Homegroup

[big610]

Homegroup has been removed in Redstone 4. Giant problem.

With the April Update, Redstone 4 17134,
nearby Sharing only works between two Windows 10 PCs that have the feature enabled. You can’t share from mobile or other operating systems. Meaning no more Mac, Linux, & Mobile devices. Buy Cloud service with One Drive. Homegroup is retired. Microsoft would like you on their devices, to have a Microsoft account. Make it hard on Businesses with Mac, Linux, Android.

I initially let 16299.402 update to 17134.1, it kept intact my Mac & Linux Sharing, created in R3, but missing Homegroup settings.
I then wanted to test the R4 ISO, with a clean install. I lost entire ability to share with non-Microsoft devices.
Then clean installed a Redstone 3 Fall Creators Update 16299 ISO, enabled HomeGroup, & I made a HomeGroup Shortcut. Let it update to Redstone 4 17134, HomeGroup Sharing intact. Any new non Windows devices you want to add, does not have the function once your in R4.

It was reported systems that will be updated to the upcoming versions of Windows 10 will lose the functionality.
So we were lucky for the short time. It's just a matter of time before the Monthly Patch Tuesday Windows Updates (2nd Tuesday of every month), deletes remaining R3 Homegroup Sharing settings.

A solo HomeGroup app is needed ASAP.
Taking the guts of HomeGroup in R3 16299, and making an app.
Get it made as a Beta, then worry about cutting its size down in MB's.

Zenju were you aware?
What will be the challenges to build?

[Zenju]

Does this mean MS is removing the ability to share files between PCs in a LAN? Without a (local) alternative? This would be insane.

[big610]

Yes. With a clean Redstone 4 Install & the future, Homegroup has been removed. Alternative is One Drive.
No more sharing from Windows to Mac & Linux.
No more sharing from Mac & Linux to Windows.
Windows to Windows uses new method, encouraging you to use One Drive.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4091368/windows-10-homegroup-removed
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027674
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4092694/windows-10-changes-to-file-sharing-over-a-network

Can you build a similar Homegroup application from the guts of Redstone 3?
Don't worry about the MB size, get a Beta out, then fine tune it.

[Zenju]

What hasn’t changed?

Any folder, files, printers that you previously shared using HomeGroup will continue to be shared. This means that:

- Shared network folders will still be available. You can open them in File Explorer by typing the name of the PC and the shared folder name in this format: \\homePC\SharedFolderName.
- If one user account was set up on a PC for sharing, you can continue using that one account for sharing.
- You can still get to any shared printers through the Print dialog box.

Okay, that doesn't sound so bad after all.

[big610]

Bad, if you have a Mac & Linux & Mobile, with Windows, no sharing or seeing each other.
Can you build an alternative Homegroup?

[Giangi]

Bad, if you have a Mac & Linux & Mobile, with Windows, no sharing or seeing each other.

I think that you didn't understood correctly the MS statement: only the "homegroup" has been removed, NOT the sharing as done for ages before the "homegroup"!!!
"Homegroup" was just a way to simplify sharing avoiding (well... hiding should be better) the need to create every users locally for all the pc into the "homegroup".

[big610]

Yes I understand and have seen it.
If you use alternate non Microsoft Windows devices, Mac, Linux, Mobile; these devices are no longer seen to be Shared.

[Giangi]

I cannot test that but I'm pretty sure you can still see shared resources on Windows from non-Windows because the SMB protocol and the "server service" is still there...
You will have to create by yourself the needed account/pwd on both the "server" and the "client", of course same account name and same password on both side...
If you want to share something from the non-Windows side you must be sure to have installed\activated the Samba server on Linux (and I guess it's the same on the Mac)

[Giangi]

Windows to Windows uses new method, encouraging you to use One Drive.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4092694/windows-10-changes-to-file-sharing-over-a-network

encouraging is different from forcing... :-) :-) Sharing over a network is still available... :-)