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I can’t share files using Windows XP Pro (and HOme)
I have two computers, a desktop and a laptop and I wish to share a folder on the desktop so that I can access this folder from the laptop.
I have Norton Internet Security on both machines and have entered the IP address of each machine in the “trusted” list on Norton (each ip address goes something like this 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2)
I have enabled sharing on the desktop
The desktop indicates (little graphic hand icon) that the folder is shared
both computers are in the same workgroup and I can see them, but when I click on the name of the computer I wish to connect to (the desktop) I get this message :
“\\Hpdesktop 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 access permissions. The net work bath was not found.”
Is there anything else that can be done ?
Oh, yeah, but if I type "\\192.168.1.102" in my browser from my laptop I can see (and access) the shared folders on the desktop.
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I think that your experience is fairly common-do a google search and you'll find a lot of information. First I would disable the firewall and see if that corrects ther problem-I just had a similar problem to yours today and it turned out it was the Norton firewall. I also looked at the trusted list, but I think that it was something related to the programs allowed under the firewall.
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Reply to Response #3
No password is required to access the shared folder of the desktop. However, the desktop does have a password (when you boot). The laptop has no shared folders and does not have a password set up when logging in.
The odd thing in this scenario is that I have access to the desired folder at any time I wish when typing "\\192.168.1.102" in File Explorer of the laptop, but if I try to do a search for the desktop computer on my laptop I do not always "see" the desktop computer in File Explorer (I do the search in “My Network Places” using the search tool that searches for other computers). I have not correlated this intermittent revealing of the other computer to anything as of yet - it appears random at this time.
On those occasions when I can see desktop computer from my laptop in File Explorer I am still unable to access the shared folder by simply clicking on the icon; I get the following message when clicking on the icon:
“\\Hpdesktop 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 access permissions. The net work bath was not found.”
(“Hpdesktop” is the name of the computer with the shared folder).
Again, I do have Norton on both machines and on each machine I have placed the IP addresses in the "trusted" list that Norton has. Those IP addresses are 192.168.1.102 (for the desktop) and 192.168.1.102 for my laptop (my first post was inaccurate with regards to this information)
Again, I have access to the desired folder at anytime, but only under the condition of typing the explicit IP address, locating the same shared folder through File Explorer is completely useless.
Both machines occupy the same workgroup.
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Try setting up the laptop with a password. Other thing to try is to see if you can get to the share from the run command. Enter \\Hpdesktop\share name (share being the name of the folder that is shared).
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Response to Post #5
As stated in my posts File Explorer is unable to locate the desktop machine by its name.
Typing “\\Hpdesktop” in File explorer results in the following error message
"Windows Cannot find '\\Hpdesktop.'. Check the spelling and try again, or try searching for the item by clicking the Start button and then clicking Search."
Again, if you type the IP address that has been assigned to the machine of interest then shared folders become mysteriously available.
There seems to be a serious issue with the ability of File Explore "see" the computer that I wish to share folders (sometimes it is able to find the computer and at other times I simply cannot see the computer). If File Explorer happens to “see” the other computer clicking on the icon of the recently found computer results in this error message
“\\Hpdesktop 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 access permissions. The net work path was not found.”
Curiously, typing the IP Address works reliably.
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On the desktop, try enabling the guest account and see if you can access the share from the laptop. If that works, you may need to change control panel>administrative tools>local security policy. In local security policy, under security settings>local policy>security options locate network access: sharing and security model for local accounts and double click on it. Change the setting from guest only to classic.
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Total failure
This is so bizarre. First off let me say that I have shared the folders between these computers for years and only recently (past several months) I was unable to share folders freely yet there were 'work around' such as typing the IP address directly.
Today, typing the IP address doesn't work anymore and no one knows why.
I don't understand why something so simple needs to turn into a complex mess. Now I'm going to have to spend hundreds of dollars to get someone to my house to share a folder (I run a business and merely use the shared folder connection to periodically back up my laptop).
I don't understand the philosophy behind this poppycock.
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