Network access issue with Workgroup PC's

I am having a small problem with my home network. Before I delve into the details, here is my configuration and a few things that I have done so far:

- I have a desktop and a laptop both running XP SP3.
- The desktop is hard-wired to a Linksys WRT-54GX wireless router and the laptop connects wirelessly.
- Windows Firewall is disabled on both systems.
- The Router has an SPI Firewall enabled.
- Norton Internet Security 2011 is enabled on both systems.
- I configured the Norton firewall on both systems to fully trust the other system.
- I ran the Windows Network Wizard to enable File & Print Sharing on both systems.
- Selected directories have been shared on each system.

I can access the shared folders from the desktop to laptop and vice versa. I can transfer files between the two and run executables. I can even take remote control of each from the other system via pcAnywhere.

When I run Explorer on my laptop, I can drill down through "My Network Placesâ€, "Entire Networkâ€, "Microsoft Windows Network" and the network workgroup name. When I select the Workgroup name, both systems are listed. When I select the remote desktop pc, I see all of the shares that I defined and I can access them. That is working as expected.

The weird part is that when I attempt to access my laptop shares from the desktop with the exact same process, I receive a message stating that computer is not accessible and that I might not have permission to use this network resource. This happens when I select the laptop computer name that is listed under the network workgroup name.

Now, I can map a drive with a "net use" command from my desktop to the laptop without issue. Once I do this, the assigned network drive letter, along with the share name and laptop computer name, is displayed in Explorer under the "My Computer" section and I can select it and access the files. But, if I try and select the laptop computer name under "My Network Placesâ€, I receive the same access error message.

I can also access the laptop shares by typing the unc share path in the Explorer address bar at the top of the screen. The same is true if I type in the unc share path at the Run option under the Start button. Note "“ if I type just the laptop computer name in the address bar or in the Run option (\\%LaptopComputerName%), I receive the same access error as I do under "My Network Placesâ€. If I do the same thing in Explorer on my laptop, I do not receive the access error. All of the desktop shares are displayed.

Just for giggles, I briefly disabled the Norton firewall on both systems and experienced the same issue.

Does anybody have an idea why I only have an issue accessing the laptop under "My Network Placesâ and how to fix it?

 

I might wonder if the user profile you are logged onto on the laptop is an administrator on the desktop, but not the other way 'round.

Try going to Control Panel -> User Accounts on the laptop and add the User you are running on the desktop computer as an administrator.

EDIT: I seem to have gotten the computers reversed, I will fix it, but note that I have changed it if you saw my original post. Edit 2: hope I got it right this time

 

The user name is the same on both systems and it has administrative rights on both as well.

Any other ideas?

 

Interesting problem I’ve never run across before.
Some more things to look at.

Instead of the computer name in explorer (\\laptop) what happens if type in its local IP number?

Is simple file sharing checked on the laptop (my computer – tools – folder options – view - and scroll to bottom)?

 

I get the same results if I try just the ip address in the explorer address bar or the Run option (\\%DestIPAddress%) and Simple File Sharing is enabled on both systems. Very strange.

Now I just thought of a couple things and I'm not sure if it will matter, but here it is anyway...

About six months ago, I changed the password for main account I use to log on to the laptop. After a while, I forgot the password and could not find the piece of paper that I wrote it down on. So, I used my desktop to download a password recovery utility and burn it to a CD. I booted up the laptop with the CD and reset my account to a blank password. After that, I was able to log on and change the password. I haven't noticed any issues, lost files or profile changes after this happened. Just to rule this out, I created a new user with admin privedges on both PC's, rebooted and logged in under the new user. I still have the same access issue from the desktop to the laptop.

The other thing is that I removed the Administrator account some time ago on the laptop. The desktop still has its Administrator account. Not sure if this would explain the issue that I'm experiencing. I added an account with the name of Administrator on the laptop and gave it administrative priviledges and rebooted. I still have the same access issue from the desktop to the laptop.

What do you think?

 

I figured it out. I had to set the RestrictAnonymous value to "0" under \HKeyLocalMachine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa on the laptop. The desktop was already configured properly. Once I did this, everything was fine.

During my research, I found that the Guest account must be enabled since Microsoft uses this account for network access. Further, the password for the account must be blank. This Guest account is not the same one found under Control Panel, User Accounts. It's the one under Control Panel, Adminstrative Tools, Computer Management, Local Users and Groups. The Guest account under Control Panel, User Accounts is disabled while the one under Control Panel, Adminstrative Tools, Computer Management, Local Users and Groups is enabled.

What the heck is the difference between the two accounts?

Now, I can't log on to either system with the Guest account, but I can map a drive with the Guest account to either system with full read/write access once I log in to the PC with my user account.

Why in the heck would Microsoft insist on using the Guest account with a BLANK password for network access and sharing?? It should be based on the current logged on user rights.

I'm assuming that if someone got past my firewall, they would have full access to both systems via the Guest account. Is this a correct assumption?