Access to XP shared folders

[Barny]

I have an XP Pro computer that is joined to an NT 4.0 domain. When
the machine is connected to the LAN and able to see the domain
controller I can access the local shares on that machine. As soon as
it disconnects from the LAN the I can browse to the shares but gets an
access sis denied message when I try to open the shared folders on
the local machine.

Any help would be appreciated.

Barny

 

[Chuck]

I have an XP Pro computer that is joined to an NT 4.0 domain. When
the machine is connected to the LAN and able to see the domain
controller I can access the local shares on that machine. As soon as
it disconnects from the LAN the I can browse to the shares but gets an
access sis denied message when I try to open the shared folders on
the local machine.

Any help would be appreciated.

Barny

Barny,

When you're browsing to the shares on your XP Pro computer, you're looking at
information provided by the browser, a service that runs on one of the computers
on your LAN (which computer runs the browser can vary). The browser's job is to
catalogue information about the servers on the LAN, and make that information
available to any computer for display in its Network Neighborhood.

The browser does not react immediately to computers connecting, disconnecting,
adding, or deleting shares - it can be as long as 49 minutes between any change
made on the LAN, to that change showing up in the browser.

So your browser mistakenly provides information about the XP Pro computer, based
upon it having been connected previously.

The Microsoft Browstat program will show us what browsers (I'm not talking about
Internet Explorer here) you have in your domain / workgroup, at any time.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305

You can download Browstat from either:
<http://www.dynawell.com/reskit/microsoft/win2000/browstat.zip>
<http://rescomp.stanford.edu/staff/manual/rcc/tools/browstat.zip>

Browstat is very small (40K), and needs no install. Just unzip the downloaded
file, copy browstat.exe to any folder in the Path, and run it from a command
window, by "browstat status". Make sure all computers list the same master
browser.
For more information about the browser subsystem (very intricate), see:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188001
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=231312
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winntas/deploy/prodspecs/ntbrowse.mspx>
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/win95/w95brows.mspx>

BTW, Barny, posting your email address openly will get you more unwanted email,
than wanted email. Learn to munge your email address properly, to keep yourself
a bit safer when posting to open forums. Protect yourself and the rest of the
internet - read this article.
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net.

 

[Doug Sherman [MVP]]

Maybe Barny meant: When the XP machine is disconnected from the domain LAN
and connected to some other LAN, the other LAN machines cannot access its
shares?????

If this is the case, then provided you have a local user account with
administrator rights, the easiest solution is:

At the logon screen on the XP computer, click the carat at the end of the
domain line and select to log onto the local machine. Create a local user
with the same user name and password used to log onto the other machine.
The user on the other machine should then be able to access the shares.

Doug Sherman
MCSE Win2k/NT4.0, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

 

[Barny]

Thanks for your reply Chuck. I have downloaded browstat and all my
computers are using the same master browser. I'm not sure if I
explained my problem correctly. The issue is this, my PC is called
TestXP and I've shared the hard drive as 'C'

At Start | Run I type in \\testxp (not going via network
neighbourhood) to bring up a window showing the available shares on
the machine. I can only get to any of these shares when TestXP is
able to connect to my domain via the LAN.

I have tried the same test on a W2K machine and I'm able to browse to
my folders both when I'm connected and disconnected from the domain.

 

[GTS]

It sounds like a permissions issue, rather than a browser issue to me.
Possibly permissions on the share are set to allow Domain users, but not the
user from the other machine you're trying.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for your reply Chuck. I have downloaded browstat and all my
computers are using the same master browser. I'm not sure if I
explained my problem correctly. The issue is this, my PC is called
TestXP and I've shared the hard drive as 'C'

At Start | Run I type in \\testxp (not going via network
neighbourhood) to bring up a window showing the available shares on
the machine. I can only get to any of these shares when TestXP is
able to connect to my domain via the LAN.

I have tried the same test on a W2K machine and I'm able to browse to
my folders both when I'm connected and disconnected from the domain.

Barny,

I guess the question is what do you mean by "disconnected from the domain"?

If you're physically disconnected (ie network cable unplugged) then I don't see
how any computer would be able to access and browse to any folders, when
disconnected. So is Doug's analysis more relevant in your case, that is, is
this an authentication issue?

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net.

 

[Barny]

Hi Chuck

The shared folders I'm trying to browse are on the local machine
itself not a machine located on the network. I could access the files
by going to the C:\ drive but we need to be able to access these same
files via a full UNC not a drive letter.

Barny

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck

The shared folders I'm trying to browse are on the local machine
itself not a machine located on the network. I could access the files
by going to the C:\ drive but we need to be able to access these same
files via a full UNC not a drive letter.

Barny

Barny,

OK, I'm getting the picture. You really are unplugging the computer from the
network, then you're trying to access a network share on that computer from that
computer?

An interesting situation. You need the XP computer to run the browser service,
so it can see its own share when its disconnected. The only question is what
will happen when the XP computer is connected to the domain? If the XP computer
should get elected as master browser, then go offline, what happens to the
domain computers?

According to the table in Master Browser Elections, Windows NT Servers have
better chance of being elected master browser. That, combined with Running
master browser, should allow the current master browser (I'm hoping an NT
server) to be re elected, anytime it's restarted, over the XP computer.
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/winntas/deploy/prodspecs/ntbrowse.mspx>

OK, make sure that the XP computer is running browser service, per my previous
note. If you un plug it from the network, and wait up to 48 minutes, it should
elect itself master browser by that time and allow you to see its shares (the
shared folder). Or, you could restart it after un plugging it.

When you re connect it to the network, you could have a problem. It will still
consider itself to be a master browser. What would happen to any domain
computers restarting after you re connect it is anybody's guess. My suspicion
is that you will need to restart it immediately after re connecting it to the
domain, so it will recognise the domain master browser.

Is this the picture as you see it?

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net.

 

[Barny]

Hi Chuck

Yes that's my problem. I've managed to sort it by simply connecting
the XP machine to a small switch I had so the machine 'thinks' it's
connected to a network and it now allows us to access all of the
computers shares.

Thanks for your help.

Barny

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck

Yes that's my problem. I've managed to sort it by simply connecting
the XP machine to a small switch I had so the machine 'thinks' it's
connected to a network and it now allows us to access all of the
computers shares.

Thanks for your help.

Barny

Kewl, Barny. Thanks for the update.

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net.