Accessing shared folders on LAN?

[Dogdaysdude]

Hi, everyone. I am trying to share folders between 2 computers on my network through a router. I can see each system under entire network, workgroup, etc, but when I try to click on the other system I'm not sitting at, a username/password window opens up. What would the password be or how do I remove that from coming up?
I'm sure this is simple. I've just never done it before.
Thanks.

[Paul Komski]

Which are the relevant operating systems on both systems.

In any case, try creating an account with exactly the same user name on the "other" PC - even if you are not logged onto to that account on that PC - and even if no password has been set for any users.

This has usually worked for me but sometime just enabling a guest account on the other computer can have the same result - though if you are using WinXP there can be differences with the Home and Pro versions (and enabling disabling simple file sharing can come into play).

[Dogdaysdude]

XP Pro is on both systems.

[Dogdaysdude]

Still having problems. Simple file sharing is set on both computers. Yet on the second one, I can't access the shared drive. No permission. So I'm not sure how to set the permissions up for it? :confused:

[Paul Komski]

Does the remote PC have a resource (printer or folder) that has been shared? If nothing has been shared you will get various access denied problems.

[Variable]

I you get a password prompt when trying to connect to a file share and you are sure Simple File Sharing is enabled I would look at the Guest account. Simple File Sharing uses no credentials and the guest account, so either Simple Sharing is not running, or the guest account is disabled.

Here is a good walkthrough

http://www.home-network-help.com/file-sharing.html

[Dogdaysdude]

Ok, I looked that over along with "How to Share File with Group and User Permissions" from the same website. I think that is where my problem is. I need to add the other Group or user name from the other computer to Share Permissions. However, when I click on Add... I don't see the other computer, only the host one that I'm on.
And now I accidently have removed all permissions to that folder and can't access it at all. How do I undo that?
This is getting worse.

[Variable]

You need to determine if you want to use Simple File Sharing or not, Simple File Sharing is all or nothing. You don't have to add groups or users.

Right click a folder you want to share (pick a new folder for the time being, doesn't matter what it is, better.. Right click your desktop and click New and select folder call it test.), and open it. Click on Tools, Folder Options, View and then scroll to the bottom, If Simple File Sharing is checked uncheck it and click apply. Now re check the box and click OK and close the window. Right click the Folder you want to share (easy if it on the desktop) and click Sharing and Security. Check the radio button next to share this folder, give it a share name, Click Permissions, Everyone should be listed, Hightlite Everyone, check the boxes for the permission level you want, Full, Write, Read, you may want to check them all. Click OK. Click "View your windows firewall settings", if it is running, click Exceptions and check the box next to File and Print Sharing. Click OK and OK.

Right click My Computer, Click Manage, expand Users and Groups, Click Users and in the right hand pane you should see Guest. If it has a red x then right click it and Enable and close the window.

Right Click My Computer and click Properties, Click Compute Name, Look at the workgroup name, both machines must have the same workgroup. I am sure you know this but check.

If you have any other firewalls running, allow file and print sharing or disable them. Go the the other machine in the network and do the exact same thing as above. Share a folder and follow all steps above.

Reboot both machines. When they come up if you have any other firewall running besides Windows, disable them again if necessary or configure them to allow sharing on the internal network.

Right Click My Network Places, Click Search for Computers, now click search. It will look for any shared computers, Does the other computer show up? If so double click it. If you see any pop up windows from any software give you a warning that could be an application that will block sharing. Allow it and configure the application to allow file and print sharing. You can configure everything right and a firewall or anti hacket program may silently block everything. You can go nuts messing with settings trying to fix things you already have correct and end up messing it all up further.

[Dogdaysdude]

OK, did all that. At the last step listed above, when I double click on the other computer, a box opens up to use a password. I'm not sure what to do with that. Is there a way to remove the use of a password to access the other computer?
Thanks much for all your help. I appreciate it.

[Variable]

Right click on the new folder you created and click Properties, do you see a Security tab on either machine? Do you have access to both machines?

[Dogdaysdude]

Yes, I can see the security tab, as long as simple file sharing is turned off. I can access either machine, but not from the opposite one through the network. I always get the access denied message about permissions, etc.

[Variable]

With Simple File Sharing turned on look at this link.
http://winhlp.com/WxNetwork.htm#Simple_file_sharing__Guest_account__ and_anonymous_access_problems

[Paul Komski]

Yes, I can see the security tab, as long as simple file sharing is turned off.Just to point out that that is quite normal and to be expected on NTFS partitions. It is the classic appearance that would have been found in Win2K and WinNT. The customisable security settings are not available in WinXP Home. With WinXP Pro (when simple file sharing is off) it behaves like Win2K and when it is on it emulates WinXP Home. Unless you want to specify that specific users can access particular folders it isn't really necessary to change the security settings for a folder.

Suggest you "clear the decks" on the target PC by removing any current shares so no folders have little hands under them, turn on simple file sharing and reboot. Now turn off simple file sharing and create one new test folder (and keep it away from any user's personal folders so put it directly as a folder in the C drive say). Now "simply" share the folder but don't try and set any other specific settings for it. Reboot.

Both software and hardware firewalls aside, this has just about always worked for me when you can "see the other WinXP PC" but cant access it and as long as the target PC has an account with the identical name that you are currently logged onto.

[Dogdaysdude]

Target PC being the one that is not the main PC? So both PC's need to have an identical user name? And signed on with that user?
Sorry about my ignorance. I didn't know that this would be so difficult. I'll try this a bit later today.

[OH_Tech]

I had the same problem. In my case the password that I logged into the other machine with worked....

When the machine booted up, I logged in with:

user id: Administrator
password: house

When I tried to access a shared folder on that pc, it asked for an id and password. I used Administrator and house and I was able to gain access to the shared folder.

[Paul Komski]

So both PC's need to have an identical user name?
I think the relevant bit in variable's second link is: "There is a user rights policy to deny network access to certain users and groups, which contains a SUPPORT user and, by default, Guest. If Guest is included here, guest and anonymous access (all users who do not have an account with the same username and password on the target computer) from other computers is not possible and yields the error message ..."

I have understood this to mean that you can logon to the remote PC as either an identical user that already exists on the target pc (even if that account is not logged onto) or as a guest if the guest account on the remote computer has been enabled.

This also assumes that the shared folder is not in the users' tree (which can imply certain privileges) and that everyone has been enabled to access the shared resource - the default setting (i.e. no specific denys or allows).

In general this will allow you to connect without any intervening dialog box requesting a user name and password. If so prompted then you would need to enter the correct and relevant user name and password. There are also settings which may have been set to force the use of a password for remote logons or not - and even if no password has been set for an account locally. If in doubt setup the same user with the same password on both computers and logon to both accounts.

Once you get access you can make changes to get back to where you are now if that is what you want. Make the changes one by one of course.

It all can all get horrible when it doesn't work first time but keeping it all as simple as possible from the word go is probably the most successful. Once one goes about changing settings it is often best to start over - if one can.