Network file sharing without evehaving to enter user name and password

stony41 · 30 May 2011

I have noted a number of threads mentioning this issue but cannot see the precise solution I need.

I have networked two (and sometimes three) XP PCs and one Win 7 Home Premium 64 PC on a wired domestic network. File sharing is fine, except that I have to enter the Win 7 user name and password before opening Win 7 folders from the XP machines.

Previously I had a Vista laptop hooked to the XP machines. I didn't need to provide user name and password on my XP PCs once I had decided to remove them on the laptop. Vista obviously varies from Win 7 in this regard.

I have tried the frequent suggestion that I use the same user name and password on all machines. I then didn't need to provide these between the PCs, except that I needed to enter them every time I booted up a XP machine (but not the Win 7 PC, where it is easy to allow everyone to boot up without identification). I certainly didn't want XP bootup to halt at the Welcome screen.

I have seen the suggestion that I use 'control userpasswords2' to ensure password-free bootup on XP PCs, but I have been bitten by this routine before and don't really want to experiment with it if I can avoid it.

The strangest thing is that when I decided to remove my user name and password from the Win 7 PC I did manage to get password-free access to the Win 7 PC from the XP PCs but the Win 7 PC then couldn't see the XP PCs at all.

Anyone got a quick fix allowing me to get access to all network files without getting that annoying popup asking me to enter my user name and my password on my XP PCs?

Bill2 · 30 May 2011

Try this:

1) All Pcs on the network should be in the same workgroup, you probably already have this in place.

2) In win7 advanced sharing settings, set password protected sharing to OFF.

3) Specify what you want to share either by dragging the specific folders to Public Folder or by right clicking on the specific folder and checking the Share this folder box.

4) Now because password protected sharing is off, you need to give Everyone access on the shared folders by setting the permissions. Right click on the shared folders and allow Everyone, you can adjust read, write etc.

stony41 · 30 May 2011

Many thanks for your quick reply, Bill2.

My initial reaction was that I had done all four things on your list. But on checking (4) I discovered that Everyone hadn't stuck with my shared folder on the Win 7 PC. I tried again, ensuring that Read/Write was selected. It stuck this time.

However. the result was 50-50. One XP machine immediately dropped the name-password popup, while the other retained it. Any ideas why there is a difference between the two machines?

Bill2 · 30 May 2011

Duh...tough. I guess you'll need to compare each setting between the 2 with a fine comb. Also take a look at the network type (home/work) and simple file sharing should be disabled in xp.

fafhrd · 30 May 2011

I had trouble with one XP machine's workgroup networkname being unopenable (not accessible) from machines that could see it, but paradoxically it was possible to map un-passworded network drives from an explorer window, and from the net use command from shares on the same workgroup machine.

I finally discovered a registry key on the XP machine, HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Lsa\

restrictanonymous=1

which I changed to

restrictanonymous=0

There are also the keys for

restrictanonymoussam=1

and

everyoneincludesanonymous=0

which I changed (0=false, 1=true)

Since, I have no difficulty in seeing the workgroup computer shares and connecting with them. It would therefore be worth looking up details on the LSA registry values and what they each do from the official Microsoft resources.

There is another aid to using XP in Windows 7 network environment and that is the LLTD Link-Layer Topology Discovery natively supported in 7 has not been included at driver level with XP SP3, although SP3 machines falsely report that it is installed.

The http link for the LLTD fix is here. Link Layer Topology Discovery (KB922120) not included in SP3 no problem!!! Read on… « x3webworx no sugar coating blog , download from Microsoft Network Map in Windows Vista does not display computers that are running Windows XP.

Once the Microsoft installer file has been extracted, in the SP2QFE subfolder, it requires a manual install of the tiny files:

rspndr.exe to c:\windows\system32

rspndr.sys to C:\windows\system32\drivers

and from the \ip subfolder

rspndr.inf to c:\Windows\inf

and running the rspndr.exe -i command (I found this did not work, I right-clicked the rspndr.inf file and selected install from the menu)

It may be necessary then to open the properties for the network connection(s) and install the Link-Layer Topology Protocol there too.

Then reboot, and the Windows 7 should discover the xp machines consistently, and map them. As with the netbios responder discovery, it takes a little time to propagate around the network, but is much faster than with netbios alone.

2xg · 30 May 2011

Hello,

From your Windows XP computer go to Local Security Policy.
To open Local Security Policy, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Local Security Policy.
Go to Local Policies, in Security Options select 'Network Access: Sharing and security model for local accounts' and select Guest only, do not select Classic.

Test your connection after and please let us know.

stony41 · 30 May 2011

2xg said:

From your Windows XP computer go to Local Security Policy.

As I have XP Home only, I don't have this option, which appears only in XP Pro. However, I did find a registry edit that was supposed to add it to XP Home, but it didn't work for me. Can't find the text of the edit at the moment. It entailed adding a Dword value in Lsa.

In hindsight, that registry edit applied to Win 7. A similar situation exists: Local Security Policy doesn't appear in Win 7 Home Premium but does in Win 7 Pro. Selecting Guest hardly seems to be a feature that one should have to pay extra money for.

As the XP PC that mainly shares with the Win 7 PC doesn't call for a user name and password, I suppose I should be grateful, but it would be nice to free up the other XP PC as well.

maximumpc · 11 Nov 2013

to fix this file sharing problem
see this video

Disable User Name and Password for network file sharing on windows7 - YouTube

this will 1000% fix the problem...

stony41 · 11 Nov 2013

Thanks for your interest, but I have a different network now, three Win 7s and one XP, and file sharing is OK.

theTechLord · 18 Dec 2015

Unfortionally, this seems not to be possible for one specific Folder. It just works like this:

All Folders with Password protection
No Folder with Password protection