Strange Microsoft Networking problem

[The PIT]

Baffled by this one. I've got a Win2k server and we connect to the shared backup folder using bartpe and mapping a network drive //servername/files/ and this worked fine until this afternoon. Strangely it stopped prompting for a password and username and just connected you. But you couldn't open the folder.

So I created a new bartpe disk just in case a file wasn't be read properly same problem.

If I go to another XP machine I can map the drive without any trouble and connect to it. It prompted for the username and password.

So disabled all file sharing rebooted and re-enabled it same problem.

If I browse the network neighbourhood in Bartpe I can see the server in the workgroup. Opening this I can see the share. Clicking on it and you get the error message corrupt folder illegal name.

You don't get this message from windows XP. Bart is based on XP.

If I create share on another machine no problem.

So what the hell is happening.

[The PIT]

By the way it's \\servername\folder\

[Gurm]

BartPE is "based on" XP, but the networking is in fact a bit different. Not sure what's going on here, other than some kind of caching problem.

[MultimediaMan]

Can you net use and get to the share via command line? Without using the BartPE Network configurator?

[Jammrock]

BartPE uses a custom process to start networking, but the actual components are the MS ones from XP/2k3.

Try forcing authentication to the share using net use. The comman goes like this:

net use x: \\server\share passw0rd /user:domain\username (alternately you can just use /user:username if you are not on a domain)

This will attempt to map the drive using the supplied credentials. If that doesn't work let me know and I can give some suggestions.

Remember that permissions on an NTFS share have two components: share and NTFS permissions. When accessing data across a share it is the MOST restrictive permissions that take affect, so if the user has Change permissions on the share, but no permissions or lesser permissions in NTFS, the NTFS permissions win out.

[The PIT]

Using the net use command doesn't bring back any errors until you try and browse the share when you get accessed denied.

[The PIT]

Changing workgroups or shared drives on the host machine doesn't make any difference.
Changing workgroup or bartpe name doesn't make any difference.
stumped.

[The PIT]

On the win2k server running net session shows that bartpe is connected.
However on bartpe you cannot view the share so it's a strange authentication issue.

[MultimediaMan]

Can you browse the share from the commandline?

Net Use x: \\yourserver\c$


dir x:\

?

[Claymonkey]

Have you tried setting up another share on the server from scratch? Have you tried connecting to some other computer on the network from BartPE? You already shared from another computer so honestly it sounds like something changed on the server and not the network. A new share should tell you if it's a corrupted share or a permissions issue.

[The PIT]

MutlimediaMan the answer it doesn't work. Access denied
Claymonkey. Tried new share from scratch on the same drive and then another drive and same problem.

In the end I decided to reformat and it works fine at the moment. Haven't put the shared drive back in yet as I had to put that in another machine so it could be accessed.

It was just quicker to reformat than to spend days trouble shooting a very strange issue.

If it dies on Monday you'll hear the loud groan worldwide.

[The PIT]

Put the shared drive back in and everything running fine.