Thread: Problem with Peer-Peer Networking with XP Pro

  1. #1
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    Question Problem with Peer-Peer Networking with XP Pro

    I have two machine both running XP Pro, connected via a hub. I want both machines to have a shared directory, both visible to each other machine.

    This should be straight forward. I have set both machines to use the same workgroup & set a particular folder to on both machines to be shared with permission for everyone.

    However, while one machine can see the other under the workgroup, access to the other machine's shared folder is denied.

    Can anyone help me with this?

    Cheers

    Davros

  2. #2
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    Does it ask you for a password when you try to access it? I've had the same problem (sorry, no, I don't know how to fix it)

  3. #3
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    Totally bizarre!

    Now, one machine (m1) can see the other (m2) but only intermittently. Sometimes when I try to access a shared folder, I get a 'network path not found error.', other times it seems to work.

    The other machine (m2) can't see m1 at all.
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  4. #4
    5|-|1+|-|34|) ober's Avatar
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    Question... are they NTFS or Fat32? I've had trouble sharing folders when the main drive where XP Pro is installed is NTFS. I can share things just fine from my other Fat32 drives, but not from the main one. Not sure why or how, but I have yet to find a way around it.
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  5. #5
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    Good question. Thanks for the reply. Will check it out... tomorrow.

  6. #6
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    Be sure you have a username and password exactly the same on each machine.

    Example

    Machine 1
    Username=billy
    password=bob

    Be sure there's an account on Machine 2 with the exact same credentials because Machine 2 will use Machine 1's user credentials that's currently logged in. Let me know if this isn't clear.
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  7. #7
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    >Be sure you have a username and password exactly the same on each machine.

    Thanks for the reply. I am right in thinking that users need to be logged in with the same username on both machines in order to have a shared directly? I am not entirely clear on this.

    With regard to the earlier point, both machines are indeed NTFS.

  8. #8
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    You don't have to be logged into the remote machine with the same account, just have that account created on the machine so the authentication works. Oh yeah, be sure the account has permissions to access the resources you're wanting to use.
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  9. #9
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    So, if my login on my XP box is Govtcheez, with some password, I'd need Govtcheez with some password on whatever other XP box I'm trying to access?

  10. #10
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    >You don't have to be logged into the remote machine with the same account, just have that account created on the machine so the authentication works.

    OK will try this--thanks for the reply, but I thought it wouldn't be necessary as the folder(s) I want to share have permissions for everyone.

  11. #11
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    Exactly!!

    If we are on a network and you are trying to access a shared folder on my computer, my computer needs an account on it with your username and password to authenticate properly.
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  12. #12
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    Everyone means all authenticated users. If you want that type of access then just enable the Guest account and then give Guest access to it.
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  13. #13
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    Thanks for your help. I seem to be getting there slowly--

    On one machine had the XP firewall enabled. When I disabled this, a logon prompt is displayed when I attempt to access a shared directly. So that seems to be working.

    However, I'm also generating a lot of questions. My previous experience of networking was with Win95 peer-peer (no security or permissions). I wonder if you could be good enough to answer my questions:

    1. If I disable my firewall, does this mean anyone on the internet could access my machine given knowledge of a username & password?

    2. I normally logon with administrator privilages with no password because I am the only using the computer. Does this mean that my machine would be totally exposed.

    3. I am greatly confused by the versions XP on my two machines. They are both supposed to be XP Pro, but appear to be different in terms of sharing, permissions & security.

    When I right click on a folder on machine A, I am presented with a dialog box where a can assign a whole range of permissions to different users. On machine B, however, I can only select whether I want to share this folder on the network or not. There seems to be no concept of individual user permissions on machine B.

    4. I get the impression that I need to turn personal firewalls off within the network & install a seperate firewall between the network & the internet. Is this right?

    Thanks for help again...

  14. #14
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    Originally posted by Davros
    Thanks for your help. I seem to be getting there slowly--

    On one machine had the XP firewall enabled. When I disabled this, a logon prompt is displayed when I attempt to access a shared directly. So that seems to be working.

    However, I'm also generating a lot of questions. My previous experience of networking was with Win95 peer-peer (no security or permissions). I wonder if you could be good enough to answer my questions:

    1. If I disable my firewall, does this mean anyone on the internet could access my machine given knowledge of a username & password?
    If you're on broadband then it could be a problem.


    2. I normally logon with administrator privilages with no password because I am the only using the computer. Does this mean that my machine would be totally exposed.
    Logging on with admin privileges isn't absolutely terrible (but no recommended) but having no password is definitely a no-no....especially if you're on a broadband connection. Set your passwords.


    3. I am greatly confused by the versions XP on my two machines. They are both supposed to be XP Pro, but appear to be different in terms of sharing, permissions & security.

    When I right click on a folder on machine A, I am presented with a dialog box where a can assign a whole range of permissions to different users. On machine B, however, I can only select whether I want to share this folder on the network or not. There seems to be no concept of individual user permissions on machine B.
    Sounds like one has NTFS partitions and the other has FAT32 partitions. You can convert the machine with FAT32 partitions to NTFS pretty easily.


    4. I get the impression that I need to turn personal firewalls off within the network & install a seperate firewall between the network & the internet. Is this right?

    Thanks for help again...
    I would suggest getting a separate firewall(broadband router, etc) to perform Network Address Translation (NAT) and separate your machine from the internet. That should be pretty good protection against people on the Interenet.
    Last edited by damonbrinkley; 10-03-2002 at 09:07 AM.
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  15. #15
    Code Monkey Davros's Avatar
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    Thanks a million damonbrinkley!
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