XP Pro, Win 2000 Pro and 98 Networking

[Zuma]

My three home computers are networked through a cable router (Netgear RT-314). One has XP Pro, one has Windows 2000, and one has Win 98 (not SE). All three can see each other but all of a sudden I cant access the 2000 machine from either the xp, or the 98 machines. It keeps asking for a username and a password. The problem is I never set this up and I have no idea where on the 2000 rig to change it. Any ideas??

[Zuma]

I can't believe that no one on this forum has an answer to this, cmon guys! I need help here!

[YeOldeStonecat]

With NT based OS's (NT 4.0, 2K, XP)....whatever shares you have, you must create "accounts" on that machine that match the username and password of the other computers that you log in as.

Example, the XP machine, you log on as joeuser with a password of joe, on the 2K machine you log on as janedoe with a password of jane, and on the 98 machine you log in as bud with a password of weiser.

On the 2K machine, if you wish to share a folder, first, add user accounts for the login names of the other machines, like joeuser and bud. Then, on the folder or printer you wish to share, add that user account to who you share to.

Also when you add the account, make sure you specify that the password never expires, because I bet that's what got you since it "was" working, now it isn't.

It's easier with NT to NT based OS's when getting to shares through network neighborhood, since if the account isn't on the host machine, you get a full username and password "challenge" which you can easily fill in, since NT has a much more robust security/authentication method. So you can still log in under almost anything, and yet still be able to be authenticated to a machine you don't have an account on. But with 9X, it's a pain, it's weak security/authentication is a drawback here, it all lies in a local .pwl file, you HAVE to log in exactly as the correct username and password that matches the account on the host, and often have to delete the local .pwl file(s) and create a new one. You only get a password challenge across network neighborhood if you don't have an account on the host machine, which is useless.

[Zuma]

Thx YOSC, I appreciate the reply. I will try and wade though all of this and see where I stand.
Like I said it worked before so I am at a loss here, it will still play network games tho.... this is all so new, LOL