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Question

Win 8.1 will not share.

Mar 27, 2015 10:48PM PDT

My new win 8.1 computer will not share it's drive. It can access all the win 7 computers but not vice versa. Ruled out hard ware problem. I installed 7 on another hd to check hardware; no problem. I have installed win 8.1 on other hard drives, no joy.
I have set all the settings that google can find, nothing works.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Sounds true
Mar 27, 2015 11:28PM PDT

Due to design changes in the OS I can't share C: for example. Only a folder. If you need to access C: you may have to workaround that with other access methods.

There's other issues like firewalls in routers we encounter.
Bob

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no router firewall
Mar 28, 2015 2:36AM PDT

I installed win 7 on a different hard drive in the same computer; no issues whatsoever in sharing, etc. I also ran a long patch cable directly to my 7 computer bypassing router, and switch. (With a crossover patch cable.) No joy.
Why does MS do this ****?

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Because folk asked for more OS security.
Mar 28, 2015 2:40AM PDT

The topic of sharing the C drive is well done. I didn't duplicate that here. There are tomes about sharing from 8 to 7 and back so I can't guess what issue you want to cover here. Except we won't be sharing the entire drive C. Maybe there's a discussion on defeating security but given all the malware, we need more shields like this.
Bob

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Please direct
Mar 28, 2015 8:10PM PDT

Please direct me to those tomes. I haven't been hanging out here for the last few years like I used to. Site still had me as a member.
Thanks

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That would be a google web search.
Mar 29, 2015 2:40AM PDT

Here I'd rather hear more about what you tried and maybe a little about accounts.

For years, unless we enabled the guest account we needed an account on both host and client. I've lost count of the number of times that came up. By now you know this. if not, time to catch up on accounts.

There's a multi-part lesson at http://www.howtogeek.com/school/windows-network-sharing/lesson1/ that gets into many areas of Windows sharing. 7 and 8 included.

I may not duplicate the web here. I'd like to read a clue where your sharing failed rather than duplicate the web and have you sift through it all.

-> AGAIN, we won't be sharing C without extreme hacking and I can't get into that here.
Bob

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Will take a look.
Mar 29, 2015 10:09AM PDT

The 2 computers I really want to share have the same user name & pw. Both also belong to home group. Yes I wanted to share c. 7 will share its c drive, 8.1 will not.Are you saying that ms fixed it where I cant do that anymore?
I have one desktop with 7 and 1 laptop with 7 and 1 laptop with xp and all share flawlessly back & forth, and 8.1 will not share c drive but it will access the c drives of the others. (Plus d drive, etc., whatever else I tell them to share they do.
Why wud ms not want me to be able to make them do what I want them to? (Sorry about that, I know better!)

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I thought I wrote that more than once (entire C drive.)
Mar 29, 2015 10:18AM PDT
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Thanks
Mar 29, 2015 10:44AM PDT

Thanks Bob,
I will take a look at that now.
Clay

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Giving up
Mar 30, 2015 2:29AM PDT

I really do appreciate the time and trouble that y'all have spent trying to help me. I had an epiphany; why should I have to spend hours and days of my time trying to make this software do what it should do right out of the box.
Should be nothing more than a check box. Period.
I remember when MS was writing software and blackmailing vendors into making their software crash if it detected DR Dos. Which was a far superior os to MS Dos. About 18 months ahead. Digital Research sued and eventually won their suit that MS stole their stuff. But by the time it was settled the money they got was a pittance.
"Security issues", my choice, my consequences.
The software is surely sophisticated enough to do what I want: sharing C, with no hassle.
I will acquire another copy of Win 7 and prolly keep this 8.1 POS on a hard drive to have for ***** and giggles.
"Security issues". No real explanation from MS. Reminds me of some odious command when I was a child and upon asking why this crappy order the answer was: "It's for your own good."
I am the customer; not the child.