Network Sharing with Vista: "Access Denied"

[tnpir4000]

I've got two PCs, one running XP SP2, and the other running Vista Home
Premium. I've got them both connected to the same wired network, and I can
transfer files from the Vista machine to the XP box just fine--as long as the
Vista PC is doing the driving. But when I try to access the Vista PC over
the network from the XP box, I get the following error:

\\BRIDGES0\C\ is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this
network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if
you have access permissions.

Access is denied.

I've tried everything I can think of on both PCs. The Vista PC is clearly
where the problem lies since I can connect to another XP SP2 box on the same
network with no problem (BRIDGES0 is the name for the Vista box). File
sharing is enabled, sharing of C$ is enabled with full permissions for
everybody, and yet no matter what I do it still refuses me access.

I've followed the steps in the Microsoft KB article, with no effect. What
am I missing?

 

[Malke]

I've got two PCs, one running XP SP2, and the other running Vista Home
Premium. I've got them both connected to the same wired network, and I can
transfer files from the Vista machine to the XP box just fine--as long as the
Vista PC is doing the driving. But when I try to access the Vista PC over
the network from the XP box, I get the following error:

\\BRIDGES0\C\ is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this
network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if
you have access permissions.

Access is denied.

I've tried everything I can think of on both PCs. The Vista PC is clearly
where the problem lies since I can connect to another XP SP2 box on the same
network with no problem (BRIDGES0 is the name for the Vista box). File
sharing is enabled, sharing of C$ is enabled with full permissions for
everybody, and yet no matter what I do it still refuses me access.

I've followed the steps in the Microsoft KB article, with no effect. What
am I missing?

The "access denied" error usually means a misconfigured firewall and/or
that you have not created matching user accounts and passwords on all
machines. If you wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into
one particular user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The
instructions at this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

See this general troubleshooting:

Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
system does not permit it. Read through the general networking tips
below and if you still are having difficulties, MVP Hans-Georg Michna
has an excellent small network troubleshooter here:

http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm

Taking the time to go through his troubleshooter will usually pinpoint
the source of the problem(s).

Note: McAfee security software is particularly bad on Vista and causes a
lot of problems on a network. If you have McAfee or Norton security
products installed, it is recommended that you uninstall them and use a
better antivirus such as NOD32, Kaspersky, or Avast (free). The Windows
Firewall is adequate for most people.


Malke

 

[tnpir4000]

Malke, I don't think you read the problem closely enough...XP-to-XP
connections on the network are functioning just fine. It's the XP-to-"Vista"
connection that's having problems. The problem is clearly with Windows
Vista. Therefore, that XP-based network troubleshooter you referenced was
worthless.

Any USEFUL ideas?

 

[Mick Murphy]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx

Have a read of the above link re Vista File and Printer Sharing.

1st thing to do is make sure that the Workgroup Name of ALL the computers is
the SAME.

In Vista Network and Sharing:

Network Discovery: ON (So it can see the other computers)

Network set to Private (Public is for hotspots, airports, etc)

File Sharing: ON

Public Folder Sharing: ON (Vista’s Public Folder is the same as XP’s Shared
Docs)

Password Protected: OFF (unless you want to set up identical usernames and
passwords on ALL computers in your Network) If you have it ON, you will be
asked for a username and password when you try to access a Vista computer
from an XP computer.

Also, run the XP’s Home Network File and Printer sharing Wizard.

 

[Malke]

Malke, I don't think you read the problem closely enough...XP-to-XP
connections on the network are functioning just fine. It's the XP-to-"Vista"
connection that's having problems. The problem is clearly with Windows
Vista. Therefore, that XP-based network troubleshooter you referenced was
worthless.

Any USEFUL ideas?

Well, how about the other ideas? Like maybe you have two firewalls
running on Vista or the firewall you have installed isn't properly
configured or you forgot to create matching user accounts/passwords or
you have McAfee installed....

If that isn't useful enough and you still can't figure it out - and it
isn't hard to network Vista with XP if you do it correctly, I've done it
many times over the past year - then have a local professional come
on-site and set you up properly. This will not be someone from
BigComputerStore/GeekSquad.


Malke