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"Logon Failure: Unknown User Name or Bad Password" error message in Windows 7

The following error message is a common one, and very easy to fix, you may receive when trying to access network drives and shared folders on your HomeGroup or local network: "Logon Failure: Unknown User Name or Bad Password". The upside of this network problem notification is that Windows 7 was able to find the remote computer or shared drive, but that it could not obtain permission to view its content from your computer and Windows user name.

Fix network authentication problems in Windows 7

Here are a few tips and troubleshooting steps for user name / password issues on your local network:

• First, and easiest, double-check the spelling of your user name - a single too many or missing character will cause a problem; then, make sure that "CapsLock" is turned off, and retype your network password for this particular resource.
• Also make sure that Windows 7 does not add a computer name and backslash before your user name: if it does automatically, confirm that the computer name is the correct one (it should be the name of the computer to which you are trying to connect), like this:
  
  THE_COMPUTER_NAME\THE_USER_NAME
  
  Note: since Windows 7 knows that you want to access the computer or shared drive on the network whose name you double-clicked on, you should not need to specify the destination computer's name under the user name, Windows will (or should) automatically assume it behind the scenes.
• Finally, another very simple for which you might have problems connecting to another computer on the network is simply because you, or another user, changed that user name's password.
• Also make sure that no one has deleted that particular Windows user profile on the computer you are trying to connect to: Windows 7 (and other versions of Windows) will only let you connect using a current (existing) user name and password.

These steps and tips cover just about every problem that you are likely to encounter, and explains your receiving the Windows Security "Enter Network Password" error message.

• Windows 7 networking and File Sharing
• Share drives, folders and files on the local network
• Change the permissions of a shared file or folder
• Access shared drives, folders, or files on your local network
• Map as drive a shared drive or folder on your local network
• Copy a shared file or folder from the local network to your computer
• Make file transfers faster over the local network (Windows 7 / Vista / XP)
• Error 0x80070035: "The Network Path Was Not Found" message
• "Logon Failure: Unknown User Name or Bad Password" error message
• View the current wireless network name
• Disconnect from a wireless network
• Check the status of a wireless connection
• Change wireless network password
• Check the security and encryption of a wireless connection
• Make Windows 7 automatically re-connect to a wireless network
• View available wireless networks in range
• Prevent Windows 7 from automatically connecting to wireless network
• Disconnect from wireless network
• Join another wireless network
• Always show wireless network icon taskbar
• Permanently hide wireless network icon from taskbar
• Windows 7 Tutorial