It can, and often does, take 15 minutes for my machines to decide they can see each other. I don't go that way.
What I've done with mine is to "map" network drives for the ones I want. They appear in Windoze Explorer, whether or not the other machine is connected. Open Explorer, click on the relevant drive letter, and there it is, instantly. If the other machine isn't there (silly Keef!), there's a pause followed by an error message.
Hence, drive "I" on the main machine appears as drive "I" on the laptop. The "backup" drive on the Linux machine (hdc6) is drive "B" on both desktop and laptop. The "book drive" up in the attic is drive "S" on both. All instantly accessible.
I can even access "B", "I" and "S" when I'm up in Norfolk using the laptop. A VPN is a simple thing to set up.