I cannot get my local home network Windows 7 computers to communicate via the Homegroup. All the windows diagnostic tests point to the Norton Firewall as the issue. Is there a setting to change?? The computers see each other by name when I click the Network Icon in Windows explorer, but they don't see each other in Homegroup. All have printer and file sharing turned on, but none can see the Homegroup on the other? I have a third older XP machine, and that one is accessable via the Windows Explorer. PLease help!!
Are all the Win 7 machines the same or do you have a mix of Pro, Home and Ultimate? Which operating system built the Home group?
I don't think it is necessarily Norton, as I have a Win 7 Ultimate, and two Win 7 Homes in a homegroup. It is more likely to be a setting. Are they all visible in the Norton network map?
I have two Windows 7 computers, both running Home Premium. One is a laptop, the other a new desktop. The third computer on my network is an Xp machine. I can see them by name in Windows explorer, and when on either of the W7 machines, I can create a homegroup, but the other cannot see it, even if I force the passwords to be the same. I looked at the advanced settings in the NIS firewall, and it appears that Windows sharing is not blocked.
You should not have to force the passwords to be the same. Once the home group is built, the other Win 7 should find it automatically and ask if you want to join the Home group. You do need a login password for each machine. The XP machine might be a bit trickier. Microsoft has provided a download that might help.
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=80B1AA5D-1B5A-4447-8036-ACC918BA7AF2&displaylang=en: https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=80B1AA5D-1B5A-4447-8036-ACC918BA7AF2&displaylang=en
You would be best to get the Win 7 service pack on both machines first so as not to have to do the whole thing again later.
My problem is that whenever I create a homegroup on one of the windows 7 machines, the other one does not ask me if I want to join it, becuase it is blocked somehow by NIS. What setting do I use to unblock it??? I am downloading the service pack now.
You didn't answer my question about whether the machines are all visible in the Norton network map. There should be a setting on the left hand side that says LAN and in the dropdown should be the name of your home group. This should be visible on all three machines. You can set the trust level individually on each security map if all three machines have Norton. Below that setting is trust level. You may need to input the name of each machine and the MAC address for each so that all three are visible in both trust and homegroup settings.
If they are wireless connections, you may have to reset the router. Since the router distributes the communications, while Norton either allows or blocks those communications based a lot on the machine's security settings, there are a lot of ways for things to go south.
There is also an IPv6 component to Win 7 homegroup. You will need to have a router that can allow IPv6.
In Norton Map on the main computer, the network map shows all the computers. I set the trust level to full trust. On the laptop, the new W7 desktop was not seen by name, but rather showed as "new". I made sure the IP address matched, and I renamed the "New" to the correct computer name, and again set the trust level to full trust. At this point, I can create a homegroup on the W7 laptop, and the desktop offers the choice to join the homegroup, but when I try to join and type the password, the desktop will not join the homegroup. If I do it the other way around (create the homegroup) on the desktop, the W7 laptop will join it, and I can access shared files on the laptop from the desktop. However, I cannot acces shared files on the desktop from the laptop -- I get the message that I don't have permission!. So something is still awry. As to my router, it is a very new Linksys Wireless-N router. I doubt this is the issue. So my question is -- why did I have to manually name the computer in the network map?? And why, once I join the homegroup created on the desktop from the laptop, I still cannot share my pictures, for example? It seems to me that this is far more complicated than it should be!
Check in Norton under History>Firewall activities and look for a notice of blocked or stealth for the IP addresses of your machines. Check in both machines for the same information. Ensure that the sharing settings in Windows are identical in both machines. See if a specific port is mentioned.
You may need to enter the names in Norton as each device or machine is probably registered in the router by its MAC address rather than computer name.
I have it working now! I removed the homegroup from both machines, went into the network map on all computers and noted the physical address and the IP addresses. I then went to all machines and set the trust control to "Full Trust" on all machines, and I went into Trust Control and manually named the devices to match their computer names. I then rebooted my main machine. Once it came back up, I verified that the network map showed all the devices correctly. I then went to the laptop, set all the media streaming options and file sharing options that I wanted, but I did not create a homegroup there. I went back to my new W7 desktop, set the exact same options, and then I created the homegroup there. When I went back to the Laptop, I was able to join the network, and communications are working both directions from both machines!! It was a journey, but I got it working. Thanks so much for your help!
Now that it is working, should I set the trust level back to "shared", or just leave it alone?
Congratulations! I'm glad to see that you got it where you want it. Frankly, after all of that, I would leave it alone. Full trust between your networked machines is not that much of a risk.
I kind of thought you would recommend I leave it alone.
Now for the bonus question: My W7 machines can see and access files on my XP machine, but my XP machine cannot access files on the W7 machines - does this sound normal? I am pretty sure this is due not to Norton, but instead due to the different Windows operating systems. But I thought I would ask anyway.
Thanks again for all of your help.
Hi kdhartley,
Sharing between Windows 7 and XP:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-7/share-files-and-printers-between-windows-7-and-xp/
Thanks! I now have bi-directional communications to and from all my networked PCs. Great work!
Glad to hear it! You're welcome.