[Solved] Why does windows 7 ask for a password on network

I have 3 computers on a home network that could share files/folders in the begining. Now the windows 7 PC asks for a password if you try to access it from the XP pc and vice versa. the xp computer and the win 98 computer shares files in both directions perfectly! what happened to the win 7 machine?

Reply to dbarnho595

Annoying isn't it ?
As I recall I quit using a password on my Win7 machine in order to eliminate this "problem". Networked Win7 machines aren't always very good at being detected from XP machines and vice versa.

To be fair, with Win7 MS have tried to introduce sort of scaled back security for home machines, but networking is still designed for business when the vast majority of users now are at home, accessing their own machines and security really isn't the big issue that Windows makes it.

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Message edited by Anonymous on 12-13-2010 at 01:31:35 PM

Reply to Anonymous

http://www.purenetworks.com/product/pro.php

TRY THIS!

Message quoted 2 times

Reply to Area51reopened

Area51reopened wrote :

http://www.purenetworks.com/product/pro.php

TRY THIS!

VERY cool! I <3 Cisco. So very, very much ^.^

Reply to Psychoteddy

Area51reopened wrote :

http://www.purenetworks.com/product/pro.php

TRY THIS!

I have Network Magic version 5.5.9195.0 that I bought this past January when I had a cisco 320 router. That router slowed my connections down to a crawl in about a week. I saw on line where they were having trouble with that router and I took it back and got this Belkin N+ wireless. Anyhow, Network Magic has not helped me with this problem. When I click on "trouble sharing folders" it goes through it's test and says the folder in question should be accessible. The windows 7 PC has not been perfect from the start. Before this, some times I would have to reboot it to see it on the newwork. I have about an inch of paper I have printed out from things I find on google and none have helped so far. Thanks for the link but everyone keep trying for me please.

Reply to dbarnho595

In Control Panel>Network and Sharing Centre, buried among the options and below the screen so you have to scroll down, there is the option to remove the need for passwords in W7 networking. When I say "networking", I don't mean using the Homegroup - leave that along and go for conventional networking.

Before W7 can be an acceptable package for networking, they wil need to ease these restrictions - or make them easier to overcome - and I hope this comes out in SP1.

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Reply to Saga Lout

Saga Lout wrote :

In Control Panel>Network and Sharing Centre, buried among the options and below the screen so you have to scroll down, there is the option to remove the need for passwords in W7 networking. When I say "networking", I don't mean using the Homegroup - leave that along and go for conventional networking.

Before W7 can be an acceptable package for networking, they wil need to ease these restrictions - or make them easier to overcome - and I hope this comes out in SP1.

Not sure what you mean about not using Homegroup and go for conventional networking. What group do I use?
I have checked the box to "not use password" on there

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Reply to dbarnho595

Best answer

dbarnho595 wrote :

Not sure what you mean about not using Homegroup and go for conventional networking. What group do I use?
I have checked the box to "not use password" on there

Windows 7 offers networking through a Homegroup but most people find that restrictive. Below that in the left hand pane is Networking and if you set your network up in there, having ticked for no password, you should find things run better.

However, I've noticed that the W7 Computer Browser Service doesn't scan as frequently as it did in XP so you may need to wait a little longer for other computers to show in the Workgroup. Don't be in too much of a rush to assume your settings are wrong and start changing them - give it twenty minutes, at least.

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Reply to Saga Lout

Saga Lout wrote :

Windows 7 offers networking through a Homegroup but most people find that restrictive. Below that in the left hand pane is Networking and if you set your network up in there, having ticked for no password, you should find things run better.

However, I've noticed that the W7 Computer Browser Service doesn't scan as frequently as it did in XP so you may need to wait a little longer for other computers to show in the Workgroup. Don't be in too much of a rush to assume your settings are wrong and start changing them - give it twenty minutes, at least.

OK, thanks. I'll try that out and let you know how I made out.

Reply to dbarnho595

Best answer selected by dbarnho595.

Reply to dbarnho595

Had to select a "Best Answer" but problem still here. The router has a USB slot that I have a USB thumb drive pluged into and all PC's can access that. Make transfer of files to and from that. Will post here when I find a solution.

Reply to dbarnho595

You didn't "have to" but thanks for doing so. However, it's much less fun if the problem remains.

Is the W7 machine still unable to network properly even with the suggestions I made in place?

Reply to Saga Lout

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] a-machines

Reply to Anonymous

I'm sorry if this question is redundant but I don't see an answer to my question.
I have a small business network.
1 Win7 desktop is wired to my wireless router.
1 Win7 desktop is wireless.
1 Win Vista laptop is wireless.
2 WinXP laptops are wireless.
My 2 WinXPs cannot see the Win7 wired desktop. This is crucial because that is the shared drive.
Are there settings that I need to change on the WinXPs in order to access the shared Win7? The password function is turned off on the shared Win7.

Reply to classicaire

Hello and welcome to Tom's Hardware Forums.

It might be better to start your own thread in case someone accuses you of necro-posting - bringing back the dead.

However, some silly questions first - are they all in the same Workgroup? Has Windows 7 Homegroup been eliminated. Can the W7 system "see" the others?

------------------------------ Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like 127.0.0.1
Reply to Saga Lout

I'm sorry if I offended anyone by posting here. Since I feel that my question is related to the post, I thought best to ask here.

All listed PCs are on the network/workgroup. When I created the network I renamed it and changed it on all listed PCs.
I don't know what you mean by eliminating the Win 7 Homegroup.
The wired/shared Win 7 can see all other PCs. For that matter all PCs can see each other.
Again, my Win Vista and 2nd Win 7 can access the shared Win 7 but my 2 Win XP PCs cannot access the wired/shared Win 7 PC. When I try to access from either Win XP PC I am prompted for a password. Password is off on the shared Win 7.

Reply to classicaire

When you say password protetion is offf on the W7 system, does that include the bit at the bottom of the page in Network and Sharing Centre where you take off the requirement for all other systems to have passwords?

My comment about eliminating Homegroup was because it's better to stick with conventional networking in networks of mixed systems. Homegroup may have a place in a future where every system is W7 or 8 but not where XP or even 2000 are mixed in.

------------------------------ Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like 127.0.0.1
Reply to Saga Lout

Yes to your first question.

If you answered my original question, I still don't understand. Why am I prompted on both my Win XP systems for passwords to access the wired/shared Win 7 system?

Reply to classicaire

If the Windows 7 system folders are set to be shared, and no password is required to access those folders in their own system, XP doesn't need a password either. Try remaking the shares in XP by running the Network Setup Wizard once more.

------------------------------ Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like 127.0.0.1
Reply to Saga Lout

I've already done that, more than once.

Reply to classicaire

Anonymous wrote :

Annoying isn't it ?
As I recall I quit using a password on my Win7 machine in order to eliminate this "problem". Networked Win7 machines aren't always very good at being detected from XP machines and vice versa.

To be fair, with Win7 MS have tried to introduce sort of scaled back security for home machines, but networking is still designed for business when the vast majority of users now are at home, accessing their own machines and security really isn't the big issue that Windows makes it.

All you have to do is go to your administrator name in control panel, which is under system users and see what your administrator name is. Type that in for the name and leave the password blank and his enter or ok and it will connect.

Reply to angelizzs

your answers are very vague. you are not talking to yourself

Reply to ric_84

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