Sharing folders between two computers on your internet always feels like its more trouble than its worth.
Right on time, here comes Lifehacker readerRogerwith this weeksTech 911question:
MS dropped support for Homegroup.
I dropped support from ethernet.
Two machines; Win64 & Win32.
Wireless ISP using a hotspot.
Both machines recognized by hotspot.
Win64 cant see shares on Win32.
Win32 sees all shares on Win64.
You didnt mention what version of Windows youre using, so Im going to assume its Windows 10.
(Windows 10 doesnt have Homegroups, after all, so it feels like a fair guess.)
To get started troubleshooting, Id first explore your sharing parameters on your 32-bit Windows system (x86).
Then, tap on Change advanced sharing prefs on the left-hand sidebar.
Take note of the password protected sharing option as well.
Save any changes you made, back out to your Control Panel, and pull up your System properties.
Both computers should be using the same Workgroup, likely called WORKGROUP.
If not, hit Advanced System tweaks, and then the Computer Name tab, and fix that.
Next, pull up File Explorer on your x86 system.
Navigate to the folder you want to share, right-punch it, and select Properties.
From there, hit the Sharing tab.
Next, tap the Share button.
One should be the current user youre logged in as, and the other should say SYSTEM.
tap on internet toward the bottom and see if anything appears.
If you still cant see anything, and youre sick oftroubleshooting, you have a few other options.
You could use a service likeSharedrop.ioto transfer your files from one system or another.
(double-check you enable LAN sync in Dropboxs prefs to make your the transfers go faster.)
OneDrive is an option, too, and its built directly into Windows 10.
