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Home network set-up - need some help

post #1 of 9
11/30/07 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
I'm having a heckuva time trying to figure this out.

The facts:

Computer A is in a bedroom, running Vista, connected wirelessly to a router located in the basement.

Computer B is in the basement, running XP, connected via wire to this router.

The problem:

I am unable to see/open/use documents on computer A from computer B. When I open, say, Word on B and navigate to computer A within the Open File command, it shows that A exists, but it denies me access to any files or programs within A (all I see within this window is "Computer A"; I do not see any individual files or programs).

Within Computer A, I have the entire C drive ok'd for sharing. I've also gone into specific files within Word and approved them for sharing.

Is there more to this than simply activating SHARE to those files and drives I'd like to access from the other computer?

How do I begin troubleshooting this?

Thanks a ton,

Jon
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post #2 of 9
12/1/07 at 7:20am

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

I've done 0 research on this, but it sounds like a permission problem. Now that vista is a more secure OS, you may have to set up you mapping to use the sign onto computer as ..... function to sign onto the vista box to get access to the files..

someone else can chime in, or otherwise I'll research later :-)
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post #3 of 9
12/1/07 at 7:45am

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

I think when you allow sharing on the ''C" it is only a general permission for the computer and does not open access to all the folders. This way you can share certain folders or printer and not allow access to others.
Right click on "My Documents" and verify on the "Sharing" tab that access is allowed for that folder. This should work with the other folders that you want to share also.
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post #4 of 9
12/1/07 at 9:11am

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

You're in for a real treat if you have as much trouble as I did in the same situation.

Try this:

On the VISTA PC:
1. Open "My Computer"
2. Right-click on "Local Disk C:" (if that's the drive you want to share)
3. Select "Share"
4. Click on "Advanced Sharing"
5. Click on "Permissions"
6. Click on "Add..."
7. In the "Enter the object names to select" box type in "Everyone" (do not include quotations)
8. Click "OK"

I can't remember everything I had to do after that but that might get you on the right track.

If this doesn't work then ignore this post. No Guarantees (but then there never is with VISTA)
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post #5 of 9
12/1/07 at 5:55pm

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

It is also an extremely bad idea to share the entire C drive. Especially if you do Everyone and have a wifi set up.

It is simply so outragesouly bad that you shouldn't do it even if you live in the woods and have no neighbours with wifi gear...

What you should do is share a sub-folder on C. For instance, My Documents is a good thing to share.

As has been noted, you have sharing rights and then you have permissions on the sharing computer as well. Meaning, you should make sure you have a personal account on the computer you share from, and then right-click on the folder you want to share and make sure it is set to share AND that it has the proper file permissions set for your user on the server.

Then you map the folder from the client machine by right-clicking on My Network Places, for instance, and choosing "Map network drive". Enter the name of the computer and the share, ie something like "\\VistaBox\\MyDocuments" if you named the share on the Vista machine to MyDocuments.

If you use the same user to mount with as you used on the servers to give privileges it will work. To make sure of that, you click on "Connect using a different user name" and enter "VistaBox\Username" and the password that you use on the Vista Box.

This should work. Hopefully.
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post #6 of 9
12/3/07 at 4:06pm

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

You might already have some Public folders on the Vista box that are more promiscuous. If so, you can move the file there to share it.
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post #7 of 9
12/4/07 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

Quote:
You might already have some Public folders on the Vista box that are more promiscuous.



I guess that's alright, as long as they're safe and discreet.

Jon
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post #8 of 9
12/7/07 at 11:20am

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

Hmmm. Another reason I don't have Vista.

I am running XP on five computers in my house. Two are wired to the router (my office). The other three connect wirelessly. All have permissions to specific folders.

Make sure you have secured your router, very important!
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post #9 of 9
12/8/07 at 8:49am
Thread Starter 

Re: Home network set-up - need some help

Quote:
Make sure you have secured your router

I thought routers had built-in automatic security; is there something I need to do to it?

Thanks,

Jon

EDIT: Nevermind, I see now: http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...ess_secure.htm
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