Hopefully so simple but I guess boring for you all.
1. Home network with machines connected through router and shared broadband service - 3 computers.

2. Want a shared public folder on Mandrake 10.1 Linux box to act as server/storage/backup type area for my files/stuff but want access from XPSP2 machine.
- A network shared folder accessible from XP machines.

3. Need easiest walkthrough possible including all steps. Dont worry about special permissions and all that. Just want the share first. Then sort the rest out.

4. Yes I have read the internet to death. i have edited smb.conf, shared folder in nautilas and even chmod 777.

5. just the basics please. what setup is there to - from xp: access, copy to, copy from a shared folder data area on Mandrake 10.1

6. obviously i am frustrated - I so badly want this to work so i concentrate on learning about linux.

7. just want my data and stuff safe in the corner with linux. - but accessible

8. linux box - partitions linux - native, linuxswap, data area is ext3.
9. winxp can see these partitions but i cannot access them after much stuffing around. Now nothing is working. Except the lan. internet is fine all round.

Hope you can save me.

I made a directory (as root) "mkdir /data" then chmoded it "chmod 777 /data".

Then I added the following to smb.conf:

[data]
path = /data
comment = Transfer all data here.
volume = Data-Drive
writeable = yes
guest ok = yes

And that was it Anyone can read and write to it, from Windows or Linux, so it's usually kept empty - IOW whatever is in there gets moved to it's proper place right away, which is usually my ftp directory.

Don't forget to restart samba with (as root):

"service smb restart"

HTH

Michael