Caddyman said:
I have done this before using simple file sharing without having the
same user names and same passwords. Is the reason I am getting a login
screen because I disabled simple file sharing. Even if I try to map
the network drive to that share using the login info of the pc with
the share folder on it, I still have to login everytime I reboot the
pc.
OK, let's discuss what Simple Sharing really is and why you are having
difficulties.
Simple Sharing is the XP way of saying "Guest". In network terms,
enabling Guest 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. If you want to do it this way,
then *enable* Simple Sharing on all machines. OTOH, if you need Pro's
ability to set fine-grained permissions, then *disable* Simple Sharing
and create identical user accounts/passwords on all machines.
When a computer in a peer-to-peer network (Microsoft's "Workgroup") with
Guest disabled gets a request from another computer, it authenticates
the request by checking if it knows the user from whom the request is
coming, if the password matches, and what that user is allowed to do.
If Guest is enabled it doesn't do that and all requests are permitted
with elevated permissions (which is why it is a vulnerability).
So why are you having trouble? My guess is that if you have disabled
Guest you don't have identical user accounts and passwords - passwords
are case-sensitive - and you should doublecheck this. Also check the
permissions on the shares; perhaps you do have the correct user account
and password but you have permissions set incorrectly.
If you are still having difficulty with this, perhaps having a local
professional come on-site might be your best course of action.
Malke
