I have a problem trying to access the contents of shared foIders on my network. I have set up a simple wireless network comprising a desktop PC running Windows XP connected by ethernet cable to a Thompson Speedtouch 585 router, and a laptop running Vista Home Premium connected wirelessly. Both computers can access the internet without any problem. Both computers recognise that both are on the network (in “View workgroup computers” on XP and ”View computers and devices” on Vista). I can successfully make a folder on the laptop a shared folder and the PC recognises it and can access and change its contents. However my problem is that the same is not true in reverse. The laptop will recognise that there is a shared folder on the PC but cannot access its contents. The error message is
“[folder] 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 permission. The specified network name is no longer available.”
Both computers run Zonealarm with the necessary IP addresses included in the Trusted Zone (Windows Firewall is disabled). The laptop runs AVG8 and the PC rune Avira AntiVir Personal (for some reason I cannot fathom I could not upgrade AVG7 to AVG8 on the PC). I have tried changing the workgroup name. I have tried temporarily connecting the laptop to the network with another ethernet cable and disabling Zonealarm altogether, but with the same result. Clearly I have got to change some setting on the PC to enable the laptop to access the contents of shared folders on the PC, but please can you tell me what?

Is the XP Desktop PC running XP Home or XP Pro? If Pro, ensure that it is set to use "Simple File Sharing" - open Windows Explorer and, from its menus, select "Tools > Options" and then the View tab. In the Advanced Settings section, scroll down to the very last item "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" and make sure its box is ticked. This option is only available in XP Professional.

In Zone Alarm, I would suggest that you enter the "Subnet" in the Trusted Zone rather than individual IP addresses or a range. In the Zones tab, click Add and select Subnet, type in:

IP address - 192.168.x.0 (where "x" matches the third 'octet' [number] in your router's IP address).

Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0

Description - {anything} but it needs an entry.

Click OK and, back in the main window, click Apply. Minimise Zone Alarm back to the System Tray.

Mike
The PC runs XP home, so the simple file sharing option is not available.
The router IP is 192.168.1.254, and as I am not sure which is the third octet (1 or 254) I have put subsets in the Trusted Zone using both possibilities. Unfortunately I still have the same problem and the same error message. Is there anything else I can try?

The third octet of the router's IP address is "1" so the Subnet address is 192.168.1.0

Check this out in the PC's registry:

Open the Registry Editor ("Start > Run" type regedit and click OK) and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

Look for a DWORD "restrictanonymous" and see what the value is. If it is anything other than 0 (zero), right click the DWORD, select MODIFY and change the decimal value to 0 (zero).

A word of warning, there is a DWORD "restictanonymoussam" just below the one you want - DO NOT change this.

Close regedit and reboot the computer.

Mike
In the registry the DWORD restrictanonymous was already zero, so I exited registry without making any changes.
I have now tried entering all the IP addresses (laptop and PC as well as the router) as subsets rather than simple IP addresses. No success, I'm afraid - I still get the same error message.

Mike
Thanks for clarifying the Subnet issue. I thought I was reasonably knowledgable, but I find I am learning new things all the time.

If I try to run cmd I get the error message that Windows cannot find it. Using Search I have found it on C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386, and opening it there and entering net user guest I get the line Account Active Yes. But I don't know if that takes us any further forward.

To be honest, I'm not sure why you're having this problem accessing shared folders in XP Home. Vista can be a pain-in-the-neck, but XP Home should be straightforward. If you run ipconfig /all in a Command Prompt window, what is shown at the top as the "Node Type"?

If I am reading your problem correctly.

1. Vista can see and access the XP files (Yes or No)?
2. XP can see the Vista files but wont let you access the Vista them (Yes or No)?

Question:
Have you set a User password on the XP PC ?
Because without a password on the XP PC, Vista will not let you access the Vista files files.

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edit:
XP to XP or Vista to Vista is pretty straight forward.
But, a combination of Vista and XP is not as straightforward.

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Just to further complicate matters, do you use "Tweak UI" ?
If you do then please take a look here (last post): http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=3382.new;topicseen#new
Saves me having to re-type my own last network problem because of Tweak UI.

Just needed to clarify if it's Vista or XP is reading which PC.
Although with re-reading the OP I know I have it the wrong way round.

I tried mine without passwords (I don't like passwords) but ended-up "having" to install passwords to get anything to work, and not just on my own setup.

Mike
Bearing in mind that for some reason I can only only run cmd in the ServicePackFolder I listed earlier, the Node Type is "mixed".

Just to confirm, my problem is accessing the contents of shared folders on an XP PC from a laptop running Vista. The laptop recognises that there is a shared folder on the PC but cannot access it. In reverse everything is OK. In reply to oldfogy, no, I am not using Tweak UI.

I have been wrestling with this problem for some weeks, and once (just once) I got an error message 0x8007002, which I understand is a failed Automatic Update. My Update history however showed no failed update. I am now just wondering if the fact that I can only run a Command Prompt through the ServicePackFolder means there really was a problem somewhere with an update.

>> The laptop (Vista) recognises that there is a shared folder on the PC (XP) but cannot access it.
(That's what I read to start with, but just wanted clarification)

This certainly sounds very strange and I could understand if it was the other way around.

>> I have been wrestling with this problem for some weeks
Just out of curiosity, have you tried setting a password on each PC ?
It might be worth trying as that is the only thing that worked for me.

Logging in to both computers with an identical Username & Password is certainly worth a try, although it shouldn't be necessary with XP "Home Edition".

Also, try creating a new folder in the XP PC, set that as "shared" and see if you can access it from the Vista laptop.

Also worth trying is to open the folder called "Mshome"

From: Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network > Mshome

See if the folders that won't open before are listed in there.
If they are they open, then remove the "bad links" to the other folders.

Or even, on the XP PC:
Try remove the sharing option from the existing shared folders, then re-set the folder sharing option but with a slightly different name to each of the shared folders.

Personally I would be inclined to concentrate on the XP PC as being the problem as I have found Vista quite capable of "resolving" any problem.
(Although not a great admirer of Vista)