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PC 1 sees PC 2's shared drives, but PC 2 can't see PC 1's
This is driving me nuts. Two Windows 11 PCs on the same network—one Ethernet, one Wi-Fi. PC 1 can access PC 2's shared folders just fine, but PC 2 can't see anything from PC 1 at all.
Both have the same sharing settings enabled. Already tried unsharing and resharing drives, toggling Network Discovery, restarting both PCs, even restarted the router. Still the same issue.
The only thing that changed was enabling Wake on LAN on PC 1. That works perfectly—PC 2 can wake PC 1—but once it's awake, the shares still don't show up.
Anyone seen this before? Could Wake on LAN be messing with network discovery?
2 Replies
I came across your post when trying to solve a similar error. I happen to find my solution on Windows Tech community under Windows Insider Program
Windows not accepting my network credentials
The solution for me was to eliminate the PIN on my 3 computers and sign in with my Windows password on each computer. My problem started when 2 of the 3 computers got the Windows 25H2 version update.
Your mileage may vary 😉
Wake on LAN is unlikely to cause this: it wakes PC 1 but does not control Windows file-sharing discovery or permissions. Since it fails only one way, test PC 1 as host. Make sure both PCs are on the same private network. On PC 1, open Settings, Network and internet, Advanced sharing settings, and turn on Network discovery plus File and printer sharing under Private. Confirm the shared folder’s Sharing permissions and its Security permissions both allow the account used from PC 2. From PC 2, try opening \\PC1-name and then \\PC1-IP-address in File Explorer; an IP result but not a name result points to name resolution, not Wake on LAN. Also ensure the Function Discovery Provider Host and Function Discovery Resource Publication services start automatically. If only the Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi path fails, test with both PCs on the same connection type before changing router settings.
