Microsoft to retire Windows HomeGroup feature
Click here to post a comment for Microsoft to retire Windows HomeGroup feature on our message forum
sverek
Forcefully installs new bloatware on OS with every possible windows update. Nobody asked for it.
Removes features that actually works for home network and being used by users.
Awesome decision M$! Are there other user friendly tools for setting up home network?
Fox2232
Commercial application from MS incoming... ?!?
asturur
I think HomeGroup lacked security, default sharing with no password or something like that.
Is long since i do not use it, always opted for `workgroup`.
Maybe someone knows better the reasons
sverek
Last time I set home network it automatically secures it with password. (at least I didn't see an option to make it non-secure on Win7)
To access the network, password will be required.
lucidus
Reads like they want to sell more office 365/onedrive subs. I heard the windows team suffered job losses recently, I guess it's still too bloated with stupid decisions.
shamus21
The more they kick out the better MS have to many brain dead types on the books.
fantaskarsef
Whatever I did I was never able to enter the same home group from win7 and win 8.1/10. This feature was already an enigma for me as that it should have worked (did everything like in 10 tutorials across the net), but then again cutting it seems like the usual, don't give a crap attitude of m$ when it comes to it's customers.
Kaarme
I used this to transfer files between my laptop and desktop. It seemed to work just fine. This article gave me an impression MS wants me to first upload the sometimes gigabytes of files (photos for example) to the Internet for the obligatory NSA scan, and then download them to the other PC, which is physically 1 meter from the first one. That can't possibly be correct. I guess I'll cross this bridge once some future update suddenly stops me from transferring the files.
Mineria
Oh well, at least I wont miss it, hopefully they remove Hyper-V and some other stuff too.
lucidus
Hopefully they won't remove the "share with" context menu feature. I make a bin folder on PC's meant for such transfers across the network. The homegroup feature was convenient to share the standard libraries and printers quickly.
Anyway, long live LTSB 2016.
rl66
With the "local group" wich is included with 99% of the internet provider box it was useless, it's a good move to remove useless tool...
rl66
With the industry using more and more free solution for everyday use, i become very hard to work with office 365 or onedrive wich look limited for an expensive solution 🙁
Even in school they tend to deseapear.
Alessio1989
Did you ever used "homegroup"?
It worked only on private (home) networks and required a password to join in. When you create a new home-group a random password is created (and if you want you can change it). If you want to join in a home-group created by someone else you have to type the password.
The real fail is called "libraries", a feature that Microsoft never pushed in it's own products in the right way and it's completely hidden to the user in all those crappy UWP applications. Ironically, the only application that gives the "libraries" features in the face of the user are WMP (which is no more enabled by default) and WMC (which has been officially retired).
NaturalViolence
I fail to see the advantage homegroup had over standard SMB shares. I'm amazed they kept it as long as they did.
TimmyP
^^ Same here. Just another couple useless services pinging your home pc's. Leave this kinda stuff to the mac users.
MerolaC
Finally, HomeGroup is a pain to set up, not because it's hard to do so, but because it breaks easily.
I use the advanced sharing and done with it.
schmidtbag
Finally. I don't get what was wrong with just sticking with the way they handled SMB before. It was simple, widely compatible, and straight-forward. HomeGroup just added needless complication.
LocoDiceGR
Maybe they will introduce something new (garbage) to replace it.
Fan fact: I just saw that they have a new feature in RS4 called 'Near Share'.
And
''We hope you’re no longer using the homegroup on your home network, as it’s now been disabled. Microsoft encourages you to use modern solutions like OneDrive file sharing, or the Windows 10 Share functionality for folders and printers''
tsunami231
that great i never liked or used i always disabled, one les thing for me deal with it
