I'm trying to create shares that my XP machines can connect to over Samba but i've run into an issue. I had originally created my shares, tested them, mapped them and used them. Somehow, overnight (ya I know) they stopped working and I can't make them functional again. I have USER shares which work fine but when I create a TEST share and list the users who can write to it, the share stops working (I can't even map it as a drive anymore). Here is an example. I created a folder and share called "TEST" in the root directory, I didn't play around with its permissions at all. I went to my XP box and mapped drive Q: to \\linux\test and it worked just fine. The moment I go in and add user names to the write list, then I can no longer map the folder. I get the error 53, network path could not be found, error. If I change it back, I still get the error 53 response. Everything WAS working fine, my accounts are all identical from Windows to Linux to Samba, no passwords have been changed. The test accounts work but as soon as I add write users, it dies. I checked all my linux permissions and set all the permissions to 777 and still nothing. Any ideas ? Here is a copy of my smb file, I added a few things to it but none of them should be getting in the way. I can also ping the machines back and forth and if I do a "net view \\linux" I can see the shares. The name of the linux box is "ishq" by the way, i just wrote linux to identify it as the linux machine in this post. Thanks for any help you can give me.

example :I can map to the USER1 and USER10 home folders but I can't map to IS or QB folders.

# Samba config file created using SWAT
# from 127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1)
# Date: 2008/04/12 03:36:22

[global]
workgroup = MAIN
server string = Samba
map to guest = Bad User
acl compatibility = winnt
server signing = auto
printcap name = cups
add machine script = /usr/sbin/useradd -c Machine -d /var/lib/nobody -s /bin/false %m$
logon path = \\%L\profiles\.msprofile
logon drive = P:
logon home = \\%L\%U\.9xprofile
domain master = No
ldap ssl = no
usershare allow guests = Yes
usershare max shares = 100
cups options = raw
include = /etc/samba/dhcp.conf
wins support = true

[homes]
comment = Home Directories
valid users = %S, %D%w%S
read only = No
inherit acls = Yes
browseable = No

[profiles]
comment = Network Profiles Service
path = %H
read only = No
create mask = 0600
directory mask = 0700
store dos attributes = Yes

[groups]
comment = All groups
path = /home/groups


[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/tmp
create mask = 0600
printable = Yes
browseable = No

[print$]
comment = Printer Drivers
path = /var/lib/samba/drivers
write list = @ntadmin, root
force group = ntadmin
create mask = 0664
directory mask = 0775

[qb]
comment = Quickbooks
path = /home/qb/
admin users = armen, administrator
write list = test, user1, user2, user3, user4, user5, user6, user7, user8, user9, user10, user11, user12, user
13, user14, user15, user16, user17, lora
read only = No
acl check permissions = No
acl map full control = No
guest ok = Yes
max connections = 150
case sensitive = No
strict locking = No
msdfs proxy = no


[is]
path = /home/IS/
admin users = armen
write list = administrator, test, user1, user2, user3, user4, user5, user6, user7, user8, user9, user10, user1
1, user12, user13, user14, user15, user16, user17, lora
read only = No
guest ok = Yes
case sensitive = No
strict locking = No
msdfs proxy = no

[user1]
path = /home/user1/
write list = administrator
read only = No
guest ok = Yes
case sensitive = No
strict locking = No
msdfs proxy = no

[user10]
path = /home/user10/
read only = No
guest ok = Yes

What distro are you running. Did you update anything overnight? Anything in your logs? Do you run SELinux?