How do I get two machines to talk to one another?

[Don J]

I am running two systems, both with Windows XP Home Edition installed. They
are connected through the same router.

How do I get one system to talk to the other? I have run the network setup
Wizard on both systems. I have disabled sharing over the network. I have
configured folders in both systems to be shared.

FYI: When I click the "My Network Places>Entire Network>Microsoft Windows
Network>Mshome" folder on one machine it contains a directory labled with
the name of that machine. I open this directory and it contains the names
of all the shared directories on the machine. On the other machine clicking
the same directory yields an error message that says:

"Mshome is not available. You might not have permission to use this
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions. The list of Workgroups for this server is not currently
available."

Can anyone help?


Don J

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[db]

is a bit tedious and would
like to only offer a couple
of suggestions:

firstly, turn off your firewalls
secondly, be sure to "map"
the drives.

sometimes you have to unmap
them then remap them and
reboot as well.

however, if the above doesn't
provide that extra help to network
your machines, then try a third party
program.

a third party program can override
the settings and overcome the
hurdles of trying to figure out what
you skipped over.

A program called "simpledesktop"
is pretty easy and i didn't find any
difficulties with it.

if simple desktop can connect
your two machines, then you will
know that there was a configuration
error on your part. if simple desktop
cannot connect your machines, then
it is likely a major issue causing the
hurdle.
I am running two systems, both with Windows XP Home Edition installed. They
are connected through the same router.

How do I get one system to talk to the other? I have run the network setup
Wizard on both systems. I have disabled sharing over the network. I have
configured folders in both systems to be shared.

FYI: When I click the "My Network Places>Entire Network>Microsoft Windows
Network>Mshome" folder on one machine it contains a directory labled with
the name of that machine. I open this directory and it contains the names
of all the shared directories on the machine. On the other machine clicking
the same directory yields an error message that says:

"Mshome is not available. You might not have permission to use this
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions. The list of Workgroups for this server is not currently
available."

Can anyone help?


Don J

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Don J]

Two problems in implementing what you are suggesting:

1) Mapping drives requires a password be set on the target machine. I have no passwords set on the target machine. There was a grayed out suggestion that the password is for the 'Guest' User Account on the Target Machine. At the time this first appeared 'Guest' was defined but inactive on the target machine. Immediately activated 'Guest' on the target machine. Guest had been predefined and couldn't be given a password. Doing all this didn't change a thing.

2) Successfully downloaded a link to "Simpledesktop". Tried to install it. At the end of the download some instructions appeared saying that should do a "RUN sdesktopserv.exe". I tried to do the operation and it came back and said it couldn't find "sdesktopserv.exe". Any help?

Don J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"db" <databaseben.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message is a bit tedious and would
like to only offer a couple
of suggestions:

firstly, turn off your firewalls
secondly, be sure to "map"
the drives.

sometimes you have to unmap
them then remap them and
reboot as well.

however, if the above doesn't
provide that extra help to network
your machines, then try a third party
program.

a third party program can override
the settings and overcome the
hurdles of trying to figure out what
you skipped over.

A program called "simpledesktop"
is pretty easy and i didn't find any
difficulties with it.

if simple desktop can connect
your two machines, then you will
know that there was a configuration
error on your part. if simple desktop
cannot connect your machines, then
it is likely a major issue causing the
hurdle.
I am running two systems, both with Windows XP Home Edition installed. They
are connected through the same router.

How do I get one system to talk to the other? I have run the network setup
Wizard on both systems. I have disabled sharing over the network. I have
configured folders in both systems to be shared.

FYI: When I click the "My Network Places>Entire Network>Microsoft Windows
Network>Mshome" folder on one machine it contains a directory labled with
the name of that machine. I open this directory and it contains the names
of all the shared directories on the machine. On the other machine clicking
the same directory yields an error message that says:

"Mshome is not available. You might not have permission to use this
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions. The list of Workgroups for this server is not currently
available."

Can anyone help?


Don J

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Malke]

Two problems in implementing what you are suggesting:

1) Mapping drives requires a password be set on the target machine.
I have no passwords set on the target machine. There was a grayed out
suggestion that the password is for the 'Guest' User Account on the
Target Machine. At the time this first appeared 'Guest' was defined but
inactive on the target machine. Immediately activated 'Guest' on the
target machine. Guest had been predefined and couldn't be given a
password. Doing all this didn't change a thing.

2) Successfully downloaded a link to "Simpledesktop". Tried to
install it. At the end of the download some instructions appeared
saying that should do a "RUN sdesktopserv.exe". I tried to do the
operation and it came back and said it couldn't find
"sdesktopserv.exe". Any help?

(snip inaccurate advice from "db")

in message I am running two systems, both with Windows XP Home Edition
installed. They
are connected through the same router.

How do I get one system to talk to the other? I have run the
network setup
Wizard on both systems. I have disabled sharing over the
network. I have
configured folders in both systems to be shared.

FYI: When I click the "My Network Places>Entire
Network>Microsoft Windows
Network>Mshome" folder on one machine it contains a directory
labled with
the name of that machine. I open this directory and it contains
the names
of all the shared directories on the machine. On the other
machine clicking
the same directory yields an error message that says:

"Mshome is not available. You might not have permission to use
this
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out
if you have
access permissions. The list of Workgroups for this server is
not currently
available."

There is absolutely no reason to use a third-party program or to map
drives to get sharing to work on two XP computers.

The error message you are getting indicates a firewall issue. I assume
that when you said above "I have disabled sharing over the network" you
really mean you "enabled sharing over the network". Obviously, disabling
file/printer sharing will defeat your end goal. Here are basic
networking steps for XP:

This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the
Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable File &
Printer Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn on
the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party firewall
or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton
2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
substitute your correct subnet.

