New to Linux, I installed FC5 x86_64 and could not browse to my shares on windows xp machines on my small workgroup via Nautilus. Installed FC6 with same problem. Decided to try out Ubuntu 6.10 64 bit and could see and use my shares. Encouraged I tried FC6 x86 (32 bit) and I was successful. I thought I would have another go at 64 bit Fedora. I installed Zod Fedora Core 6 x86_64. Again, I cannot browse to my windows shares.

I believe I have all the Samba services running that I had before and set all the permutations of Authentication that worked on the 32 bit version but no luck.

I wonder is there something very different about settings needed in the FC6 64 bit version or even a bug.

I found a very helpful procedure here:

http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Access_to_Windows_Shares

that taught me all about mounting. Unfortunately it took me quite a bit to work out that one now has to use CIFS in Fedora at FC5 and later (rather than smbfs) but I eventually worked it out and got access to all my shares using a mount and CIFS.

I like what I have now seen one can do with mount in Linux. But I should still like to be able to browse (not least because I have multiple users and want their Linux experiance to be easier than mine has been so far) to the other XP machines on my network. My other family users (kids & spouse) will want to work thru the GUI.

I should be very grateful if someone would post an idiots' procedure to show how to get to my windows shares via a SMB icon on the desktop in FC6 x86_64 like I was able to achieve in Ubuntu and in the 32 bit version of Fedora.