Windows 11 intranet only issues

floydl · 2025-04-23T18:27:39-0400

Ok, so I have several systems that can't use Internet but need to file share. So my solution is set PC one static to say 192.168.55.2 then set PC two to 192.168.55.3. PC 1 and 2 are connected via Ethernet cable to a gigabit switch. In windows 10 and older it always worked great I could share via the IP address of main PC. Now in windows 11 it never makes the "profile" to be able to set the network to private. It will if you connect it to the Internet but these PCs can't be connected to the Internet. Any ideas how to resolve?

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-04-23T18:43:03-0400

Use a straight-through or crossover Ethernet cable (depending on the device's ports) to physically connect the devices. Most gigabit ports will automatically deal with either.

Set the network configuration as follows.

Device A: IP Address 192.168.1.100, Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, Default Gateway 192.168.1.101
Device B: IP Address 192.168.1.101, Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, Default Gateway 192.168.1.100

If these machines are Win11 Pro, you may have to do more to allow this.

floydl · 2025-04-23T19:03:22-0400

Yes they are windows 11 pro. I have tried with a cross over cable as well. Once you put in settings it never builds a profile so you can't change it from public to private. The first time I ran into this I just temporarily connected the switch to the router then put in static ips that where in the same subnet and it worked then I just unplugged the Ethernet cable from the router. Unfortunately the new laptops cannot be connected to Internet for security reasons.

pseymour · 2025-04-23T19:40:24-0400

What do you mean by "never builds a profile?" You don't have something like this? Obviously yours wouldn't say WiFi, but you should have properties in the middle, and it should be clickable.

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-04-23T19:48:16-0400

I suspect having the Public Network there is a key issue blocking your connection.

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-04-23T19:49:38-0400

If you get desperate, just connect both computers to a $20 router with no WAN connection and set everything to automatic. :)

floydl · 2025-04-23T20:44:53-0400

pseymour said:
What do you mean by "never builds a profile?" You don't have something like this? Obviously yours wouldn't say WiFi, but you should have properties in the middle, and it should be clickable.

View attachment 132084

When windows connects to any network it builds a profile, this profile remembers settings like public, private, ECT. If you use the command netsh lan show profiles it won't show anything until you connect it to the Internet. That is also the time that it allows you to change if it's private or public.

floydl · 2025-04-23T20:52:34-0400

gunrunnerjohn said:
If you get desperate, just connect both computers to a $20 router with no WAN connection and set everything to automatic. :)

So two issues gigabit wired only routers, I can't find any at decent prices these units are not allowed to be connected to anything that has wireless potential. Also sometimes even connecting via DHCP it does the same thing until you connect it to internet. Tho I have gotten them working this way.

hsehestedt · 2025-04-23T21:29:25-0400

I replicated your setup, and sure enough, there is no option to make the network "private". But, I have a solution for you:

First I tried this:

1) Enable Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing for PUBLIC networks on both systems.

2) Open File Explorer. It won't see the other machine if you try to browse for it. However, you can connect to the other machine by manually typing the location like this:

\\IP_Address\Share

OR

\\Machine_Name\Share

But after some further research I discovered that you can force the network to Private by using Group Policy Editor (not available in Home edition) or with a couple of PowerShell commands like this:

NOTE: This should completely resolve the issue, allowing even browsing to work:

1) Open a PowerShell command prompt as Administrator

2) Run this command:

Get-NetConnectionProfile

Take note of the network name. In my case it was "Unidentified network".

3) Run this command, substituting in your network name:

Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "YourNetworkName" -NetworkCategory Private

Done!

EDIT: Run the above commands on both machines.

Berton · 2025-04-23T23:47:41-0400

Got an idea for a future project, prompted by this question, connect 2 computers via Bluetooth Wireless:

connect 2 computers via bluetooth at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

hsehestedt · 2025-04-23T23:53:40-0400

Berton said:
Got an idea for a future project, prompted by this question, connect 2 computers via Bluetooth Wireless:

connect 2 computers via bluetooth at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

Just out of curiosity, why would you even want to do this? Bluetooth is crazy slow, so I know you wouldn't use it copy files of anything more than a few MB in size.

Berton · 2025-04-24T00:11:48-0400

hsehestedt said:
Just out of curiosity, why would you even want to do this? Bluetooth is crazy slow, so I know you wouldn't use it copy files of anything more than a few MB in size.

Why not try? There's always at least 2 ways to accomplish a task in computing, something different may work better.

floydl · 2025-04-24T06:43:53-0400

hsehestedt said:
I replicated your setup, and sure enough, there is no option to make the network "private". But, I have a solution for you:

First I tried this:

1) Enable Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing for PUBLIC networks on both systems.

2) Open File Explorer. It won't see the other machine if you try to browse for it. However, you can connect to the other machine by manually typing the location like this:

\\IP_Address\Share

OR

\\Machine_Name\Share

But after some further research I discovered that you can force the network to Private by using Group Policy Editor (not available in Home edition) or with a couple of PowerShell commands like this:

NOTE: This should completely resolve the issue, allowing even browsing to work:

1) Open a PowerShell command prompt as Administrator

2) Run this command:

Get-NetConnectionProfile

Take note of the network name. In my case it was "Unidentified network".

3) Run this command, substituting in your network name:

Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "YourNetworkName" -NetworkCategory Private

Done!

EDIT: Run the above commands on both machines.

I will give this a try tonight, I appreciate your help. It's funny how it just started to be an issue in windows 11.

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