Windows 8.1 can't access shared folder on linux

Question

Setup:
1X ubuntu desktop with shared folder named share via samba. IP: 192.168.0.20
1X windows 8.1 laptop updates installed and network sharing enabled. IP: 192.168.0.100-199
1X Windows 10 updates installed and network sharing enabled. IP: 192.168.0.100-199

Issue:
When sharing the folder from my Ubuntu, I cannot access the shared folder from my win8.1 no matter the settings. The Ubuntu is not detected and when trying to access it via \\192.168.0.20\share i get an network error:

When using the win10, I got a popup that i should enable shared folders, and when i did, it worked out of the box.

At school, we use shared folders to hand in our exams. It doesn't work over there either, which confirms the issue is with my win8.1. While this is not my primary issue since i can hand in via USB, I would like to be able to use shared folders at home, both for utility and testing my linux setup.

Question: Since i'm pretty sure it's not a settings issue, what else could be the problem? Could an installed tool cause interference with shared folders? Or should i be searching in another direction?

Answer 1

The problem turned out to be one caused by windows. Although I did not find the cause for it, re-installing windows completely fixed the issue. Since the question has been dead for a while I suppose this is the closest to an answer there will ever be.