Accessability problems between computers in Windows XP Home workgroups

[afnetman]

I have a desktop and laptop computer in my workgroup. Both computers
can see
each other when I look at Microsoft Windows Networks. Both computers
are
running Windows XP Home, one has an ethernet connections to the router
and
the other a wireless connection. The problem I have is when I try to
access
the other computer over the network I get the following error:

\\Master is not accessable.You might not have permission to use this
network
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you
have
acccess permissions.

Access denied.

I can ping the two computers from the other, I can access the shared
printer, but I can not get access to any of the shared drives or
folders. I have made sure the guest user account is active and no
password is set, there is no firewalls turned on. I am at my wits end
trying to find the solution to this. All I can see is everyone
suggesting to upgrade to XP PRO. Is this the only solution to this
problem? If so, why isn't Microsoft addressing this problem

I can not find anywhere in the Microsoft help that addresses this
problem.
Any suggestions??

Jerry

 

[Chuck]

I have a desktop and laptop computer in my workgroup. Both computers
can see
each other when I look at Microsoft Windows Networks. Both computers
are
running Windows XP Home, one has an ethernet connections to the router
and
the other a wireless connection. The problem I have is when I try to
access
the other computer over the network I get the following error:

\\Master is not accessable.You might not have permission to use this
network
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you
have
acccess permissions.

Access denied.

I can ping the two computers from the other, I can access the shared
printer, but I can not get access to any of the shared drives or
folders. I have made sure the guest user account is active and no
password is set, there is no firewalls turned on. I am at my wits end
trying to find the solution to this. All I can see is everyone
suggesting to upgrade to XP PRO. Is this the only solution to this
problem? If so, why isn't Microsoft addressing this problem

I can not find anywhere in the Microsoft help that addresses this
problem.
Any suggestions??

Jerry

Jerry,

When you "made sure the guest user account is active", did you do it properly?
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-under-windows-xp.html#Help>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-under-windows-xp.html#Help

Which firewalls specifically did you make sure "no firewalls turned on"? Check
all other items in these articles too.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/mysterious-error-5-aka-access-denied.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/mysterious-error-5-aka-access-denied.html

I share your frustrations, frequently. But you need to try diagnosing the
problems.

 

[afnetman]

Chuck,

Thanks for your advice on diagnosing the problems, that is what I have
been trying to do for the past two months and I am getting nowhere.
That is what I thought these usergroups were for, to help when you just
can't get things working.
I have setup the guest account according to your instruction above and
have turned off the only firewall on the systems (Windows Firewall).
Still no luck I always get the same problem. I have seen a lot of
other with this problem as well and after contacting several people
about his they said they had to upgrade to XP Pro to fix this problem.
Any other suggestions?

Jerry

 

[Malke]

Chuck,

Thanks for your advice on diagnosing the problems, that is what I have
been trying to do for the past two months and I am getting nowhere.
That is what I thought these usergroups were for, to help when you
just can't get things working.
I have setup the guest account according to your instruction above and
have turned off the only firewall on the systems (Windows Firewall).
Still no luck I always get the same problem. I have seen a lot of
other with this problem as well and after contacting several people
about his they said they had to upgrade to XP Pro to fix this problem.
Any other suggestions?

Jerry

You do not need to upgrade to XP Pro. Are you sure you don't have a
third-party firewall on at least one of the machines? Recent versions
of Norton AV for instance have "Internet Worm Protection" which acts as
a simple firewall. It sounds like a misconfigured firewall is your
issue. In addition to checking for firewalls (and you *must* have a
firewall on Windows machines that are connected to the Internet), to
make things simple create identical user accounts/passwords on both
machines.

If that doesn't help, here is an excellent network troubleshooter from
MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it and it will
pinpoint the problem area(s):

http://www.michna.com/kb/wxnet.htm

If you still can't figure it out, have a local professional come and set
you up. There is no way you should be having these problems for "two
months". Setting up networking between two computers is a 5-minute job.

