Weird issue connecting to WinXP share

[Mercury]

Let me preface this by saying I am a newbie to Linux, though not to
computers. Forgive me for any abuse of Linux-specific terminology.

I'm trying to set up a link to a shared folder (called "Shared"
appropriately enough) on a WinXP box at IP 192.168.0.2. The folder
permissions are set to allow everyone full control.

The machine I'm trying to do this from is running Ubuntu and has IP
192.168.0.6.

Now, as far as I can tell, the link is set up properly - it resides in the
top panel as a little icon. (I belive it's called a "launcher"?) The URL is
set to smb://192.168.0.2/Shared and the type is set to "Link". Incidentally
I have no idea how to set up a link like this from scratch - I got this one
by dragging a regular folder onto the panel and then modifying the URL.

When I click the launcher, it opens up a dialog box titled "Authentication
Required". It says "You must log in to access 192.168.0.6" and then has
fields for username, domain and password. If you're paying attention, the
thing is trying to access 192.168.0.6, which is the Ubuntu box i.e. it seems
to be trying to access itself!

No matter what credentials I supply, after clicking "Connect" the dialog
simply pops up again. If I click "Cancel", the dialog goes away and the
shared folder (on 192.168.0.2) is displayed, properly, with all its
contents!

What's going on? What am I doing wrong? What is the proper way to set up a
link to a windows share - am I doing it wrong, and, if so, how wrong?

[Simon Jones]

On Mon, 22 May 2006 20:16:35 -0400, Mercury mumbled:

> Let me preface this by saying I am a newbie to Linux, though not to
> computers. Forgive me for any abuse of Linux-specific terminology.
>
> I'm trying to set up a link to a shared folder (called "Shared"
> appropriately enough) on a WinXP box at IP 192.168.0.2. The folder
> permissions are set to allow everyone full control.
>
> The machine I'm trying to do this from is running Ubuntu and has IP
> 192.168.0.6.

[...]

Click Places => Network Servers

This opens a window?

Click the XP Computer name (shown in above window)

Click Shared "Folder"

Links are for the internet as are URL's. The above will browse the local
network (windows included).

--
Simon.
================================================== ===================
"Back up my hard disk ? I can't find the reverse switch !"
================================================== ===================

[Mercury]

"Simon Jones" <tux@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:slrne74rrm.9ct.tux@localhost.localdomain...

>
> Click Places => Network Servers
>
> This opens a window?
>

Yes, and asks for a username and password to connect to 192.168.0.6 i.e.
itself.

No matter what I type in, it won't accept it.

If I click cancel... now this is interesting.... it asks to connect to
PC06 - which is the name of the Ubuntu machine (it's still tyring to connect
to itself). Same problem but slightly different flavor.

If I click cancel to *that* I get to browse the windows network but nothing
appears here - this is normal since none of my machines advertise
themselves - I always connect to them by IP.

The problem is these bizarre password prompts which I have to dismiss. Once
I get past those everythng is perfect.

> Links are for the internet as are URL's.

URL's can definitely refer to local files, and those on a local networks.
Links, too.

[Simon Jones]

On Mon, 22 May 2006 23:03:27 -0400, Mercury mumbled:

> "Simon Jones" <tux@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
> news:slrne74rrm.9ct.tux@localhost.localdomain...

>>
>> Click Places => Network Servers
>>
>> This opens a window?
>>

>
> Yes, and asks for a username and password to connect to 192.168.0.6 i.e.
> itself.
>
> No matter what I type in, it won't accept it.

You have tried Guest in the username box?

Another option is to use the username/password combination of a real user on
the XP box.

Just checking here, you do have samba-client installed.

The XP machine is home or pro?

--
Simon.
================================================== ===================
"Back up my hard disk ? I can't find the reverse switch !"
================================================== ===================

[Mercury]

"Simon Jones" <tux@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:slrne754kb.7c4.tux@server.eol.net.au...

> You have tried Guest in the username box?
>

I did now. No go.

> Another option is to use the username/password combination of a real user
> on
> the XP box.

Tried that - no luck.

>
> Just checking here, you do have samba-client installed.

I assume so, since after clicking Cancel I can access all the files in the
Shared folder. Without Samba, I wouldn't be able to do that, right?

