I have a couple of issues that might be related.
I have a (relatively old and upgraded by degrees from the Windows 8 it was supplied) desktop machine now with 2004.
Over the life of the desktop, I’ve had about three laptops.
Early on, the (allegedly) best way to allow the desktop and laptop to share files was via the now-defunct Homegroups functionality. It just about worked, although never particularly well.
Since the departure of Homegroups, I’ve set up shares on both systems and used those. Also with relatively patchy results.
My newest laptop, I’ve had since June. I’ve never managed to get networking to and from my desktop working at all.
Park that, for a moment.
My desktop, every so often (and several times in the last week) notifies me that there’s a problem with my Microsoft account than it needs to fix. I put in my password when it asks, and it reports that everything’s as it should be and the notification gets cleared down.
So all my digging online has failed to help me work out why my Microsoft account develops intermittent problems. My best guess (which I can’t validate or evidence but go with me here, I’m clutching at straws) is that the fact I’m simultaneously logged on to two machines on the same network might be relevant.
So what I want to do is set up home networking, in an environment where both my machines are logged in with the same credentials and where neither are permanently switched on.
Because of my previous use of homegroups, it’s possible that there might be stuff on the desktop that’s causing issues. So what I want to work out how to do is how to tidy up anything that might be causing issues and make things work as I want. Can anyone point me at a process that doesn’t start from setting a network up from scratch, but will first clean up anything that might be causing problems?
