Re: My Computer won't Join my Workgroup

Tech-Archive recommends: Speed Up your PC by fixing your registry

From: Chuck (none_at_example.net)
Date: 05/04/04 

Date: 4 May 2004 11:45:14 -0500

On Tue, 4 May 2004 07:10:39 -0700, "art" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote:

>I bought 5 Dell Computers and started installing them.
>The 1st one went great. When I got to the 2nd one and
>tried to transfer files, it told me that "the workgroup
>is not accessible. You might not have permission to use
>this network resource. Contact the administratior of this
>service to find out if you have access permissions.
>The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently
>available."
>
>I don't know if I put a weron setting when I was
>installing the computer or what. The point is that my
>computer cannot read the network.
>
>Any ideas?

Art,

Are you running XP Home or Pro?

If XP Pro, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel - Folder Options -
View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Pro, you need to have
the SFS settings the same on each computer.

If SFS is disabled, check the Local Security Policy (Control Panel -
Administrative Tools). Under Local Policies - Security Options, look at
"Network access: Sharing and security model", and ensure it's set to "Classic -
local users authenticate as themselves".

If you set the Local Security Policy to "Guest only", make sure that the Guest
account is enabled, and has an identical, non-blank, password on all computers.
If "Classic", setup and use a common account with identical, non-blank, password
on all computers.

Do any of the computers have a software firewall (ICF or third party)? If so,
you need to configure them for file sharing, by opening ports TCP 139, 445 and
UDP 137, 138, 445, and / or by identifying the other computers as present in the
Local (Trusted) zone. Firewall configurations are a very common cause of
(network) browser problems.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

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