Networking errors between Win 8.1 and Win 7

[jhmac77]

New 8.1 laptop. Whenever I try to map network a windows 7 drive in my laptop to windows 8.1 laptop I get the following error that the spelling may not be correct(but this is not true). Can't find "\\computer1\c" May be spelling?? I have checked the spelling finding no problems and I have opened all folders for sharing and security is set the same way reading and writing as when I network windows 7 drives to other windows 7 drives. I always use the correct password if requested. I have no problem between win 7 drives. What am I missing? I don't have the same problem going from 8.1 to 7 windows.
Under homegroup files seem to be recognized.
For many years including XP days, I have been coping and transferring files and folders from one computer disk on computer X to another disk on a different computer called computer Y.
I could copy in both directions but I had to set up each drive separately. I used map network drive icon (?Map as drive") found when I opened Computer icon. After setting in property the sharing and security settings a certain way I could copy back and forth. Each computer was given a name such as C-1, C2 and Computer1.

All I am saying is that in one direction of copying I can copy but in the other direction I get a possible spelling error. Of course there is no spelling error. I know that Windows 8.1 is somewhat different from Windows 7. Both use a name found under User folder and both use a password. The computer name is most obvious and is different from the name found under User folder.

So what seems to be the problem? Should be simple enough.
Jim

 

[DelJo63]

You need ports 137-139 opened on both systems for names to resolve.

Get the IP address of both systems and then access using the IP of the target. If that works, it is a name resolution issue.

 

[jhmac77]

Thanks, I am non technical so in plain terms how do you open ports. I see many addresses like 123.456.78. Where do I find specific IP addresses. what do you mean by access. I'll try to figure out everything else.

I can't figure out Microsoft. If they make it no problem to access windows 7 to win 7 why is it so difficult to access windows 7 to 8.1. Win 8 is supposed to be not much different that win 7 especially with the desktop.
Jim

 

[DelJo63]

To find the IP address of a system, get a command prompt (click on Start and in the search box, type CMD and hit enter). Then enter IPCONFIG in the new window. It will look like

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : socal.rr.com
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::2d37:b2c9:f5f4:ef1b%11
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.5
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

The IPv4 address is your computer and the Default Gateway is your router

Next, do that also on the other system (call it systemB here)

Now to Access/share something that's on systemB,
click on the Computer Icon
use the Map Network Drive menu
chose a drive letter
notice the example \\server\share?
put the ip address of systemB in place of server and name one of the shares on that system
click finish
If your ports are open (ie you have enabled file sharing on both system), the drive letter will appear and you will have access to the shared folder.

 

[jhmac77]

Microsoft must be notified over and over until they fix this!! How do you do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are other basic problems which Microsoft must fix. One is that I have a large folder composed of several folders and I cannot delete all of it but if I go to individual folder I have better luck. Something about long file names and it just assumes that the WHOLE THING IS made up of LONG FILES NAMES!!! WIN 8.1 stinks!

HOW DO I NOTIFY THE MAIN OFFICE OF MICROSOFT!!(n)

 

[DelJo63]

WHOLE THING IS made up of LONG FILES NAMES!!!

If you must complain, do so on this issue. It is massively poor engineering to allow one to create a path name that later violates the specifications.

Search for "Long Path Names" and there are some known circumventions ...

 

[jhmac77]

Clarification: Question is how do I notify Microsoft of errors including network errors that I have never experienced before in all of my uses of windows 95, 98, Me XP or 7.. Long Path Names are not so important as not being able to copy the rest of the folders with short names.

 

[bazz2004]

"I can't figure out Microsoft. If they make it no problem to access windows 7 to win 7 why is it so difficult to access windows 7 to 8.1. Win 8 is supposed to be not much different that win 7 especially with the desktop.
Jim"
We are now on Windows 10 and you can still upgrade both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 for zero cost. Rather than longing for the good old days it's worth getting up to speed. Microsoft have made the upgrade to W10 extremely simple and I found the free Microsoft media creation tool very user friendly. This week I tried to burn a disk on my old XP desktop and in the end gave up. My Windows 10 laptop did the job in no time with zero problems. I can't get my old XP desktop to join my network either but that's probably a good thing because XP is no longer secure.

My three Windows 10 computers can see each other fine.

 

[DelJo63]

Win/7 and before, file sharing was simple. Win/8 and beyond, it now appears to require Homegroup & IPv6, which was not true previously.

 

[bazz2004]

It might be easy for you but in those good old days I had to pay somebody to set up my home network. Computers are much easier to use nowadays.

 

[DelJo63]

It might be easy for you but in those good old days I had to pay somebody to set up my home network. Computers are much easier to use nowadays.

Ok - - you don't need me then :grin:

 

[bazz2004]

If I have a networking problem you're the man I'd call but I find all the stuff about pinging, static addresses and command lines overpowering.