Weird Windows Networking Problem

[manixc]

Hello all,

I have a weird Windows Networking problem that I would like to fix.

I have a Desktop and a T42, both running Windows XP Pro. My router is Dlink DI624.
I have used the Windows network setup wizard to create a network.

The problem is that only my T42 can access the shared folder on the Desktop but not the other way around.

When I try to access the T42 from the Desktop, I get a message to the effect of not having rights to use the system.

Both are using sygate firewall personal version and the rules have allowed each other ip's to go thru.

Please help, Thanks!


Michael


P.S. Let me know if I need to provide more information.

[Guz]

Hello all,

I have a weird Windows Networking problem that I would like to fix.

I have a Desktop and a T42, both running Windows XP Pro. My router is Dlink DI624.
I have used the Windows network setup wizard to create a network.

The problem is that only my T42 can access the shared folder on the Desktop but not the other way around.

When I try to access the T42 from the Desktop, I get a message to the effect of not having rights to use the system.

Both are using sygate firewall personal version and the rules have allowed each other ip's to go thru.

Please help, Thanks!


Michael


P.S. Let me know if I need to provide more information.

More than likely is that you haven't setup equal usernames and passwords on each system. Or you have guest turned on on the T42 but not on the desktop, or you just haven't set your share permissions properly, or you haven't set your file permissions properly. (lot's of "Or's" aren't there)

So, make sure you have the same username and password on each system.

Go into the share point properties, make sure that everyone has full control.

Then go to the file permissions on the folder, and make sure again that everyone has full control.

Yea, I know that this opens things up wide open. But when one is starting out it is easier to start open to make sure things work, then tighten up the permissions when one knows what is going on.

[manixc]

I have the same username and pass on both system.
Guest is turned on for both.
File permissions are completely open

I think it is because I am using Access Connection to connect rather than Windows. Any idea?

It's not really a big deal, just kinda strange.

[GomJabbar]

I know you said that file permissions are completely open, but if you haven't done the following already, humor me and try it.

Boot up in Safe Mode. Right click on the folders that you are sharing and choose Properties, then the Security tab. Does it show here that Everyone has full read and write permissions on the folder? If not, you can change it here.

[smugiri]

It is my experience that on Windows XP and 2000 Pro, user names are always qualified either with a machine name or a domain name across the network.

You need to use a string for user name that consists of the machine name of the machine you want to connect to followed by a \ then the user name on that machine. For example, to connect to your desktop from your laptop, you need to use

desktop_name\username

not username or laptop_name\user_name which would both be incorrect.

Similarly, to connect to your laptop from your desktop, you would use the user name

laptop_name\user_name

Just remember that user names are always qualified by a machine name or domain name across the network and you will be fine.

[bill bolton]

I think it is because I am using Access Connection to connect rather than Windows.

Access Connection is simply an aid in establishing TCP/IP connectivity. It has no impact on what you do with that connectivity.

Your problem is somewhere in the way you have the systems and users defined in Windows. Do you have the same workgroup name set on both systems?

Cheers,

Bill

[Kyocera]

If you are only connecting two machines you should not have a domain set up. If the computers can see each other the workgroup name should be the same, so that is ruled out.

I would check the user account settings and also how you enabled sharing, I never use the file and sharing wizard. There may be a folder within your shard network folder that does not have sharing enabled and causing permission problems.

[smugiri]

Just thought of another possible cause: Windows firewall may also be turned on and this would disable sharing in the default configuration.


As an after thought, there is an easy way to see just whom Windows thinks owns the files:

Open Explorer and browse to the folder that the files that you want to share are in. Change to the "Details" view by right clicking over whitespace in the area in which the files are listed ( but not over a specific file ) and picking "view" -> "Details". Right click over the name header in the file list at the top and pick the "Owner" option. This will list the file owner's name along with other file attributes ( name of file, date created, type etc etc ).

[dsvochak]

Try the following:

1. On the T42, open a command prompt and type in "ipconfig" and then hit enter. Write down the IP Address (which should look like this: "IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : xxx.xxx.xxx.yyy"

2. Off the start menu (on the T42), right click "My Computer" and select "properties" and the "Computer Name" tab. Make a note of the full computer name and the workgroup.

3. Go to the desktop, open a command prompt and type in "ipconfig", as in Step 1. The first three groups of the IP address should be identical to the IP address of the T42. That is the "xxx.xxx.xxx" part of the addresses should be the same. If they're not change them so they are.