Malke

 

[Chuck]

Chuck,

Thanks for your advice on diagnosing the problems, that is what I have
been trying to do for the past two months and I am getting nowhere.
That is what I thought these usergroups were for, to help when you just
can't get things working.
I have setup the guest account according to your instruction above and
have turned off the only firewall on the systems (Windows Firewall).
Still no luck I always get the same problem. I have seen a lot of
other with this problem as well and after contacting several people
about his they said they had to upgrade to XP Pro to fix this problem.
Any other suggestions?

Jerry

Jerry,

As Malke suggested, check very carefully for a third party firewall on a
computer. That's a very common scenario here.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html

If you can't find any such item, then let's try diagnosing the problem. Start
with diagnostic tools "browstat status" and "ipconfig /all".
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html

 

[Guest]

I have this same problem and it is not the third party firewall, I have also
been ripping my hair out for several months, have bought a new router, and
re-loaded the software to no avail. the browstat status message tells me
that there is no master browser active, so this is the reason, but I have no
idea how to enable the master browser I tried to force it once in the
registry and that didnt work either, and since multiple people are having the
same problem, it is a microsoft problem probably some configuration thing,
but they should address the problem in stead of leaving people hanging.

 

[Chuck]

I have this same problem and it is not the third party firewall, I have also
been ripping my hair out for several months, have bought a new router, and
re-loaded the software to no avail. the browstat status message tells me
that there is no master browser active, so this is the reason, but I have no
idea how to enable the master browser I tried to force it once in the
registry and that didnt work either, and since multiple people are having the
same problem, it is a microsoft problem probably some configuration thing,
but they should address the problem in stead of leaving people hanging.

Jetro,

This is NOT the problem, it is a symptom. There are actually several possible
problems causing this set of symptoms, and the problems have to be diagnosed.

Microsoft is addressing these problems, but they cannot address all of the
problems simultaneously.

Based upon the fact that there are no 2 computers in the world (outside of major
corporations with very restrictive configuration and use policies) that are
identical, it is highly difficult, if not impossible, for Microsoft to fix each
problem simultaneously. We try to help here, but you have to do US the favour
of reporting your problem, and working with us.

I'm sorry you've been ripping your hair out. Mine is long gone. :-(

If we have been unable to help you in the past, I apologise. I personally try
not to refuse to help anybody who is patient enough. Help us to help you. And
help us to help others.

 

[afnetman]

Hi Chuck,

Here are the outputs from the two computers on ipconfig /all. When I
run "browstat status" I get the following error

C:\>browstat status
'browstat' is not recognized as an internal or external command.
operable program or batch file.


DESKTOP computer IP Config
C:\>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : master
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : Yes
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA VT6105 Rhine III Fast
Ethernet A
dapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-30-18-59-63-3F
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.33
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 80.58.32.97
80.58.0.33


LAPTOP IP Config

C:\ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . : Slave
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . .:
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . .. Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled . . . . . . No
WINS Proxy Enabled . . . . No

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : IEEE 802.11g Wireless
Cardbus/PCI Adapter
Physical Address . . . . . . . . . . . . : 00-40-P4-DD-96-DE
Dhcp Enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . . . : Yes
IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease Obtained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, November 05,
2005 7:32:44 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, November 06,
2005 7:32:44 AM

Ethernet adapter Local Area Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x
Family Fast Ethernet NIC
Physical Address . . . . . . . . . . . . : 00-02-3F-8F-EA-B7


Thanks for your help

Jerry

 

[afnetman]

Chuck,

Sorry forgot to mention I turned off all spyware, firewalls, anti-virus
applications on both computers and still have the same problems.

Jerry

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck,

Here are the outputs from the two computers on ipconfig /all. When I
run "browstat status" I get the following error

C:\>browstat status
'browstat' is not recognized as an internal or external command.
operable program or batch file.

<SNIP>

Jerry,

OK, That's a start. But we will need Browstat, as so far no problem is
apparent. Since you got "'browstat' is not recognized...", did you follow the
link, and read
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-path-and-making-custom-program.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-path-and-making-custom-program.html

Make sure you're not running a personal firewall, without realising it.

