I'm having a tough time getting my new Windows 11 PCs to connect to shared files on older computers in our network. We have a basic and quite insecure setup where an old PC shares several Excel files openly. However, whenever I try to access these files from the Windows 11 machines, a login prompt appears, and I can't get past it. I've looked into it and found that the common solutions involve either upgrading all PCs to Windows 11 or rolling back a recent update, but neither of those options are viable since most of our 20 PCs can't support Windows 11. I'm really just trying to open some Excel files! Does anyone know any reliable workarounds for this situation? I'd really appreciate any help!
5 Answers
Are you using Windows 11 Pro? Because the Pro version has additional sharing features that might help you access those files more easily.
You might need to enable SMB1 support, as it's turned off by default in Windows 11 due to security concerns. Here's a guide on how to do that: https://winsides.com/enable-smb-1-0-cifs-file-sharing-support-windows-11/
Consider investing in a NAS for centralizing your storage. This way, you won't need to have a computer running all the time for file access. A NAS can also provide better data integrity options with RAID setups and automatic backups.
You could check out Blip.net; it might offer a solution that's just what you need.
You'll want to ensure that the SMB protocol is enabled on your Windows 11 PCs. Also, check the sharing permissions on the shared files and make sure they are set to 'Everyone' with full control for NTFS permissions.
I will try that out, thanks for the help!