Network frustration

Okay, I do have one thing about Win2K that's annoying me. I think I asked for help on this a long time ago, but I can't find that thread.

At my place we've got the computers on a LAN. My roommate is in his room and I'm in my room. When I had Win98 running, I'd share files all the time so we could see what we were downloading. Now that I've upgraded to Win2K, every time he tries to view my computer, it asks him for a password. I don't understand, though. I've never put a password on any part of my computer, and the one password I always use doesn't work when I enter it.

I tried to find some help on MS's site, but it only told me about setting securities for the folder you're sharing. That's not the problem, I don't think. He can't even open up my computer in Network Neighborhood, let alone see what folders I have shared on my end.

Anyone know the solution to this?

ps-he has Win98.

The easiest thing to do is add a username/pass for him. Basically, it's prompting you for the password, but assuming your username, and therefore failing because the credentials do not match. Make sense? Whatever he uses to log in to his 98 box, make that the username.

This will also prevent him from printing to your printers, btw, adding a user will fix it all.

Oh, and that:

Start>Settings>Control Panel>User Manager

Be sure to also go to the advanced tab and set his password to never expire.

Mason

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. It worked perfectly.

uhh... the real way to do this is enable the user GUEST. no username and pw needed....

Cool.

NOT a good idea in most settings. As just ANYONE would be able to log in. If it's just you two, then that would work, but.... I kinda prefer having control.

I tried that, but it insists on having a password. it was giving the resource name of \\MATT\IPC$ and then it asked for a password. I suspect it was just as lectric said, he just needed to be identified. Besides, it all works now, so I don't much care what method was used

My wife has this problem between her XP desktop and her 98 laptop, and IIRC she enabled guest on the XP box, without effect.

XP has it's own host of networking issues. Including the personal firewall crap that needs to be disabled. I still don't understand what they were trying to do to networking in XP.

Personal firewall is already disabled. I have so much hatred for that...

I found the way to get networking between XP and 98 to remain, install NetBeui... You can locate it on the XP CD in /VALUEADD/MSFT/NET/NETBEUI. It is cake to install, just read the text doc if you have any questions. Microsoft decided to no longer support NetBeui since it is a non-routable protocol. But that has cured all of my XP-98 woes.

Ack, NetBeui was perhaps the sloppiest protocol ever devised. It shall NEVER be installed on ANY of my machines. That being said, it is also the easiest to install on a small home network. It should be noted, that it is only good for file-sharing, will not work for gaming or surfing.

IPX for Gaming!!!

But yes NetBeui is worthless! But it did get me the filesharing I needed.

in xp, you need to turn off "Use Simple File Sharing" in folder options. then it reverts back to how it should work.

I had turned that off for a while, and had more problems with it than I wanted... My computer is just on a home network, doesnt need that much security, but that didn't allow my XP computer to connect to a 98 computer. NetBeui did.

God, flashing back to doom II on engineering lab 286's networked with IPX. So many hours...

-Zeke