>
> The XP machine is home or pro?

Pro.

[Mercury]

"Mercury" <nobody@nospam.null> wrote in message
news:1148343396.887738@www.vif.com...

>
> When I click the launcher, it opens up a dialog box titled "Authentication
> Required". It says "You must log in to access 192.168.0.6" and then has
> fields for username, domain and password. If you're paying attention, the
> thing is trying to access 192.168.0.6, which is the Ubuntu box i.e. it
> seems to be trying to access itself!
>
> No matter what credentials I supply, after clicking "Connect" the dialog
> simply pops up again. If I click "Cancel", the dialog goes away and the
> shared folder (on 192.168.0.2) is displayed, properly, with all its
> contents!
>

I think I licked it. I went into Network settings and put the Ubuntu machine
on the WORKGROUP domain (previously no domain was specified). All my other
machines are in the WORKGROUP workgroup. (Does Linux consider workgroups and
domains to be the same thing?) It seems to be working fine now, no more
annoying password prompt.

Still, this is very weird bahavior, and I'm curious how being without a
domain would cause a Linux box to try to access itself. Anyone have an
explanation for it?

[Mercury]

"Mercury" <nobody@nospam.null> wrote in message
news:1148362145.916957@www.vif.com...

>
> I think I licked it.

Damn it. Spoke too soon. It's still happening.

The problem seems to be intermittent, though, sometimes it connects without
a problem, other times it throws up the password dialog. I can't figure this
thing out.

[Simon Jones]

On Tue, 23 May 2006 01:16:57 -0400, Mercury mumbled:

> I assume so, since after clicking Cancel I can access all the files in the
> Shared folder. Without Samba, I wouldn't be able to do that, right?
>

>>
>> The XP machine is home or pro?

>
> Pro.
>
>

Sorry, thought this was a home machine.

Has Pro got permissions as in 2003 server?

If the problem were the other way you have allow null passwords, does XP
have this as an option?

--
Simon.
================================================== ===================
"Back up my hard disk ? I can't find the reverse switch !"
================================================== ===================

[Mercury]

"Simon Jones" <tux@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:slrne75di1.78i.tux@server.eol.net.au...

>
> Sorry, thought this was a home machine.
>
> Has Pro got permissions as in 2003 server?

Not sure I understand the question... Pro has two levels of permissions when
it come to file-sharing: standard NTFS files system perms plus the perms
specified for the share - in both cases I have Everyone allowed Full Control

>
> If the problem were the other way you have allow null passwords, does XP
> have this as an option?

XP allows null passwords, yes.

I'm not sure that the XP machine has anything to do with this, since the
password dialog pops up even when I try to browse the network... thanks for
all the ideas so far, though.

[Simon Jones]

On Tue, 23 May 2006 07:09:01 -0400, Mercury mumbled:

> XP allows null passwords, yes.
>
> I'm not sure that the XP machine has anything to do with this, since the
> password dialog pops up even when I try to browse the network... thanks for
> all the ideas so far, though.
>

The only time I have had a similar problem it turned out the samba client
was broken. You're using ubuntu Breezy Badger? If so I am also using it and
I know it works.

Another option install samba-server and set it up with the same workgroup,
this would be useful to share a diretory accessible to the XP machine but
otherwise won't help you. The reason to suggest it is maybe the XP machine
"looks" on the network for a machine matching your? Just a thought.

--
Simon.
================================================== ===================
"Back up my hard disk ? I can't find the reverse switch !"
================================================== ===================

[Mercury]

"Simon Jones" <tux@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:slrne761st.7hc.tux@server.eol.net.au...

>
> The only time I have had a similar problem it turned out the samba client
> was broken. You're using ubuntu Breezy Badger? If so I am also using it
> and
> I know it works.

I'm using some version of Ubuntu Breezy - but... I don't know how to check
the version...

Sad, isn't it? I even Googled it, and I leaned how to check the kernel
version but not the distro version.

> Another option install samba-server and set it up with the same workgroup,
> this would be useful to share a diretory accessible to the XP machine but
> otherwise won't help you. The reason to suggest it is maybe the XP machine
> "looks" on the network for a machine matching your? Just a thought.

