Home Network / File Sharing... (1 Viewer)

[Mike Grell]

Hello; I've been fighting with "home networking / file sharing" for ages, it always seems to be a problem or tempermental at best. Again, today I need to copy a file across machines and am again fighting with getting it working, so far no luck.

I have 2 computers hooked up to a Linksys router. Both machines are running Windows XP. The one I want to connect to has File Sharing enabled + several folders shared.

The computer I'm using TRYING to connect to the shared folders sees the computer name in the My Network Places under Entire Network. However, like always, when I try to connect I get:


- - - - - - - -
\PhotoStation is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact your administrator... blah blah blah.

The network path is not found.
- - - - - - - -

I can't find anywhere on the PhotoStation machine to set permissions anymore; Am I missing something really obvious and suffering needlessly? ;-)

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[ChadLB]

Here's a good link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...e/default.mspx

 

[Mike Grell]

Hi Chad; It seems that after SP2 has been applied, none of the "Sharing" property boxes look the same. I can no longer find anything to do with Permissions. The menu only has a checkbox to turn on sharing and what the shared folder will be called. No other options as to who can see it or anything.

I thought at first maybe I wasn't in as Administrator, but that's not what it was.

It seems it's easier to setup an FTP server than mess around with this nonsense for hours and hours and hours...

Mike

 

[Kris McLaughlin]

A couple things to check:

1 - Make sure both computers are in the same workgroup. Sounds like they probably are, if you can see the server's name in windows explorer.

2- Create an identical user account on the client machine to the one on the server. Log in under this user & you shouldn't have an permission problems accessing files.

(I always think that if I'm logged in under a diff. account, it would just pop up a username/password box when connecting, but it doesn't seem to work that way.)

Hope this helps.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

This is the big one. You must have your username added to the other machine, with the same password. Must.

Also, you never said if these are XP home or Pro machines. If possible, turn off simple file sharing and you should be able to do "connect as" if your local user isn't authenticating properly.

 

[Chris Bardon]

I used to have similar problems with file sharing, where I'd be able to see one PC from the other, but not the other way around (i.e. A could see B, but B could not see A). It turns out that I had the LAN connection (not the intenert one) set to use DHCP with no DHCP server. I hard coded some IP addresses in, and it worked just fine. It's a long shot, but perhaps a solution?

 

[SethH]

Also, make sure to adjust, or turn off, any firewalls. Even the XP firewall can screw up your networking and drive mapping.

 

[Mike Grell]

Hi everyone; thanks for all the replies!

I've added my user name / password to the machine I want to connect to; as soon as I did, it disappeared from the Network Places list... ??? When I go back to that machine and remove the name, it reappears on the list.

I'm surprised, Microsofts directions on getting this working are pretty much: "Place a checkmark here. Enable sharing on a folder."

I give up! I installed an FTP server, setup a user ID, logged in, transferred the file in about 10 minutes total elapsed time. Meanwhile, after spending at least 5 hours of frustration getting the built-in file sharing to work, it still refuses.

I think Microsoft forgot the step "pat your head and rub your tummy while hopping on one foot while munching on white sand from Bora Bora."

Thanks for all your tips and info

VIVA LA FTP!!!!!!

Mike

 

[shaniceMW]

try installing nwlink for netbios. ipx/spx may show up. just make sure you install that and see how that works for you.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

What FTP server did you use? I've been trying forever to find a reliable, free, win based FTP server. I tried Cerebus, but it wouldnt' stay up for more than an hour at a time- and most connections would D/L half a file and crash.

I tried WAR, but it is obtuse and clumsy- and I could never write a valid NAT config file to allow connections via the outside world (although this works out of the box on Cerebus- War requires some weird textfile config file for NAT use).

Ugh.

 

[Mike Grell]

Hi Vince, sorry for the late reply!

I had an older copy of Serv-U hanging around; may not have all the new fancy features, but it sure does the trick.

Mike

 

[Max Leung]

You could download BulletProof FTP from www.bpftp.com. Has a nice FTP client and a trial version of their G6 FTP Server. Works well.

 

[Mike Grell]

The continuuing saga of pain and agony... trying to share a printer on the main machine now, as my Linksys printserver doesn't seem to work anymore with XP across the network.

The printer is shared on my PhotoFixer XP Pro machine; other computers on the network can see the PhotoFixer machine, but no printers are listed under the share. Aaaagh... here comes another day of fiddling and hair pulling. Maybe I should just drop the firewall? I've already changed the scope for Printer / Filesharing to ALL (including internet! awesome!) but that doesn't seem to help so far... time to drop the wall and let the evil hordes in... (they'll come in but I'm guessing I still won't be allowed...)

Ahhh bring on the ulcers...

Mike