Member Avatar for Paddy

There are two computers in my house, and they utilise Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) just fine, however there is a problem when trying to access one computer from the other. Computer A (the host computer) can access computer B and share its files, but computer B is asked for logon information when it attempts to browse computer A. I have no idea why it does this, because no one has set any such security on either computer. It isn't the firewall because I've install numerous firewalls since the problem began and it made no difference. Both computers are running Windows XP (one Pro, the other Home). Is there any way I can remove this logon prompting? Noone knows what the password or user name is supposed to be lol...

Thanks :)

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Dani AI

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— building on and , here are focused, practical steps that isolate authentication from networking and usually fix the unexplained logon prompt.

Try an explicit credential connection first (avoids name-resolution and cached-credential issues). Open a command prompt and run:

net use \\<host-ip-or-name>\ShareName /user:<HOSTNAME>\Username Password
net use * /delete

Replace placeholders. Prefixing the username with the host machine forces a local account authentication; the second command clears any stale sessions that can block new credentials.

If explicit credentials still fail, Windows is likely forcing guest access instead of allowing normal network logons. On the machine that hosts the share, set the classic authentication model (XP Pro) or disable the ForceGuest behavior (XP Home) by editing the registry:

Reg path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
Value: ForceGuest (DWORD) = 0

Back up the registry first and reboot after changing it. Also confirm the Server and Workstation services are set to Automatic and running.

Check adapter/service bindings: ensure “Client for Microsoft Networks” and “File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks” are enabled on the NIC, and that the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service is running. Verify NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled in the adapter’s IPv4 WINS settings. Try connecting by IP (\192.168.x.x\Share) to rule out name issues. If ICS or the host’s routing/firewall is suspected, temporarily place both PCs on the same switch with static IPs (no ICS) to test pure file sharing.

Finally, review the host’s Event Viewer for logon failures (Security/System) to see why the credential was rejected, and consider creating a short-lived test account (simple password) on the host with explicit share and NTFS rights to verify authentication behavior.

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Member Avatar for DMR

1. XP Home and Pro are slightly different beasts when it comes to networking/sharing, and getting the two versions to network correctly can be a pain sometimes. Which machine is running Home and which is running Pro? I'd assume that the ICS machine is the one running Pro, but you know what they say about assumptions....

2. When you enable ICS, Windows automatically enables the Windows firewall; make sure all/any firewalling software is entirely disabled during the course of your troubleshooting.

3. "Noone knows what the password or user name is supposed to be lol..."

The username and password should match those of a user account which exists on the machine you are trying to connect to. Remember: in a workgroup environment there's no centralized authentication (as there is in a domain); for the most trouble-free sharing, you should set up identical user accounts on both machines.

Member Avatar for Paddy

Thanks for the reply DMR ;)

The thing is, we've successfully set up a home network with full browsing capabilities before, and I'm not exactly sure what we did, you know? hehehe Every time one of us reinstalls Windows the whole thing messes up again.

I've disabled the Windows firewall, on both computers, and I've tried responding to the login prompt by inputting the details of the main computer, but it doesn't accept it.

The computer which connects directly to the net is using XP Pro, and the client (is that right?) computer is using XP Home.

I also remember months ago when we were trying to fix our network that the client computer set up an account with all of the same details as the account I use on the main computer, but it didn't make a difference :(

I've double-checked all of the little things, like the workgroup names, the shared files/folders permissions, etc., but I haven't come across anything which would address this logon issue.

Any ideas? lol

Thanks for your time :)

Member Avatar for Squires

Not being able to disable simple file sharing in xp home is one the most annoying things about XP home.

I came across this a few months ago, I've been trying to recreate the error on my laptop, but now it does not want to do it.

Member Avatar for DMR

I've tried responding to the login prompt by inputting the details of the main computer, but it doesn't accept it.

What is the exact error message that you get?

I totally agree with Squires on the Simple Filesharing issue- it causes more problems than it solves, and the inability to turn it off really limits your troubleshooting choices. :mad:

Are you using simple file sharing on both machines, or have you disabled it on the XP Pro machine?

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