Do you have an antivirus product (and if not, get one immediately!)? Some
antivirus products come bundled with personal firewalls. F-Secure Internet
Security, McAfee Internet SecuritySuite, and Norton Internet Security, for
example, each contain both antivirus and personal firewalls (F-Secure Personal
Firewall, McAfee Personal Firewall and Norton Personal Firewall, respectively).
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck,

Here are the outputs from the two computers on ipconfig /all. When I
run "browstat status" I get the following error

C:\>browstat status
'browstat' is not recognized as an internal or external command.
operable program or batch file.

<SNIP>

Jerry,

OK, That's a start. But we will need Browstat, as so far no problem is
apparent. Since you got "'browstat' is not recognized...", did you follow the
link, and read
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/browstat-utility-from-microsoft.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/browstat-utility-from-microsoft.html

If so, did you actually download browstat.exe, and maybe not run it properly?
Did you follow the link in the above article, and read
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-path-and-making-custom-program.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-path-and-making-custom-program.html

Firewalls are absolutely the most common cause for your problem. Turning off
the firewall may not solve the problem.

Make sure you're not running a personal firewall, without realising it.

Do you have an antivirus product (and if not, get one immediately!)? Some
antivirus products come bundled with personal firewalls. F-Secure Internet
Security, McAfee Internet SecuritySuite, and Norton Internet Security, for
example, each contain both antivirus and personal firewalls (F-Secure Personal
Firewall, McAfee Personal Firewall and Norton Personal Firewall, respectively).
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html

 

[afnetman]

Hi Chuck,

Here is the output from the BROWSTAT STATUS:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\>browstat status


Status for domain OURHOME on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{7015E9CD-44C7-432F-9
3F4-D2AC3CBC8BA2}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: MASTER
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master MASTER
\\MASTER
There are 2 servers in domain OURHOME on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{7015
E9CD-44C7-432F-93F4-D2AC3CBC8BA2}
There are 1 domains in domain OURHOME on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{7015
E9CD-44C7-432F-93F4-D2AC3CBC8BA2}

C:\>

I have no firewalls, virus checkers with firewall like applications
running on either computer during the testing phase of the network. My
Virus Checker is Norton Antivirus not the Security Suite.

I did manage to finally get the Laptop to access the files on the
Desktop (MASTER) computer. Someone suggested I check the settings in
the Registry Keys for:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > HARDWARE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control >
Lsa > restrictanonymous and ensure the key is set to 0. This did the
trick for accessing the MASTER computer. I changed the setting on the
laptop as well but still have the same problem as before. Any more
suggestions?

Thanks
Jerry

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck,

Here is the output from the BROWSTAT STATUS:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\>browstat status


Status for domain OURHOME on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{7015E9CD-44C7-432F-9
3F4-D2AC3CBC8BA2}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: MASTER
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master MASTER
\\MASTER
There are 2 servers in domain OURHOME on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{7015
E9CD-44C7-432F-93F4-D2AC3CBC8BA2}
There are 1 domains in domain OURHOME on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{7015
E9CD-44C7-432F-93F4-D2AC3CBC8BA2}

C:\>

I have no firewalls, virus checkers with firewall like applications
running on either computer during the testing phase of the network. My
Virus Checker is Norton Antivirus not the Security Suite.

I did manage to finally get the Laptop to access the files on the
Desktop (MASTER) computer. Someone suggested I check the settings in
the Registry Keys for:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > HARDWARE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control >
Lsa > restrictanonymous and ensure the key is set to 0. This did the
trick for accessing the MASTER computer. I changed the setting on the
laptop as well but still have the same problem as before. Any more
suggestions?

Thanks
Jerry

Jerry,

OK, that's progress. One restrictanonymous change should make a difference in
the browser situation, so post updated "browstat status" and "ipconfig /all"
from each computer.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>

With updated primary diagnostics, we'll do a CDiag run, and look at all of the
symptoms in an organised display. That will show what we should check next.