Windows Xp Pro File Sharing Problem(s)

[Allie-Baba]

You know how when something seems like a good idea - then something happens that you didn't expect and South the whole thing goes. Thereby making things worse then they were before. Well, this is kinda like that - except I'm sure I'm the one that hosed things up.......

Background - My new PC running Windows XP Pro. In the recent past I was able to see shared directories on this PC from other PCs in my home NW - including Windows XP Home, Windows 2000, and Windows 98. However, one of the reasons that I decided to go with Pro on this machine was so that I could password protect shared directories on this PC so that my kids could not inadvertantly delete back-up and storage areas on this PC. However, the main reason I use this is as a primary work area, storage area, and Synchronized network disk area for my Windows 2000 Portable (a work machine). What I've done in the past is set up a shared directory as 'filename$'. In this way the directory is sharable - but not easily visible from other PCs on the network. I then Mapped this directly as a network drive on my portable, set it as 'Make Available Offline', then when I plug my portable into my home NW it automatically synchronizes with the directory and I can then utilize my nice big 19" monitor, fast PC, keyboard, etc. Works/worked pretty well.

What I did - so recently I get the bright idea to take advantage of the security capabilities of XP Pro and I deselct 'Simple File Sharing' in the 'Tools-Folder Options' menu. Immediatly there is a problem. I can no longer connect between my portable and Xp Pro desktop. Instead of stepping back and actually thinking for a minute - which is almost a big a waste of time as reading the directions isn't it? :/ ;) - I start messing with the Security and other options in settings trying to get the directories shared. I figure I can just always turn on 'Simple File Sharing' again - right? Wrong-o!! I still can't see any shared directories from other PCs on my network. So - then I get the really bright idea of uninstalling and re-installing Connection sharing - now when I try to set up a shared directory I get the an error message 'The Server service was not started'. Even though sharing is on on my utilized network connection.

Where I'm at so far - At this point I can ping the XP Pro PC from any PC in the network, both by IP address and my PC Name. I can see the PC from other PCs when I look at network neighborhood in the workgroup/home network. However - no shared directories are visible on the XP Pro PC from any PC, while shared directories are visible from my XP Home machine on that same network while viewing from the W2K machine. The Xp Pro machine will now currently not view the network from the 'Show Workgroup Computers' selection -  I may need to try a reboot and see if general network sharing issues get ironed out.

Guessing - I'm guessing that this has something to do with NTFS and the fact that once certain things are defined a certain way with NTFS in 'non-Simple File Sharing' mode, they don't default back when you switch back to 'Simple File Sharing'. This makes sense because if it did work that way then one might only need to move a disk from one PC to another to bypass the MTFS security protocols, etc.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and sorry for the length.

THNX
BRAD

[Allie-Baba]

Well - it looks like the reboot straightened most everything out. Maybe not completely but it appears as though I can at least map hidden drives from my W2K portable again. I'll try and tackle the security thing later and see if I can figure it out. Digging around the internet there seem to be a lot of contradictions with respect to that topic built in XP Pro and NTFS though. Should be fun.

THNX
BRAD