Click on it and make sure the box "Apply repairs automatically" is checked. Hit the Next button.


5) Click on "Troubleshoot Network problems". In my case a network adapter had to be reset and it automatically fixed it. Before I checked that box the troubleshooter had not given me any error message...go figure. Hopefully that will resolve the issue and this Computer 2 should now connect to your Home Network by you going through the regular Homegroup connection steps and entering the password you wrote down in Step 2.

(If not, run the Troubleshooter the same way on Computer 1 with the "Apply repairs automatically" checked.


6) Re-enable your Firewall and Anti-virus software.

 

[Agnister]

Mr Crowlee. Thank you for this fix. I will try it tonight. This problem has been "bugging" me for days.

 

[denis lacroix]

i see this often lately .... you need ipv6 wifi rooter (some cant)... try to plug your pc on wire network before add it to the home networking and after you can use it in wifi

 

[cobra]

I did all of that and still tells me can't add homegroup

 

[ZigE]

I had the same problem. I needed to disable my VPN before I could complete the Homegroup set up. Best of Luck.

 

[davehc]

No argument with trouble's view. But, if you are only considering a local(home) network, it is just as easy, in fact, identical, to configure a straightforward wireless connection to other computers, through you wireless router. You can do this through setting - Network and Internet. Adjust the sharing options as you will. Turn off the last item "password use"
I do not have IPV6 selected, but am able to use shared items on three other household computers.
I have no idea why the Homegroup was invented, but, I seem to remember that it will eventually be dropped from Windows 10, as being superfluous, for the reasons I have stated above.