Windows XP Using WinXP - The account is not authorized to login from this station

[Tosh30]

Hi there everyone!

I have two XP workstations with sp3 and latest updates. Each station has the same user in Admin group and is able to share the C drives. When I connect in from Station B to A using \\stationA\C$ command, I can see station A with no problems. When I run it the opposite way using \\stationB\C$, I get "The account is not authorized to login from this station". Not using AD and there are no Domain servers on the network - all using workgroups and local users. I've read other posts suggesting to change the Lanmanserver/lanmanworkstation settings, but have not had luck with that. Any other areas that I can check? Should I focus on station A or B to find the issue? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Jimbo22]

Hi there everyone!

I have two XP workstations with sp3 and latest updates. Each station has the same user in Admin group and is able to share the C drives. When I connect in from Station B to A using \\stationA\C$ command, I can see station A with no problems. When I run it the opposite way using \\stationB\C$, I get "The account is not authorized to login from this station". Not using AD and there are no Domain servers on the network - all using workgroups and local users. I've read other posts suggesting to change the Lanmanserver/lanmanworkstation settings, but have not had luck with that. Any other areas that I can check? Should I focus on station A or B to find the issue? Any advice is appreciated.

I think it's because both PC's have the same user name, and in doing so, the OS is having conflicts in determining the right course of action to be taken. So it just does nothing.

 

[Trouble]

What you are attempting to do should work fine, so.....
The first thing you should do is double check the the hidden shares (administrative shares) on the problem machine and confirm that C$ is present.
Then double check and confirm that both machines have the exact same date and time, as well are patched and service packed to the same level.
Then start checking the firewall settings and determine if anything is different when compared one to the other as well as any difference with any third party security suite that either may be installed presently or any that may have been installed in the recent past. There may be some remnants that you may need to excise using the vendor specific proprietary removal tool.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Bassfisher is right about the single-user name. When you say Admin Group, I assume you are talking about Windows Workgroups networking. You must have separate User names in Workgroups (Non AD network) as well as separate share names.

You have a couple of ways to solve this, really 3.

#1: Backup all your data from both computers, and re-install XP SP3 on both computers and setup your networking through Workgroups ensuring you follow the above steps from Trouble and me. Try again! When you reinstall your XP OSes on both computers, DO NOT INSTALL ANY SECURITY SUITE OR AV OR FIREWALL software until you get your Networking working in both directions. If you had any remnants of previous AV protection software stuck in the registry of either XP system, that will now be gone. Also, ensure that Microsoft Firewall is DISABLED on both XP computers. If you do not, they will block your access request in at least 1 direction, if not both!

#2: If you try this, and it still doesn't work; I suggest you purchase a wireless router (Cisco/Linksys or Netgear are the best) for about $50 and create an actual LAN (Local Area Network). Don't know if that's your current config or not, cause you didn't specify your topology, but if you just have the 2 XP computers connected directly to one another through the ethernet ports with a crossover cable, you will run into some quirky problems with peer-to-peer networking also know as "ad-hoc" netwoking. Peer-to-peer network using windows shares was never a good idea even back in the 80s running Microsoft's LANMAN networking protocols. It really never took off until they re-architected into the current LAN or server based-architecture. All that being said, if you are running the non-LAN "peer-to-peer" networking setup, you are time-travelling back to the 80s and running 30 year old stuff to communicate between your computers. Step up the new Millenium and use LAN technology--it works a heak of a lot better, and for not much more money; a $50 wifi router and an extra ethernet cable or two will most likely do the trick.

#3: Hire a knowledgeable computer professional certified in home and/or office networking. Make sure he/she is actually licensed with a A+, Net+, Microsoft or other professional license to help you out. If you have a friend that works in the IT biz, they can often solve these remedial home networking type issues for you. Maybe a Six-pack of beer??

BIGBEARJEDI

 

[Trouble]

Bassfisher is right about the single-user name. When you say Admin Group, I assume you are talking about Windows Workgroups networking. You must have separate User names in Workgroups

I am not sure what resource you are using to support your assertion that "you must have seperate User names in Workgroups" but nothing could be further from the fact.
As a matter of fact common usernames and passwords are the underpinning of Microsoft passthrough authentication and often a solution for people with problems with network sharing. Microsoft's own literature supports and advises making sure that a common username and password is present across network nodes and early on with it's HomeGroup fiasco even went so far as suggesting users create a seperate (common) username on all network nodes calling it share and assigning that username the appropriate share and ntfs permissions, hoping that those steps would help resolve peoples confusion.