Re: DVD disks driving me mad

On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 10:55:40 GMT, Jeff Gaines commented


> On 06/12/2005 Ali wrote:
>
>> > If that's the case then that will be the problem, perhaps we should
>> > start a campaign in the group for people to use passwords?
>>
>> The official policy at my place of employment is NO passwords!!
>> It's too hard to remember!
>
> Surely you just write them on a Postit note and stick them on the
> screen :-)

But that would be insecure!!
Actually there's nothing of value to anyone else on the machines, they're
not connected to the Internet (except mine, by dialup, for <5min/day), so
the absence of passwords is not really an issue, and it does save me time.
>
>> However I've made sure the Administrator accounts are passworded, and
>> everybody uses User accounts.
>
> Vista will default to that.
>
>
>> But this does demonstrate that machines with different machine names,
>> different User Names, and blank passwords will communicate on a
>> peer-to-peer cabled network, and share folders, with no problems.
>
> Are you 100% W98 (I have a feeling you said that once, but I may be
> wrong)?

My home machine (the one I actually use) is W98. The one's at jbex are a mix
of 95, 98 and XP Home, and a network printer, connected via a hub, not a
router, and with fixed IP addresses.
>
> If it can be done with XP it would be good to have a brief 'HowTo'
> since it does seem to cause an awful lot of problems. I've not tried it
> with XP since I follow the classic route of same workgroup, same user
> name and same password on all my machines (even the Linux box uses same
> name/PW as the Windows boxes).
>

I knew this question was going to be asked, so I checked - or rather I right
clicked a folder, selected Sharing and Security, but everything on the
dialog that popped up was greyed out - only administators can play with
sharing. I didn't want to switch users just then, so I left it 'til later -
and forgot completely!

The LAN was set up 6 or 7 years ago - all 9x then of course. To the best of
my recollection, I just installed NICs, ran cables, gave each machine the
same workgroup, a unique name, and unique IP, shared folders, and that was
it.

Each share showed up in Network Neighbourhood as the name assigned to it,
and could be accessed according to the password set (read only/full, with
blank being a valid password)

When we got the XP machines, I plugged then in, and shared a folder.
One small problem: XP doesn't do passwords on shares; work-around: make the
passwords blank. (I've a vague feeling it will access passworded shares, but
entering the password is a pain. However it's over two years since the XP
machines were added and I can't remember the details.

Perhaps it's the lack of passwords, though I doubt it, as I can access the
other machines when logged in as an administrator, with a password; and
anyway, having all the machines having the same UserID and password is silly
(except when there is only one actual user), so surely that would not be a
requirement.

To be clear what is available: Each machine has a number of 'networked
computer' icons on its desktop (for my convenience). These are shortcuts to
the corresponding icon in Netwrk Neighbourhood (on Win 9x - I forget what
it's called in XP).
DoubleClicking the icon opens a window showing the available shares on the
remote computer, and double clicking a share opens a window showing the
contents of the shared folder, which can be opened, read , executed, copied,
moved or deleted like any local folder (except deletes don't go to the
recycle bin). Dropping a file into the window may or may not cause the the
file to appear on the remote machine, depending on access allowed.

Additionally, Open dialogs, and Windows Explorer, allow navigation to any
folder or file in any shared folder on the whole LAN.

What is NOT available is the ability to sit at one machine and see the
actual desktop (complete with wallpaper etc.) of another, or to run programs
on the remote machine. I could do that with netmeeting or VNC, I suppose,
but it's *much* easier to walk (or roll my chair) to the other machine and
control it from its keyboard/mouse.

HTH
--
Ali
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/my.web.pages/ You really don't want to go there
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Well over two and a half full years' statistics now available.
.

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