I'd like the share to remain on the Windows machine for various reasons.

Something interesting I just noticed: If I blank all the fields in the
dialog and click Connect, it will apparently connect (to what, I'm not
sure - the behavior is identical to clicking Cancel: dialog goes away and
the windows share is displayed.) Odd that it would accept blank credentials.

[Simon Jones]

On Tue, 23 May 2006 12:28:07 -0400, Mercury mumbled:

> I'd like the share to remain on the Windows machine for various reasons.
>
> Something interesting I just noticed: If I blank all the fields in the
> dialog and click Connect, it will apparently connect (to what, I'm not
> sure - the behavior is identical to clicking Cancel: dialog goes away and
> the windows share is displayed.) Odd that it would accept blank credentials.
>
>

How about if you mount it on boot?

Will it always be available?

If so have a look at mount smbfs and add it to /etc/fstab something like:

//xpmachine/share /mnt/descriptive_name smbfs
username=Guest,password=,uid=user,gid=user,rw

Change the =user to your user. Don't fill in the password.

You may want check the above, that's from memory. It's also all on one line
:-)

The actual mount point /mnt/descriptive_name should exist and the permission
you set there will make a difference.

--
Simon.
================================================== ===================
"Back up my hard disk ? I can't find the reverse switch !"
================================================== ===================

[Mercury]

"Simon Jones" <tux@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:slrne76gko.ers.tux@server.eol.net.au...

>
> How about if you mount it on boot?
>
> Will it always be available?

No. Good suggestion, though.

More weirdness:

I thought about what you said about Samba client being broken. Well, going
on years of Windows experience, I decided to reinstall it (reinstall fixes
everything, right? :-D ). I used Synaptic Package Manager (since I have no
idea how to do it any other way!). I tried to pick out anything related to
smaba and remove it. I removed smbclient, smaba, samba-common, and
ubuntu-desktop (which I had to).

Here's the thing: I can still connect to the windows share! I thought this
was impossible without the smaba client installed so either I was wrong
about that or I didn't completely remove it.

In any case, this seems to have solved the problem - though I'll have to
wait a while before I can be sure. Everything now works as I want it to - I
can access the share at will and no password prompt appears.

So indeed the samba client seems to have been the key. I'll be damned if I
know what was/is going on, but it all works now, so I'm happy. Thanks for
all the ideas, it's much appreciated!

[Christo]

Mercury wrote:

> "Mercury" <nobody@nospam.null> wrote in message
> news:1148362145.916957@www.vif.com...
>

>>I think I licked it.

>
>
> Damn it. Spoke too soon. It's still happening.
>
> The problem seems to be intermittent, though, sometimes it connects without
> a problem, other times it throws up the password dialog. I can't figure this
> thing out.
>
>

I am having same problem

however i have changed my user account to root

I found that the login dialog to the windows machine would be

root, this would already be set as the username

the domain would be MSHOME and well the password i dont know

I basically tried it without a username and without a password but left
the Domain and it logs me in

[Mercury]

"Christo" <chris@nospam.co.uk> wrote in message
news:mKSdnUXIS6GOBu7ZRVnysg@bt.com...

> I am having same problem
>
> however i have changed my user account to root
>
> I found that the login dialog to the windows machine would be
>
> root, this would already be set as the username
>
> the domain would be MSHOME and well the password i dont know
>
> I basically tried it without a username and without a password but left
> the Domain and it logs me in

Yes, I figured this out too. See my other posts in this thread.

[Mercury]

"Mercury" <nobody@nospam.null> wrote in message
news:1148420952.60397@www.vif.com...

> smaba

Samba. Damn my typing skills, or rather the lack thereof.

[Simon Jones]

On Tue, 23 May 2006 17:49:10 -0400, Mercury mumbled:

> So indeed the samba client seems to have been the key. I'll be damned if I
> know what was/is going on, but it all works now, so I'm happy. Thanks for
> all the ideas, it's much appreciated!
>
>

Oh well, it's working. I will try and break mine as I'd like to know _why_ !
:-)
--
Simon.
================================================== ===================
"Back up my hard disk ? I can't find the reverse switch !"
================================================== ===================