How to make XP Home not type in password for shares on Windows 2003 Server?

sumsys

Have you checked the permissions on the Share?  I'm sure you have.  But, make sure check both types of permissions ( share permissions and NTFS) make sure you have given "Everyone" Full access to the share from both types of permissions.

A more secure method would setting up a Domain Controller.  Join all the computers (users and server) to the domain.  Once the users authenticate on the domain (login into the domain) they should have access to the share without entering their password.

Hope this helps,

Jonathan

Thanks for the help....but the problem with this is that the Clients to the server are XP HOME EDITION and CANNOT be joined to the domain.  I have to wait till next year till we budget and get enought money to go to Windows XP PRO.  I just need a work around till then.

see if this helps
http://vowe.net/archives/001639.html

Sorry.  Missed the XP Home part.  If your share has the "Everyone" "Full-Access" in both the share level permissions and NTFS permissions:

you can use:

net use * \\server_name\share_name /Persistent NO

There shouldn't be any authentication, because everyone is allowed to access the share.

The * says create the share on the next available device.   You may not want to use this because the drive's may change.  On the other hand, if you don't the drive may not get mapped.

Using "/Persistent NO" is necessary because you will be putting the file in an autorun location. Without "/Persistent NO" you may get some conflicts because Windows will retry the connection at every login as well.

If you don't want to use a textfile in the startup menu. Open the registry and goto to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Right click in the right pane and goto "new" --> "String Value"

then name the value something "Startup"

Double click on "Startup"

then add:

net use * \\sever_name\share_name /persistent no

Now, anytime a user logs into the computer the share gets mapped.


Jonathan

By doing this you're ripping a huge hole in your security...

There appears to be a way around the XP Home / Domain issue.  I've not tried it, but it involves a vbs script and the use of NetDom -

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315273

Thanks everyone!!  I got it to work and it will save the company a ton of money until they can upgrade to Windows XP Professional!

Later!

Glad we could help!! Now you need to award the points to the expert(s) who helped, and close this question out, by accepting the comment that solved the question, or by splitting the points
thanks!!

Thanks.  Consider jonathan6587's remark,   /persistant:NO switch may be necessary do avoid conflicts.  I use this process on my machines and I do use the /persistant:NO switch.  I, however, do not require passwords for some reason.  Glad it's working.
-DF

sumsys - precisely how did you fix this ?  Would be good for future reference.

I made a batch file in the startup menu that would run and connect the XP Home computer to the server through a mapped drive, using a user name and password.

I will see if I need to use the persistent switch.  Everything seems to be working great.  Thanks Jonathon for your answer it helped as well!

Good deal.  I suppose we should include the proper switch is /persistent:NO or optionally /persistent:YES
I mispelled it and I believe the colon is also necessary.
-DF

I'm glad everything has worked out for you.  

Tim_homan is correct, that you have opened a big hole in your network.  But, sometimes that is what you have to do.  Just keep this in mind so you can push future upgrades.

Darkfriend - yes you are right you do need the ':' You probably don't need password because you are making a connection with the administrator account and your passwords are the same on both machines.

Cheers

The correct solution is to replace all your XP Home licenses with XP Pro instead.  If your security officer got wind of this, you would lose your job !!

You also lose auditing control by doing this - you will never know who was last to access a file, or whom has deleted a file, or whom has copied a file to a floppy disk and taken it home and sold it to a competitor...  
Call me cynical !  ;)