Windows 10: How to share files only on local home computers

I had local file sharing when my home network consisted of XP and Win 7 computers. I just right clicked on folders I wanted to share in Windows Explorer and designated them as shared. Simple and worked well. I used no sign-ins of users, and the user defaulted to Administrator. Now I have upgraded two computers to Windows 10 (one wired ethernet and one laptop wired and wireless) and added one new Windows 10 laptop that is wireless only. Windows 10 has created a default user now with a sign-in but no password. I need to move gigabites of data from computer to computer and need to read, write, and delete files from other computers on my local network.

My first attempt was to create a Homegroup and then join it with the other two computers. It essentially works, but the performance on transferring files on the wireless computer is terribly slow - unusable. It also seems to kill my internet speed. I now have all computers withdrawn from the Homegroup, although it seems to have kept the Homegroup, and keeps prompting me to join it. Can't find any way to kill it.

My second attempt was to use the File Sharing. I have two issues with that. First it seems the intent is to allow anyone on the internet to share the file, and that is the last thing I want it to do. It won't seem to let me name other users on the home network and add them. And even when I include Everyone as a share, I can't access the folders with other computers. On one I get an error message saying I have no permissions. On another I get a permissions sign in screen but doesn't let me sign in.

Any ideas what is going on here? I would most like to just use simple file sharing and let named users from the other computers share files with no permissions. I have a feeling something is asking for sharing permission somewhere, possibly from the Homegroup setup that still seems to be there... Help needed...

:)

 

Windows 10 - How to stop Thumbs.db file being created?

As advised by Chris.Moore2 they can be turned off - Ie, how to stop them being created. He has told you how ...

An extra but unlikely required step after Chris.Moore2's fix is to clamp down on or disable local networks and local file sharing. The caching file "Thumbs.db" is designed to speed up browsing of images on different network nodes (computers/tablets/games
consoles etc.). If you have a home group sharing films and photo's whether you've seen the Thumbs.db file present or not (in response to other previous posts) Thumbs.db will be there (If they weren't then your PC was not set for networking/file sharing using
built-in MS methods). Turn the caching off using either the gpedit.msc** as advised by Chris.Moore2 or the MS provided registry fix I provided and adjust what you're sharing.

*** If you a Windows Home user you will need to download and install gpedit.msc first as it isn't written natively in to the Home edition - ignore warnings if told that it isn't written for home edition, it works!

 

How to share any folder without password in Windows 8/10 in a home network if a Microsoft account is involved?

How to set up file sharing correctly, in a home network, with Windows 8/10, so sharing any folder with "Everyone" (File Explorer->Right click on folder->Properties->Sharing->Advanced Sharing->Share
this folder) actually shares the folder with everyone, without password, even with Microsoft account?

---->when Microsoft accounts are involved, solutions does not work.

I have a home network, with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 machines, all in the same Workgroup. No Homegroup. I want to be able to share individual folders on the network, by setting them to shared through
File Explorer. In Windows 7 and Vista, I just go to Network and Sharing Center, enable file and printer sharing, disable password protected sharing, and it all works. In Windows 10 and Windows 8, the same still works, but only if both machines
use local accounts. As soon as one of the machines - either the one accessing the files or the one sharing them - uses a Microsoft account, it is no longer possible to access any files or folders on the other machines.
Specifically, if the machine with the Microsoft account tries to access the machine with the local account, it will prompt for a username and password, and access will fail unless username and password of an actual user on the target machine are provided. Changing
the Microsoft account to a local account immediately fixes the problem, with no other configuration changes.

I've found several reports of the others users but no solution. the problem seems to be same in windows 8 and 10.

Thanks in advance.

 

In my opinion, Homegroup sucks, get rid of it. I've always setup a Workgroup consisting of the same username/password on each computer. It's set-up the same on W10 as on previous OS's.
On my girlfriends computer I just set up a shared folder on her computer so that any files, etc. that we want to share are put in that folder with each of us having access to it.
Network and Sharing is where you should start.

 

Thanks for the comments. I ended up going full circle and gave up on file sharing, and went back to Homegroups. What I found is that there is some issue with my older laptop on wireless. Speed between the two is brutal when they both usewireless to transfer files between each other. The new laptop with 802.11ac communicates very well with the Ethernet wired desktop. And the old wireless to the desktop is not bad either. Since the old laptop is going to go, I decided to live with it for now. I have used a form of "sneakerware" with an external hard drive to get around the impossible transfer rate.

I made the mistake of using a new sign-on for my wife on the newest machine, so it does not match the other two. That seems to be a problem with the simple file sharing. And Microsoft seems to see fit to not allow you to change that user name, without getting a Microsoft account, and I don't want to do that.

With Homegroups all you can do is assign read only privileges. However all you have to do is go to the files where you want more, right click and then Share With Workgroups with read and write privileges. A bit clumsy but it works.