Workgroup share issues.

[Nocturnal]

I have one box which is running XP Pro the other XP Home. I recently had to format and reinstall Windows on the Pro box. Prior to reinstalling Windows, all a box had to do be it with a Home or Pro OS was to go to Start, Run, and then type in \\Computer_Name so long they were both on the same workgroup.

This would then bring up a box which all the shared folders.

Right now what is happening is that it is asking for a username and password.

I recall fixing this issue by just giving everyone privs to the entire F: drive. I tried this and it still isn't working. Any other ideas to get rid of this username/password box?

 

[Nothinman]

You need an account on both boxes, just put in your username and password for the target box and it should work.

 

[Nocturnal]

Prior to reinstalling Windows I could connect ANY box. Even a box that just had Windows reinstalled and it would connect to this workgroup computer. Why is that???????

 

[PepperBreath]

Did you by any chance go to Windows Update before working on your Network?

I'm having a similar (not same though) problem and now that I think about it, I established my network first before doing a bunch of windows updates.

Edit:

I'm actually having the opposite problem. I can connect to my shares but I'd like to be able to establish a username/password dialog which isn't popping up now like it used to.

What I did was run the network wizard, disabled the windows firewall, and then turned on Simple File Sharing on my Desktop, and then turned it back off. The folder was still shared but for some reason just switching Simple File Sharing on and then off seemed to make it active.

 

[Nocturnal]

If anyone cares, I fixed it. I went into local user accounts and enabled Guest account. I then went into the local security policy and where it says to deny access from any account via the network, I removed all accounts in there. I can now connect via any computer so long we're on the same workgroup.

 

[Nothinman]

The workgroup is irrelevant, anyone can connect to any of your machines without a username/password now.

 

[Nocturnal]

I tried it. I hooked a regular box up that wasn't connected to my particular workgroup and tried to connect by typing in \\Computer_Name and was not able to. Also, these boxes are not connected to the internet. We're also located in a pretty secure place.

 

[Nothinman]

I tried it. I hooked a regular box up that wasn't connected to my particular workgroup and tried to connect by typing in \\Computer_Name and was not able to.

Then something else was wrong, workgroups are virtually meaningless in Windows. Real domains actually have security contexts, but workgroups are nothing more than logical groupings.