[SOLVED] Problem accessing one computer in a network

[DavidHB]

This will take a little explaining. Apologies for the length

System
3 computers in a wired home network, linked via a router (Netgear DG834 v2); I'll call them A, B and C. A is my main desktop, running Vista Home Premium x64 and Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS). B is my old XP Pro machine, running AVG Free and ZoneAlarm. C is a Vista (Home Premium 32 bit) laptop, running AVG Free and the Windows Firewall. Shared files are set on all systems (including a shared Thunderbird Profile on A which B and C share), and sharing has worked well until the last couple of days. All machines use the same User Account name, and none has a password set, which is satisfactory for a home network behind a router firewall. The network settings on A and C are identical (except that C, having no local printers installed, does not have printer sharing turned on)

Issue
A continues to 'see' the shares on B and C. B and C can see each other, but not A. That is, the shared folders on A are not visible in Network Neighbourhood on B, and any attempt to access A directly from Network Neighborhood or Network on B and C produces an Access Denied error message. Bizarrely, however, desktop shortcuts on both B and C to shared folders on A still work, and Thunderbird on B and C happily accesses the shared profile on A. The problem seems to be at the 'computer' level in the file system hierarchy; that is, if I run '\\[A]' directly in C, I get the error message, but if I run '\\[A]\[share name on A]', the shared folder opens normally.

Steps taken so far
Switching off any and all software firewalls has no effect. I have reset TCP/IP using the netsh command. I have enabled the Guest account. I am reluctant to change User Account settings as these suit my needs and have worked in the past.

I can figure out most things, but this one has me seriously confused. Any help would be much appreciated.

David

[johnwill]

The default behavior on Vista is to prohibit file/print sharing if the account logged in has no password. Have you tried putting a password on the Vista machine to see if that changes things? Also, in the Network and Sharing Center, try turning off password protected sharing.


See if this site: File and Printer Sharing in Windows Vista helps you.

[DavidHB]

Thanks for the quick response, johnwill

Originally Posted by johnwill

The default behavior on Vista is to prohibit file/print sharing if the account logged in has no password. Have you tried putting a password on the Vista machine to see if that changes things? Also, in the Network and Sharing Center, try turning off password protected sharing.

I'd thought of these, but was a bit doubtful as (1) password protected sharing was disabled on both Vista machines and (2) I was actually able to access the network shares on A, just not the computer-level psuedo-folder. Plus I didn't want to start setting passwords (which other users here don't want to be fussed with).

But advice is always worth listening to; with previous Windows networking experience in mind, your post prompted me to turn password protected sharing on machine A on and off again, with a reboot after each change. Success! All machines on the network are friends again.

So, again, many thanks for the prompt (in both senses) response. I'm glad I joined the forum.

David

[johnwill]

Glad it all worked out.