Problem setting up file sharing

[pokeefe0001]

I've avoided setting up file sharing for eons, but finally need to do it. I am having trouble.

I have successfully defined the Homegroup on one PC and logged onto that Homegroup from another. Each PC says it is in the Homegroup but say "No other homegroup computers are currently available". Just to be sure I ran a netstat and see an IPv6 TCP connection between the PCs: port 3587 (p2pgroup) on one and port 62579 on the other.

Could this be a firewall problem? I'm running Kaspersky Internet Security 2015 on both PCs. It didn't block the p2pgroup connection, but just to be sure I opened up what Kaspersky calls the "Local Services" ports - both TCP and UDP on both PCs. That did not help.

Now the other PC - the one that created the group - went to sleep. I woke it back up, but I can not longer join the homegroup. The local PC seems to think I'm trying to create a group rather than join it whenever I enter the groups password. The popup says "A homegroup can only be created on a home network. To change your network location setting, open Network and Sharing Center in Control Panel."
Fine, but both PCs are in Home Network.

I'm likely to get frustrated soon.

Update: Rebooting cleared up the last problem I mentioned. I can now again log onto the homegroup, but it still says no other PCs are in it.

All this is to get access to just one file on an external drive. I may have better luck just setting up an FTP server on the PC rather than using file sharing.

 

[GokAy]

See http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43972-homegroup-add-computer-join.html, especially the services required to be started

 

[pokeefe0001]

I hate it when things just start working. But I hate it more when they won't work at all.

Today the "server" PC was powered off but a "client" PC still thought it was in the homegroup. I told it to leave the homegroup, brought up the "server", and told the "client" to rejoin the homegroup. After a couple seconds it joined and I could access the shared folder on the "server". Yesterday the join process would hang for about a minute. The process would finally end (supposedly) successfully, but I never had access to the shared folder.

By the way, my list of important services don't quite match the list in the How To post you pointed to.

My Function Discovery Resource Publication service is Manual rather that Automatic (but who cares since it's Started).

My UPnP Device Host was Manual but not started on either PC. I apparently didn't need it. What usually starts it?

 

[GokAy]

My list is actually longer than the one in the tutorial. But it has general network services too, not necessarily HomeGroup.

- Computer Browser
- DHCP Client
- DNS Client
- Network Connections
- Network Location Awareness
- Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
- Server
- TCP/IP Netbios helper
- Workstation
-- Start one by one if above doesn't help
- Homegroup Listener
- Homegroup Provider
- SSDP Discovery
- UPnP Device Host
- IPsec

I don't know why/what but I had a problem in my own HomeGroup when I first set it that the PCs wouldn't see each other in the list, but they started to the moment I started UPnP Device Host.