1225. How I Solved the 0x80070035 Error After Renaming My PCs — The Real Fix Microsoft Missed

 

🛠️ How I Solved the 0x80070035 Error After Renaming My PCs — The Real Fix Microsoft Missed

For six months, I struggled with a persistent Windows error: “0x80070035 – Network path not found” It blocked file sharing between two PCs on my private network. Sometimes the other PC would appear in File Explorer, sometimes not. But even when it did, trying to access shared folders failed every time.

I tried everything:

• Network discovery settings

• SMB protocol tweaks

• Firewall rules

• IP-based access

• DNS flushes and Winsock resets

Nothing worked. Until I discovered the real culprit — and it’s one Microsoft never warns you about.

🧨 The Hidden Problem: Stale Credentials After Renaming PCs

Months ago, I renamed both PCs. What I didn’t realize is that Windows Credential Manager still stored credentials tied to the old PC names, even though the IP addresses stayed the same.

This created a silent conflict:

• File Explorer resolved the new name to the correct IP.

• But authentication failed because the stored credentials referenced the old name at that same IP.

• Result: 0x80070035 every time.

✅ The Real Fix: Clean Up Windows Credentials

Here’s how I solved it in minutes — after six hours of wasted troubleshooting:

1. Open Credential Manager

• Press Windows + S and search for Credential Manager

• Go to Windows Credentials

2. Remove Old PC Name Entries

• Look for entries like TERMSRV/Old-PC-Name or Old-PC-Name

• Delete any credentials tied to the old computer names

3. Add New Credentials

• Click Add a Windows credential

• Enter:

  • Network address: \\New-PC-Name or its IP (e.g., \\192.168.1.10)

  • Username: The account name on the target PC

  • Password: The password for that account

4. Repeat on Both PCs

• Do the same cleanup and re-entry on each PC involved in sharing

5. Test Access

• Open File Explorer and enter \\New-PC-Name or \\192.168.1.x

• Shared folders should now appear without error

🧠 Why Microsoft Doesn’t Fix This Automatically

Renaming a PC does not update stored credentials. Windows assumes manual management, which leads to silent conflicts when:

• The IP stays the same

• The name changes

• The old credentials remain active

🧭 Final Notes

• You don’t need static IPs or hosts file edits unless you’re deliberately changing addresses.

• The only real fix is cleaning up Credential Manager.

• If you’ve renamed a PC and lost access to shared folders, this is the first thing to check.

If you’ve hit this wall like I did, I hope this saves you hours — or months — of frustration. Feel free to share or repost. This fix deserves to be known.