Networking Windows NT and Windows XP on a wireless network

[Guest]

Hello,
I have a Windows NT 4.0 SP 6 that is hooked to wireless router. I have a
laptop running Windows XP Pro SP 2 on the network. I can access the Internet
through the wireless network just fine. However, I want to establish a shared
folder for both computers as well as sharing the printers that the computers
are attached to. I can "see" each computer on the network on both computers
but I can't access them. Windows NT computer searches and then says the path
for the Windows XP computer is not accessible. I get a similar message on the
Windows XP computer for the Windows NT computer. I have the same workgroup
name and I can't use the Windows Networking Wizard that came with Windows XP
because it won't setup with Windows NT. Any suggestions for my problem?
Thank you in advance,
Carolyn

 

[Chuck]

Hello,
I have a Windows NT 4.0 SP 6 that is hooked to wireless router. I have a
laptop running Windows XP Pro SP 2 on the network. I can access the Internet
through the wireless network just fine. However, I want to establish a shared
folder for both computers as well as sharing the printers that the computers
are attached to. I can "see" each computer on the network on both computers
but I can't access them. Windows NT computer searches and then says the path
for the Windows XP computer is not accessible. I get a similar message on the
Windows XP computer for the Windows NT computer. I have the same workgroup
name and I can't use the Windows Networking Wizard that came with Windows XP
because it won't setup with Windows NT. Any suggestions for my problem?
Thank you in advance,
Carolyn

Carolyn,

Make sure the browser service is running on each computer. Control Panel -
Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and the
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started.

On the 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 properly set.

On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled, check the Local Security Policies (Control
Panel - Administrative Tools). Under Local Policies - Security Options, look at
"Network access: Sharing and security model", and ensure it's set to "Classic -
local users authenticate as themselves".

On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled, if you set the above Local Security Policy to
"Guest only", enable the Guest account, using Start - Run - "cmd" - type "net
user guest /active:yes" in the command window. If "Classic", setup and use a
common non-Guest account on all computers. Whichever account is used, give it
an identical, non-blank password on all computers.

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" - type "net
user guest /active:yes" in the command window.

More about file sharing, between all different versions of Windows:
<http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...db-aef8-4bef-925e-7ac9be791028&DisplayLang=en>

Do any of the computers have a software firewall (WF, or third party)? If so,
you need to configure them for file sharing, by opening ports TCP 139, 445 and
UDP 137, 138, 445, by enabling the File and Printer Sharing exception (WF), and
/ or by identifying the other computers as present in the Local (Trusted) zone.
Firewall configurations are a very common cause of (network) browser, and file
sharing, problems.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.