Frequently Asked Question

"Windows cannot access \\computer\share\" is the error message you mostly likely get when you try to access a shared folder on a Windows 8 machine or NAS—that is, a computer or storage that is not a domain member. The cause is usually that the sharing options for the different network profiles are incorrect.
As users become more and more mobile, you often have to manage devices that are not members of your Active Directory domain. The remote management of standalone PCs can sometimes be tricky because various security barriers prevent remote access to Windows 8.

If you need access to some files on a remote computer or any network share folders, you only have to enable file sharing. This isn’t as easy as it should be. Whenever you connect to a new network, Windows will ask you this question:

Do you want to turn on sharing between PCs and connect to devices on this network?

Notice that Windows will store the settings for this network. If you want Windows to forget this configuration, right-click the symbol for this network and select “ Forget this network.” If sharing is enabled, Windows will automatically open the corresponding Firewall ports.
You can check the settings for Private and Public networks in the Network and Sharing Center. The fastest way to access the Network and Sharing Center is to right-click the network symbol in the systray. To access the sharing settings, click “ Change advanced sharing settings” in the left sidebar. Behind the active network profile (Public or Private), you will see “(current profile)”.
In Windows 7, three location types exist: Home, Work, and Public. In Windows 8, Home and Work were united in a label called Private.
If you play a little with these settings, you will notice that Windows 8 will “lie” to you sometimes when you establish a networking connection. The “ Yes, turn on sharing and connect to devices” is only true if “Turn on file and printer sharing” is enabled in the Private network settings and “No, don’t turn on sharing or connect to devices” is only correct if “Turn off file and printer sharing” is enabled in the Guest or Public network settings.

You can switch between the Public and Private settings by right-clicking the symbol of the access point and then selecting “ Turn sharing on and off”. Again, this message is incorrect. Correct would be “Switch between Public and Private network location type settings.” Changing the sharing settings works with WiFi and cable connections. For some reason (a bug?), changing the location type only works if the computer is connected to an identified network.

Try to access the network share folder again, it should able to resolve your issues.