Home Networking

[Guest]

I have an XP machine and a W98SE machine which I have networked together, but
I can't access the XP machine from the W98SE machine although the W98SE knows
about the XP in the network connections window. What do I do now?

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

I have an XP machine and a W98SE machine which I have networked together, but
I can't access the XP machine from the W98SE machine although the W98SE knows
about the XP in the network connections window. What do I do now?

Please reply to this message in the news group (not by E-mail) with
more information to help other people understand the problem.

What do you mean by "the network connections window"? Do you mean
W98SE's "Network Neighborhood"? If so, what exactly do you see there?

How are you trying to access the XP machine from the W98SE machine?
What exactly happens when you do it? What is the complete text of the
error message?

Which version of XP do you have: Home Edition or Professional?

Can the XP machine access the W98SE machine?
--
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

 

[Guest]

In the W98SE Network Neighbourhood window I can see both machines and in the
XP Workgroup Connections I can see both machines. I can access the W98SE
machine from the XP machine but not the XP from the W98SE. I have XP Home
edition. I connected the two machines with an ethernet cable and ran the
Network setup wizard on both machines. The error message stated that I had no
access to the XP machine (can't remember the exact wording and machines
currently unconnected as it was causing the XP machine to run slow).

 

[Chuck]

I have an XP machine and a W98SE machine which I have networked together, but
I can't access the XP machine from the W98SE machine although the W98SE knows
about the XP in the network connections window. What do I do now?

Tracey,

Make sure the browser service is running on the WinXP computer. Control Panel -
Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and the
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started. Disable the
browser on the Win98 computer:
http://cms.simons-rock.edu/faq_by_subtopic/node138.html
Power both computers off. Power the WinXP computer on, then the Win98 computer.

Is the WinXP computer XP Home or Pro? This makes a difference.

On any XP Pro computer, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel -
Folder Options - View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Pro,
you need to have SFS enabled.

On XP Home, and on XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled, make sure that the
Guest account is enabled, on each computer. Enable Guest with Start - Run -
"cmd", then type "net user guest /active:yes" in the command window.

On XP Pro, if you're going to use Guest authentication, check your Local
Security Policy (Control Panel - Administrative Tools) - User Rights Assignment,
on the XP Pro computer, and look at "Deny access to this computer from the
network". Make sure Guest is not in the list.

Do any of the computers have a software firewall (ICF / WF, or third party)? If
so, you need to configure them for file sharing. Firewall configurations are a
very common cause of (network) browser, and file sharing, problems.