I'm in the process of setting up 8 new Windows 11 Pro PCs for an office, transitioning from a single desktop file server that worked well with Windows 7 and 10. However, I'm hitting a wall with peer-to-peer file sharing—especially with all the security changes in Windows 11 24H2.
I've already gone through all the necessary steps: I verified passwordless file sharing with SMB, checked the network settings, adjusted the firewall, and went through the SMB protocols. I've even spent hours using CMD and PowerShell to troubleshoot without success.
All the PCs can ping each other by IP or hostname, but connecting through the network path (servernamesharename) leads to errors or an endless password prompt. I really need a Windows-based file store due to some specific software requirements, so NAS solutions, OneDrive, or SharePoint won't cut it. I'm running out of options here and considering deploying Server '22 for a local domain just for seven users! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I've already invested 8+ hours into this today and plan to try again in the morning!
5 Answers
It sounds frustrating! You've put in a lot of effort already. Honestly, if it were me, I might think about setting up Active Directory (AD) and File Services (FS) for better management. That could streamline your file sharing and user management.
Have you considered bringing in a managed service provider (MSP) for this? It might save you a ton of time and hassle instead of troubleshooting everything yourself.
I haven't had any issues with peer-to-peer file sharing on Windows 11 24H2 either. Can you share what specific settings you've adjusted? Sometimes a fresh install can resolve weird bugs, too.
Check out this guide on file sharing over a network in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/file-sharing-over-a-network-in-windows-b58704b2-f53a-4b82-7bc1-80f9994725bf. It might have some useful tips that could help you resolve the issue.
Thanks for the link! I haven't looked into the services mentioned there, so I'll definitely try that.
What if you set up Samba on one of the Windows PCs to create shares for the others? I manage a similar setup that works well, despite some older systems on the floor. It could be worth exploring if they need to share files back and forth.
I did clean installs of all the PCs, too, so I'm kind of confused about what could be going wrong.