If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
in your situation.

Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder.

If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm


Malke

 

[db]

Mr. Malke, MVP 12 Month Awardee,
firstly, your statements that include a
reference to me are unprofessional and
unwarranted.

no need to snip anything from my postings
as you can create your own sub thread.

if you have a better idea then provide
them, instead of including me in your sarcasitic
statements that reflect your poor character...

you reiterated my suggestion
about turning off the firewall...

please keep the garbage to yourself
and provide professional statements
if you know how.

one more thing regarding your
unprofessionalism, if you want to be
considered as a professional the first step
is to provide both first and last names, just
like your references to other mvps

one wonders if "malke" is your first name,
last name, middle name, nickname or
a reference to "spoiled milk"....

Two problems in implementing what you are suggesting:

1) Mapping drives requires a password be set on the target machine.
I have no passwords set on the target machine. There was a grayed out
suggestion that the password is for the 'Guest' User Account on the
Target Machine. At the time this first appeared 'Guest' was defined but
inactive on the target machine. Immediately activated 'Guest' on the
target machine. Guest had been predefined and couldn't be given a
password. Doing all this didn't change a thing.

2) Successfully downloaded a link to "Simpledesktop". Tried to
install it. At the end of the download some instructions appeared
saying that should do a "RUN sdesktopserv.exe". I tried to do the
operation and it came back and said it couldn't find
"sdesktopserv.exe". Any help?

(snip inaccurate advice from "db")

in message I am running two systems, both with Windows XP Home Edition
installed. They
are connected through the same router.

How do I get one system to talk to the other? I have run the
network setup
Wizard on both systems. I have disabled sharing over the
network. I have
configured folders in both systems to be shared.

FYI: When I click the "My Network Places>Entire
Network>Microsoft Windows
Network>Mshome" folder on one machine it contains a directory
labled with
the name of that machine. I open this directory and it contains
the names
of all the shared directories on the machine. On the other
machine clicking
the same directory yields an error message that says:

"Mshome is not available. You might not have permission to use
this
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out
if you have
access permissions. The list of Workgroups for this server is
not currently
available."

There is absolutely no reason to use a third-party program or to map
drives to get sharing to work on two XP computers.

The error message you are getting indicates a firewall issue. I assume
that when you said above "I have disabled sharing over the network" you
really mean you "enabled sharing over the network". Obviously, disabling
file/printer sharing will defeat your end goal. Here are basic
networking steps for XP:

This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the
Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable File &
Printer Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn on
the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party firewall
or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton
2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
substitute your correct subnet.

If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
in your situation.

Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder.

If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm


Malke

 

[db]

1) well, mapping your own drives should
not require a password, unless one
was previously provided. It would
be better to be logged in as administrator
on both your machines.

maybe the link provided by the other
responder to a more detailed page,
it may be of some help.

2) also, the file sdestopserv.exe is the program
that connects to the online "server" that
acts as the middle guy between your
machines but both machines require
the program.

http://www.moogsoftware.com/SimpleDesktop-WebHelp/gettingstarted.html

it may seem that both techniques
above that i have used successfully
are proving difficult to overcome
your particular hurdles.

at first, setting up the network is a
bit tricky. One way to start is to
make it as simple as possible.

3) i suggest you move both machines
close together and hard wire both
of them with an ethernet cable and
nothing else like the internet, modems
or routers.

turn off your firewalls and antivirals
and share "everything" on both
machines. Later if your are successful
you can unshare directories/drives.

you may want to restart
the network wizard. Basically
this creates a single group name
and then you would also need to create
names for each machine, like pc1 and pc2 so
that they can both log into the group name and
begin sharing the mapped drives.




Two problems in implementing what you are suggesting:

1) Mapping drives requires a password be set on the target machine. I have no passwords set on the target machine. There was a grayed out suggestion that the password is for the 'Guest' User Account on the Target Machine. At the time this first appeared 'Guest' was defined but inactive on the target machine. Immediately activated 'Guest' on the target machine. Guest had been predefined and couldn't be given a password. Doing all this didn't change a thing.

2) Successfully downloaded a link to "Simpledesktop". Tried to install it. At the end of the download some instructions appeared saying that should do a "RUN sdesktopserv.exe". I tried to do the operation and it came back and said it couldn't find "sdesktopserv.exe". Any help?

Don J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"db" <databaseben.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message is a bit tedious and would
like to only offer a couple
of suggestions:

firstly, turn off your firewalls
secondly, be sure to "map"
the drives.

sometimes you have to unmap
them then remap them and
reboot as well.

however, if the above doesn't
provide that extra help to network
your machines, then try a third party
program.

a third party program can override
the settings and overcome the
hurdles of trying to figure out what
you skipped over.

A program called "simpledesktop"
is pretty easy and i didn't find any
difficulties with it.

if simple desktop can connect
your two machines, then you will
know that there was a configuration
error on your part. if simple desktop
cannot connect your machines, then
it is likely a major issue causing the
hurdle.
I am running two systems, both with Windows XP Home Edition installed. They
are connected through the same router.

How do I get one system to talk to the other? I have run the network setup
Wizard on both systems. I have disabled sharing over the network. I have
configured folders in both systems to be shared.

FYI: When I click the "My Network Places>Entire Network>Microsoft Windows
Network>Mshome" folder on one machine it contains a directory labled with
the name of that machine. I open this directory and it contains the names
of all the shared directories on the machine. On the other machine clicking
the same directory yields an error message that says:

"Mshome is not available. You might not have permission to use this
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions. The list of Workgroups for this server is not currently
available."

Can anyone help?


Don J

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------