4. If the IP addresses are okay, in the command prompt type in "ping xxx.xxx.xxx.yyy" with the "xxx", etc being the ip address of the T42. If the command works, you have connectivity with the T42 from the desktop so the problem is somewhere else.

5. If "ping" works with the ip address, type in "ping" followed by a space and the full computer name of the T42 you obtained in step 2. If the ping command works using the T42 computer name, make sure you are trying to access the shared folders on the T42 using the name (\\name\share) that works with the ping command.

If you are trying to access folders on the T42 using the correct "\\name\share" and it's not working, as others have noted there is likely a problem with sharing or permissions.

Then it becomes a process of elimination. Turn off sysgate firewall on the T42 and try it. Turn off windows firewall and try it. etc, etc. Tedious but probably necessary.

[Kyocera]

manixc
When I try to access the T42 from the Desktop, I get a message to the effect of not having rights to use the system.

This part of the OP let's you know that the machines are talking to each other, if they were not in the same workgroup or networked together this would not occur. The troubleshooting point starts there.

[bill bolton]

if they were not in the same workgroup or networked together this would not occur.

Machines in different workgroups can certainly "see" one another for explit resource connections, so visibility in itself, or the presence of an error message about access restictions, its not an automagic indication that they are in the same workgoup.

Cheers,

Bill

[Kyocera]

I have used the Windows network setup wizard to create a network.

The problem is that only my T42 can access the shared folder on the Desktop but not the other way around.

When I try to access the T42 from the Desktop, I get a message to the effect of not having rights to use the system.

When you set up using the setup wizard it tell you to change the workgroup names to match. If you do not do this and your workgroup names do not match you get a message that the "workgroup is not accessable". You can't access the folders from either machine. Your workgroup computers are not viewable from either machine, that is really the point here one machine can see the other but not vice versa. This is the point I am trying to make, spin it any way you like, but the original post had enough clues to get to the permissions part rather than the connectivity issues. Machines in different workgroups can access shared network resources. This is two machines.

[manixc]

The Workgroup names are the same on both system, according to System Information. I do not have a domain

I have checked the Permission of the Shared folder in Safe Mode in my T42, and it does allow everyone to do everything.

I did the ping test. It seems that the Desktop doesn't ping to the T42 well. But the T42 ping to the Desktop with no problem.

From T42's My Network Places, I can see the Shared folder of T42 and the Desktop.
But from my desktop's My Network Places, I can see only the Shared folder of the desktop.

From the Desktop, I can see my T42 in "view workgroup computers" but when I clicked into the T42,

I get:
[quote\
\\laptop_name is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

Access is denied.
[/quote]


and Thank you so much for all your help!

[bill bolton]

When you set up using the setup wizard it tell you to change the workgroup names to match.

When it executes correctly, but I have had a number of experiences, directly, and is supporting collegues home installations, where it hasn't executed correctly and the workgroup names haven't matched.

I no longer use that wizard and prefer to set and check settings manually, which yields very predictable results for me.

In my experience it is simply not as black-and-white as you are suggesting.

YMMV.

Cheers,

Bill

[manixc]

I can ping by ip and name both way if I turned off the firewalls.

But still get the access deny message

[Kyocera]

I never use the wizard, it is strictly for the home user, it does not automatically change the workgroup name. I don't know what black and white you are suggesting, troubleshooting is a complete unknown grey area. I am network+ certified and do this sort of thing for a living. I am not an network administrator. I listen to customers all day long tell me what is happening on their networks, sort through the good and bad information, then start testing, troubleshooting, sometimes you have to read between the lines, hear what they are not saying, relate other experiences, and don't get to bogged down being to overly complicated. Troubleshooting is something I have been doing for many years, and sometimes it takes more than a few tries to get a good end result. In my experience the manixc gave a lot of good clues to start with, it is totally subjective where one feels it is appropriate to start troubleshooting. A software guy starts with software, a hardware guy starts with hardware, being a member of many forums you can see the many different approaches. I will respectfully bow out of this thread and leave it to the experts.

[dsvochak]

From your responses, it's some sort of sharing/permission problem. I'm far from an expert, but the following may offer some suggestions:
http://forums.techguy.org/networking/36 ... oying.html
http://forums.techguy.org/networking/40 ... ess+denied
http://forums.techguy.org/networking/39 ... ess+denied
http://forums.techguy.org/networking/25 ... ess+denied
http://forums.techguy.org/networking/39 ... ess+denied

Read all of these before you start making changes and start with the simplest modifications. I hope some of this helps