Totally OT - wireless Windows XP network grief

[JimK]

Apologies for TOT - am hopeful someone may be able to point me to some "facts" amongst the usual plethora of "solutions" I'm wading thru on that t'interweb thing...

Summary: Plus Net broadband,via Thomson Wireless Router/DSL box. XP Home SP2 on desktop, XP Home SP3 on EEE notebook,

Both can access internet, emails etc no bother.

Managed to nearly set up a wireless network between two for file and print sharing - network is visible, each computer can see the other (ping OK, and seeing each other in XP too)

BUT

File/folder sharing is always denied?!

When trying to share folders (from either computer) - rightclick on a folder, "sharing and security", the "share folder on network" and "allow users to change files" checkboxes are greyed out??

Suspect this is down to NTFS file permissions but now banging my head how to to proceed...

Any pointers please?

Cheers JimK

[Adrian C]

SP2 firewall is blocking the sharing.

you should be doing the most to make sure all windows updates up to current are installed. SP2 is ancient for your desktop.

[John Rumm]

Control panel | Network Connections.

Right click on the wireless connection and choose properties. General tab, make sure both "Client for Microsoft Networks", and "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" are installed. If not use the install button to add them.

You can also run the network setup wizard to ensure the varius required buts are installed and the windows firewall has the relevant exceptions added.

[JimK]

the windows firewall is disabled tho? am using zonealarm on both...

OK I'll update it

cheers JimK

[JimK]

yup - both installed on each computer

windows firewall is disabled - am using zonealarm on each...

cheers JimK

[TMC]

Have had Norton do this to me and was only on one of the machines at that. Could not see any way reconfigure it so uninstalled everything fine then

Tony

[JimK]

yes, I suspected the Zonealarm firewall so switched it off on both m/ cs to check what happened - no difference sadly!

Cheers JimK

[dave]

May well be wide of the mark here but afaik there are two flavours of networking in Windows. Workgroups and Client Server (i.e. a real network). I guess you are after setting up a Workgroups config rather that a client server. There's a lot on doing this on google but I think the main snag is that the Windows file access system (a total PITA) comes into it. i.e. the networking aspects *and* the host file permissions have to be correct to make this lot work.

[James Salisbury]

Hi, As a starter run wireshark on both machines to see where the problems is

[Adrian C]

Perhaps, though later when all this is sorted ;-)

Just been to look at a 'Windows XP Home' machine.

The only time I get both the "share folder on network" and "allow users to change files" grayed out, is when I attempt to share a system folder that windows doesn't want to share, like 'Program Files' for instance. You are not trying to do that, by any chance? - Anyway, the last pane at the bottom of the "sharing and security" tab should indicate the reason for disabling both selections.

[TMC]

I had to uninstall Norton to resolve the problem, turning it off did not do the job

Tony

[dennis]

Turn zonealarm off and see if it then works, report back.

[Adrian Brentnall]

Is there any way round that particular annoyance ? The 'outside' machine here runs the weather station software - which insists on storing its data under Program Files. It'd be nice to be able to access this data from _inside_ the house (where it's warm!) - but the outside machine won't let me into its 'Program Files' folder.

Win xp on both machines... Thanks Adrian

[Roger Mills]

Two possibilities . . .

1. If it insists on storing its data in its installation directory/folder, you may be able to install it somewhere else, where sharing isn't restricted. If you remove the program and then re-install it, is there an 'Advanced' or somesuch option, which allows you to specify where to install it? If so, create an installation folder for it, *not* in Program Files, and install it there.
2. If that doesn't work, there is probably a Registry key which points to where the data is stored. If you change that to point to a folder of your choice, you should be able to share it and access it remotely.

Any program which doesn't give you any choice about (a) where to install it and (b) where its data is stored is very badly behaved in my view!

[Huge]

Run a real operating system that does what *you* want?

[JimK]

already done (see thread) no difference...

JimK

[al]

Create a batch file to copy the files from program files to somewhere in My docs that you can access, and use a scheduler to run it every whatever minutes? Al

[JimK]

ah now you tell me ! - oh well.........

no trying to share a user directory (my docs)

Anyway, the last pane at

interesting - on the eee (i.e. now) the bottom of the sharing tab just has a "i" icon (presume helpful info should appear here - but nothing....)

JimK

[JimK]

eee's wireless adaptor?

"The capture session could not be initiated (failed to set hardware filter to promiscuous mode)" etc

is it straightforward to get working? Without a possibly huge investment of time I'm wondering what this will add (once working)?? Can you elaborate a bit please? i.e. is it worth it?

Cheers JimK

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not an expert by any means, but my DIY car engine management software does this too if left to its own devices. However, if you do a manual save (save as) to a directory of your choice it then uses that.