Workgroup woes

[Jim]

Hi,
I have 3 computers connected using cable and the network setup wizard.In my
"network places" I
can see all 3 computers on all machines.

On machine 1 I can see and browse "Shared Docs"
on machine1 and 3 but for machine 2 it asks for a usernam and password.

On machine 2 I can see all machines but can only browse machine 2, otherwise
it asks for a username and password.

On machine 3 I can see all machines but can only browse machine 3,
otherwise it asks for a username and password.

I only ever use one good passwod, and the usernames are obvious.I still cant
connect them.

These are home computers used primarily for games and non critical work.How
do I simply sharing files between them
without usernames and passwords which never seem to work.I have spent houres
with a wizard floppydisk going round on all
of them trying to get a simple network to work without
usernames\passwords.TIA

 

[Maincat]

Hi,
I have 3 computers connected using cable and the network setup wizard.In
my "network places" I
can see all 3 computers on all machines.

On machine 1 I can see and browse "Shared Docs"
on machine1 and 3 but for machine 2 it asks for a usernam and password.

On machine 2 I can see all machines but can only browse machine 2,
otherwise it asks for a username and password.

On machine 3 I can see all machines but can only browse machine 3,
otherwise it asks for a username and password.

I only ever use one good passwod, and the usernames are obvious.I still
cant connect them.

These are home computers used primarily for games and non critical
work.How do I simply sharing files between them
without usernames and passwords which never seem to work.I have spent
houres with a wizard floppydisk going round on all
of them trying to get a simple network to work without
usernames\passwords.TIA

I've had the same problems as you and I've given up trying to troubleshoot
this issue. As long as I can see each computer from the other by going
start - run - \\computername I'm not going to waste time trying to fix this
workgroup issue.

 

[Malke]

Hi,
I have 3 computers connected using cable and the network setup wizard.In my
"network places" I
can see all 3 computers on all machines.

On machine 1 I can see and browse "Shared Docs"
on machine1 and 3 but for machine 2 it asks for a usernam and password.

On machine 2 I can see all machines but can only browse machine 2, otherwise
it asks for a username and password.

On machine 3 I can see all machines but can only browse machine 3,
otherwise it asks for a username and password.

I only ever use one good passwod, and the usernames are obvious.I still cant
connect them.

These are home computers used primarily for games and non critical work.How
do I simply sharing files between them
without usernames and passwords which never seem to work.I have spent houres
with a wizard floppydisk going round on all
of them trying to get a simple network to work without
usernames\passwords.TIA

Are any of the computers XP Pro or Media Center?

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

 

[Jim]

Hi,
thanks for the replies......all the machines are XP Pros. I kinda
thought that being able to share files and folders was
fundamental after Windows 95.
Since XP is rejecting the usernames and passwords I am entering (which I
know are right), then what usernames/passwords does it expect.
I am administrator on all of them. Does windows generate its own at
installation time and if so where can I find them.
All I want is a simple solution.TIA.
John

 

[Jim]

Hi,
thanks for the replies......all the machines are XP Pros. I kinda
thought that being able to share files and folders was
fundamental after Windows 95.
Since XP is rejecting the usernames and passwords I am entering (which I
know are right), then what usernames/passwords does it expect.
I am administrator on all of them. Does windows generate its own at
installation time and if so where can I find them.
All I want is a simple solution.TIA.
John

XP expects you to enter a user name which exists on the remote computer and
the password for that user on the remote computer.

XP does not generate either user names or their passwords.

Jim

 

[Malke]

Hi,
thanks for the replies......all the machines are XP Pros. I kinda
thought that being able to share files and folders was
fundamental after Windows 95.
Since XP is rejecting the usernames and passwords I am entering (which I
know are right), then what usernames/passwords does it expect.
I am administrator on all of them. Does windows generate its own at
installation time and if so where can I find them.
All I want is a simple solution.TIA.
John

Did you not read what I wrote? Either disable Simple File Sharing on all
the computers OR enable Simple File Sharing on all the computers. If you
do the latter, create identical user accounts and passwords on all
machines. Make sure you've properly configured all firewalls to allow
the lan as trusted.

Being able to share files and folders *is* fundamental. You are doing
something wrong. If you still can't figure out, either go through MVP
Hans-Georg Michna's troubleshooter as I previously suggested or have a
local professional come on-site to sort you out.


Malke

 

[Malke]

XP expects you to enter a user name which exists on the remote computer and
the password for that user on the remote computer.

XP does not generate either user names or their passwords.

See my most recent reply to you. What you've written above makes no
sense. Peer-to-peer networks require local authentication. This is not
OS-dependent. Of course XP doesn't generate user names or passwords! No
operating system does that all by itself!

Malke