Browse Network PC - Access Denied?

A

Al Grant

Hi Guys,

I have a workgroup here with the following setup:

About 5 computers on a Workgroup.
Each user has a PC, and one logon per machine, which is the first name
of the person that uses that machine, ie Tom. There is no password
reqd when logging on. The machines are running XP (some Home, some Pro)

The problems started when one of the of the computers needed to be
formatted. This was done, and the computer was given the same computer name
and put on the same workgroup.

After formatting I recreated all the shares, and successfully connected to
the shares from all the other PC's on the network - so connectivity and
access rights to that extent are fine.

Now the only problem really seems to be that if I go to another PC,
say PC2, and try to browse the workgroup (via View Workgroup
Computers) I can see PC1, but when I click on it I get something to
the effect of "Cannot view \\PC1 .....access denied"


1. File and Printer Sharing is Installed
2. Simple File Sharing is on
3. Guest Account is on (someone suggested turning it on -didnt help)
4. Browse Service is started
5. NetBios over TCP/IP is on (Computers are on DHCP)
6. BROWSTAT shows me which PC is the master browser and didnt indicate any
other problems IMHO?
7. No Firewalls or Security Software running (Windows Firewall is completely
off)

C:\>browstat status

Status for domain WORKGROUP on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{C9ABCEA8-
CC14-417A-B8E1-C38EEBA8B74E}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: EMMA
Could not connect to registry, error = 53 Unable to determine
build of browser master: 53
\\\\EMMA .. Version:05.01 Flags: 71203 NT POTENTIAL
BACKUP MASTER

1 backup servers retrieved from master EMMA
\\EMMA
There are 5 servers in domain WORKGROUP on transport \Device
\NetBT_Tcpip_{C9ABCEA8-CC14-417A-B8E1-C38EEBA8B74E}
There are 1 domains in domain WORKGROUP on transport \Device
\NetBT_Tcpip_{C9ABCEA8-CC14-417A-B8E1-C38EEBA8B74E}

I am wondering if its something to do with Local Security Policy or
Shared Folder Setup in computer management???

So to summarise, I can PING, and I can connect to SMB shares, but cant
browse the formatted PC, PC1, in the list of computers in WORKGROUP.

Please help,

Cheers

-Al
 
A

Al Grant

Robert L. (MS-MVP) said:
Do you see the PC1 when using "net view" command?

--
Click to expand...

C:\>net view \\192.168.0.12\
System error 5 has occurred.

Access is denied.

Now there are several fixes for this (I did some googling of my own):

1. Firewalls are off (even tried in safe mode with networking to be sure)
2. Net logon service - tried to start this but it reports it stopped
automatically as its not needed. Some deeper digging on the event log shows
that it will stop automatically on a workgroup as its only needed on domains.
3. Cache user credntials. Well this one has me a bit puzzled as nobody on
this workgroup as the same username/password as anybody else. I even looked
in users in control panel. Each PC has only one user and they are all
different. But anyway I created a "user" on the target PC with the same name
as the source PC. Didnt help.

Pleaseeeee help. Thanks

-Al
 
R

Robert L. \(MS-MVP\)

System error 5 is firewall or permission issue. You may want to create the
same username and password on both computer. Or this search result may help.
System Errors
If the net view command fails with a "System error 5 has occurred.
Access is denied." message, 1) make sure you are logged on using an account
that has ...
www.chicagotech.net/systemerrors.htm


--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com
 
B

BigAl.NZ

How can it be a permission issue with simple file sharing turned on?

I have tried in safe mode (to eliminate any firewalls) and it didnt
work.

Turned Windows Firewall off completely - still didnt work.

Any other ideas?

-Al
 
S

Steve Winograd

Hi Guys,

I have a workgroup here with the following setup:

About 5 computers on a Workgroup.
Each user has a PC, and one logon per machine, which is the first name
of the person that uses that machine, ie Tom. There is no password
reqd when logging on. The machines are running XP (some Home, some Pro)

The problems started when one of the of the computers needed to be
formatted. This was done, and the computer was given the same computer name
and put on the same workgroup.

After formatting I recreated all the shares, and successfully connected to
the shares from all the other PC's on the network - so connectivity and
access rights to that extent are fine.

Now the only problem really seems to be that if I go to another PC,
say PC2, and try to browse the workgroup (via View Workgroup
Computers) I can see PC1, but when I click on it I get something to
the effect of "Cannot view \\PC1 .....access denied"


1. File and Printer Sharing is Installed
2. Simple File Sharing is on
3. Guest Account is on (someone suggested turning it on -didnt help)
4. Browse Service is started
5. NetBios over TCP/IP is on (Computers are on DHCP)
6. BROWSTAT shows me which PC is the master browser and didnt indicate any
other problems IMHO?
7. No Firewalls or Security Software running (Windows Firewall is completely
off)

C:\>browstat status

Status for domain WORKGROUP on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{C9ABCEA8-
CC14-417A-B8E1-C38EEBA8B74E}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: EMMA
Could not connect to registry, error = 53 Unable to determine
build of browser master: 53
\\\\EMMA .. Version:05.01 Flags: 71203 NT POTENTIAL
BACKUP MASTER

1 backup servers retrieved from master EMMA
\\EMMA
There are 5 servers in domain WORKGROUP on transport \Device
\NetBT_Tcpip_{C9ABCEA8-CC14-417A-B8E1-C38EEBA8B74E}
There are 1 domains in domain WORKGROUP on transport \Device
\NetBT_Tcpip_{C9ABCEA8-CC14-417A-B8E1-C38EEBA8B74E}

I am wondering if its something to do with Local Security Policy or
Shared Folder Setup in computer management???

So to summarise, I can PING, and I can connect to SMB shares, but cant
browse the formatted PC, PC1, in the list of computers in WORKGROUP.

Please help,

Cheers

-Al
Click to expand...

Using another computer, try to connect directly to a shared disk or
folder belonging to PC1, by typing this in the Start > Run box:

\\PC1\share

If that works, the problem you described is probably caused by a
registry setting. Run the registry editor on PC1 and open this key:

HLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA

Set the value RestrictAnonymous to 0. Reboot and try browsing PC1
again.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
A

Al Grant

Using another computer, try to connect directly to a shared disk or
folder belonging to PC1, by typing this in the Start > Run box:

\\PC1\share

If that works, the problem you described is probably caused by a
registry setting. Run the registry editor on PC1 and open this key:

HLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA

Set the value RestrictAnonymous to 0. Reboot and try browsing PC1
again.
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Will look at that key - thanks. I have absolutely no problem connecting to
SMB shares at all. Its only when I go to browse that computer via the list of
computers in the workgroup.

-Al
 
A

Al Grant

Hi Steve,
If that works, the problem you described is probably caused by a
registry setting. Run the registry editor on PC1 and open this key:

HLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA

Set the value RestrictAnonymous to 0. Reboot and try browsing PC1
again.
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion.

That fixed it. How did that key get to that value in the first place?

Thanks again

-Al
 
S

Steve Winograd

Hi Steve,


Excellent suggestion.

That fixed it. How did that key get to that value in the first place?

Thanks again

-Al
Click to expand...

You're welcome, Al. I've seen this problem many times, but I don't
know what causes the bad (non-zero) value of RestrictAnonymous. The
classic symptoms of the problem are:

1. The computer is visible to other computers.

2. Attempts to browse the computer (enumerate its shared disks and
folders) get "Access Denied".

3. Direct access to \\computer\share works.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 

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