Windows 7 > XP shared folders ... looking for "ghost" password?

[Maverick2002]

Been fighting this for a while now. We've switched over about half the office to Windows 7, but still have our servers on XP-64. We're having problems accessing the shared drives on these XP machines. On some of them it works (seemingly out of the blue), on others no dice. When you try to use a UNC path to get to it (say \\server1\ddrive) it will ask you for a username/password to use, but no matter what you put in (the user accounts?) it won't let grant you access. Is there some inherent networking incompatibility between 7 and XP? I read through this and ran through a few various options/scenarios, but it didn't help me any: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-7/share-files-and-printers-between-windows-7-and-xp/

EDIT: it appears this is due to an inconsistency in date stamps between machines.

 

[Crusty]

Where does your domain controller fit in to the picture? That's what should be managing your accounts, credentials and machines.

 

[Maverick2002]

We're still on workgroup, so we don't have a domain controller. I think we're moving over to domains now that we upgraded our main server from W2k to 2008 R2, but that's still a ways out. Any ideas on what's causing the problem?

 

[Maverick2002]

It appears this is due to an inconsistency in date stamps between machines, so I think the problem is fixed for now.

 

[Nothinman]

And the problem would never have a manifested itself if you had AD setup since all the members would automatically sync their time to the DC.

 

[Maverick2002]

Thanks, that's good to know. Just another reason for us to switch ... so far it's a timing issue.

 

[Crusty]

Just tell your bosses you've already wasted more money trying to troubleshoot a poorly designed network than it would be to trash it and build a correct network. If the office is small enough to be run on a Workgroup then Windows SBS is by far the best option.

 

[bobdole369]

I disagree about the time issue.

I usually solve that sort of thing by having a common account with the same domain(workgroup)\username and password anywhere on the machine. So make sure every machine has a dummy user (doesn't have to be logged in), and every server has that same dummy user, and share permissions allow that dummy user.

It has something to do with "simple file sharing" and/or the IPC$ share. I can't be bothered to figure that all out again.

The time thing likely causes accounts to invalidate too so that is just part of the trouble.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Interesting that a time difference would have this effect. I have problems with my Win7 machines being able to access some shares on an NS-349 Gigabit NAS unit. Win7 prompts for the username and password, but it just won't authenticate. The only workaround that I could find, is to create a user with the same name and password as the NAS share, and then it works. But it's annoying, because I have to input my password on the Win7 machine every time it comes out of screensaver.

Edit: I don't think that I've ever set the time on the NAS.