network authentication dialog of Windows XP

[John B]

I am trying several things and it can not fix the problem I am having as
follows:
I have three computers on a home network. All connected to same workgroup.
All can see the others in My Network Places and in Network magic. Which I
installed without any more success.
All can ping each other in command prompt.
All are listed as connected in the DSL wireless /wired router with no
problems noted, although the router will not open shared folders on computer
1 it will access shared folders on the other computers 2 and 3.

Router = 2Wire Quest 2701 HG-D Gateway
Buffelo Link Station NAS
Computer 1 laptop, Win XP PRO, MacAfee ver. 8, wireless connection
Computer 2 desktop, Win XP PRO, Media edition, Norton version 2007, wired
connection
Computer 3 Desktop, Win XP PRO, AVG free, wired connection


Computer 1 can connect to all shared folder of all three computers and Link
station on network

Computer 2 can connect to computer 2 and 3’s shared folders, Link station
but is asked to log into computer 1 with a windows connect to dialog box with
“computer1/guest†filled in and grayed out, account asking for a password. No
password including blank works.

Computer 3 can connect to computer 2 and 3’s shared folders, Link station
but is asked to log into computer 1 with a windows connect to dialog box with
“computer1/guest†filled in and grayed out, account asking for a password. No
password including blank works.

I have changed computer 1 to use and activate a guest account but still get
the same result from each computer except the user name is blank which I fill
out with the proper and only user of computer 1 and still can not log in to
the computer 1.

I have turned off the security programs and firewalls in each computer with
no change in results.
It appears that computer 1 the laptop is the problem but I can not locate it.
The Pure networks Network Magic seems to be no help as it reacts exactly the
same as Windows.
Your help files and hints on settings in firewalls all do not address the
problem.
I think the problem is with some windows settings on the laptop but I don't
know how to change this behaviour.
I probebly do not understand User permissions and such enough to make the
right changes.
Is there something I am missing here?
Can someone help?
Thanks,
John

 

[John B]

All readers be advised there are two distinct "John B" participants
here...by coincidence.

John:
You have listed a lot of details, which I cannot scrutinize. I notice
you're using XP Pro everywhere, and you suspect "permissions." Yes, NTFS
permissions are alive and well in XP Pro, and they can cause problems.

Hopefully all software firewalls are off; and you're giving broad NTFS
permissions on shared folders. Share permissions are different, and must
similarly be generous. Restriction in either place will block. Be sure
under NTFS permissions to NOT have any "deny" stipulations, as they trump
all others.

Common user names and passwords, with administrative rank, help to establish
a functioning network. Impose restrictions once you've got everything
working under the most liberal conditions.

 

[John B]

All readers be advised there are two distinct "John B" participants
here...by coincidence.

John:
You have listed a lot of details, which I cannot scrutinize. I notice
you're using XP Pro everywhere, and you suspect "permissions." Yes, NTFS
permissions are alive and well in XP Pro, and they can cause problems.

Hopefully all software firewalls are off; and you're giving broad NTFS
permissions on shared folders. Share permissions are different, and must
similarly be generous. Restriction in either place will block. Be sure
under NTFS permissions to NOT have any "deny" stipulations, as they trump
all others.

Common user names and passwords, with administrative rank, help to establish
a functioning network. Impose restrictions once you've got everything
working under the most liberal conditions.

Thanks for responding to my inquiries. I found the answer almost by accident.
I was checking the User rights management and Security options on computer 1
against the other two on the network to see what the differences were that
would prevent access to computer 1 from computer 2 and 3 but not block access
to computer 2and 3 from computer 1.
I was changing one setting at a time and no positive results and then I
noticed a setting in Security Options “Network Access: Sharing and security
model for local accounts†All three computers were set the same “Guest only-
local users authenticate as Guestâ€.
I changed this setting on computer 1 only as it is the one denying access to
the others by requiring a windows logon dialog with Guest account filled in
and grayed out and will not accept a password.
I changed the setting to “Classic-Local users authenticate as themselvesâ€
And ---WHALA!!!—everything now works the way it should.
This machine, computer 1 used to connect fine to the others but after a trip
out of town where I connected to several other networks of relatives and
friends it just stopped working and I did not make any changes that I know of.
What do you think this could be caused by? I assume since everything now
works properly that this was the problem ,what do you think.
Anyway thanks again for responding but I still don’t understand user
permissions and Security issues well enough.
John

 

[John B]

Congratulations.
"Permissions" is a core subject for understanding Microsoft operating
systems. There are countless essays and textbooks on this subject. I
suggest you Google on this. The architecture is quite elegant, and
thoroughly logical...and hierarchical.

There are occasional "digressions from intuition" in Microsoft operating
systems that earn the contempt of many users and many professionals.
However, I have found the permissions subject to be very logical. It is too
extensive to manage without reading, however. For example, there is a nasty
joker in the deck called "deny," which trumps all other settings. Much like
the rules of mathematics, and C programming, permissions observe strict
rules of precedence. Without knowing the rules, it is entirely impractical
to mess around.

XP Pro is far more replete with NTFS (i.e., file system) permissions than is
XP Home. Both o/ses allow for share permissions...an entirely independent
qualification system, a second gauntlet to access, if you will, that an
"outsider" must pass through to see a host asset.

Another subject to study is "users." Then there are "groups": local and
domain. In a workgroup (as opposed to the more rigorous and formal "domain"
system), individual computers possess individual sets of users. A "Robert"
on computer A is not really the same as a "Robert" on a computer B, though
casual observation would intuitively imply otherwise.