Hi there, I hope somebody can help me.
I am running fedora core 2 set up as a file server using SAMBA. Once of the wo=indows computers that needs to connect to it runs XP home.
I did have SAMBA set up with security = user but the XP home pc, once it had mapped the share OK would forget the password and it would need to be entered evrytime the pc was rebooted. I know thats not toooo much of a problem but lets remember we are talking about somebody using windows xp. XP pro has no problem remembering the password but I don't ant to line Bill's pockets with more money upgrading from XP home to XP pro.
To try and get around this problem I changed the security = share in which case the XP computer tries to access the SAMBA share as guest. This is where it gets interesting since it insists on using a password
In the smb.conf file, as viewed in SWAT, it says guest account = nobody
I checked the "users and groups" GUI in the system settings menu and their is a "nobody" account but it has a password which for the life of me I don't kdidnow how to remove. I tried to create a guest account (which wasn't there when I started) but Fedora insists on giving it a password.
I have tried the samba HOWTO and have even had a good look in the samba howto book but to be honest the guys who write SAMBA are, very understandibly, concerned with making it as secure as possible, not much use for me when the wife wants to use her laptop to access the server.....
I tried google but I am not sure where to start. Gusts accounts are mentioned only briefly.
I hope you can help with some suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
David aka woppa

I have a question first: do you logon to your windows xp with a user account or do you enter your windows xp direct without a user name.

If you dont use a user name windows wil not store teh use name and pasword you use to connect to linux, so you have to enable user access on your windows box.

The XP home pc is set up with three users, "Admin", "Pam" and "littleone" for the three people that use it with different profiles. There are hwever no passwords associated with any of these accounts and when "Pam" tries to connect to the SAMBA share it tries to as SERVER/guest and not as laptop/pam
Hopes this helps.
David.

try it with an account that has a password

and use the command prompt to create a net use instruction

NET USE X: \\computernaam\sharenaam /USER:domeinname\username * /PERSISTENT:YES

the PERSISTENT should force storing the connection instruction

The Windows XP greyed out "GUEST" box, is the result of security = share. (this is what i expierence in my setup at least)

If you set `guest ok = yes` and `guest only = yes` in the share definition, what happens? - You should no longer need a password.

And make sure that the `guest account` = [some user with read+write+execute permissions on the linux box to whatever the directoy beign shared is]

Hopefully that makes sence, hard to word that.

I will try these out tonight and let you know how I get on.....
Thanks for the replies.
Amo... I don't have a domain, only a workgroup so i presume I should use
NET USE X: \\computername\sharename /USER:workgroup\username * /PERSISTENT:YES

Is that reasonable ????

It depends on how you configured samba in linux