Unable to login on Map Network drive

[Garron]

I want help to connect to an NAS box attached on the network. There are two 500GB hard drive configured on the box. Others can connect but I am facing a bit issue on the same. It is hooked on the lan device on the network. I am using Windows XP SP2 on my system. I had mapped the drive in my system. I am on the same domain and workgroup. I had received my login access also. Due to some issue I had restored my system and lost the map drive. I am trying back to hook on my system. In Windows XP I am using map network drive wizard to get the shared disc back in My Computer. Now when I connect it ask for login details but it did not accept it. There is a error saying that the username and password is yet not correct. What should I do know.

[Jimmy Brush]

I can help you to some extent here. I have some options that can help you to reconnect the drive. But first thing you have to ensure that your login access are right. Ask your network admin for that or the one who provides you the detail. It is quiet important if your login details are not fine you cannot login and will get the same error again and again. Second most important thing to check is the permission allowed to your account or your computer to access the nas drive. The steps that I had mentioned below will make changes to the existing security settings. Go on Control Panel > System and Maintenance. In that look for Administrative tool and click on Local Security Policy. At the left side you can see Security Option. Click on the same and then click on Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level. From the drop down box choose Send LM & NTLM responses and OK. Now try again to remap the device.

[Garron]

Thanks for that. That really helped me out. I never though this would help me so instantly. But the only thing that lack is it compromise with the security. But still I can use for sometime. I was quiet stuck with authentication before. At my place I am the one who mostly manage this stuff and our IT admin in out on vacation. So to some extent there were no help available. There are number of threads on web that discuss on the same and yet has similar answers. Another thing I want to add here. I have a second system which is facing the same issue and I did the same as you said. But in that I cannot locate NTLM. I will think about working on security policy this time.

[Jimmy Brush]

One thing I also want to state clearly here. The more lower you try to go for, the more security issue rises. Lowering down the settings gives a easy way to sniffers to work freely and they can simply capture passwords. For settings up everything well with all powerful security policies you need a experts help. Somehow compared to Vista I had seen a number of people downgrade their system to Windows XP for getting a easier way on working file sharing. Vista has some major changes which act as a issue among XP and Vista systems.

[luvbug2002]

Thanks for this wonderful thread. I was looking for answer behind this for long time and yet I landed on the right place. I had the same issue on one computer which was not at all ready to connect to the network storage. While compared to desktop pc, the laptop never faces this issue. I had upgraded all my operating system and will now work on a common platform.

[Brian Dewhirst]

Thanks to Jimmy. That had helped me also. I had a number of problem dealing with Linksys NAS. I was not aware how to use this well but last night I landed on the thread and tried the solutions. That worked out really. One thing I want to ask, in my laptop I cannot see Local Security Policy under Administrative Tools. Why that so ? As this one of the default options that are installed automatically. Is there a way to get that through Windows bootable disc. Like adding additional component.

[calvin---]

Even I am not able to locate the same in Administrative tool. I do not understand why. I had a older version of Windows XP and the system works stable for quiet longer time. Now adding a NAS drive give more storage space for data backup. I was able to add the drive on network making it accessible everywhere. The thing I am not able to do is run Local Security Policy from Control Panel. But still you can run that by typing secpol.msc in the RUN box. This is the shortcut to access Local Security Policy in Windows.

[Tylast]

I cannot access Local Security Policy in Control Panel, but the shortcut think worked. Another most annoying thing is making the drive to remember login password. As on my computer I am the only one who sit and by saving the password I do not need to add that again and again. I tricked to check the box to remember the password but that did not worked out much. It still ask me everytime on login. I had no access to server or else I would have disabled password for my drive. Is there way by which I can make the drive to remember password forever. I had seen the same in Linux when you try on open a shared drive it ask you for a login access. You can tick on remember forever to access everytime you want.

[james3mg]

If you are using Windows Vista then locating Local Security Policy is easier. You just have to type Local Security Policy in the search box that's all. The icon will be located on the start menu. This is one of the best way you can go for. No if you want to make the drive remember your login access then I here are steps. When you choose the drive to Map on your My Computer you can tick a option that says Reconnect at Logon. Just tick the check box that's all. The next time you do not need to add any password manually to access it. But for some security reasons this is not at all recommended. And if you are not able to find Local Security Policy again then try this %SystemRoot%\system32\secpol.msc.

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

This is a bit complicated to answer why you are not able to locate Local Security Policy while it is inside Control Panel > Administrative. That is the best way to access it. Now I have a solution for advance users only. A number of settings of Local Security Policy and Group Policy Editor can also be modified by making changes to Windows Registry. But for that you will need a guide that can help you. You cannot just make changes by modifying the registry keys.

[jade--]

I faced a bit different thing here. I want to share this as this thread is related to accessing the map drive and login failures. I have a laptop and I was trying to connect the nas to it. Now at the time connection it asked me the path first. As it is shared it can be accessed quiet easily. Then it ask me the username and password to login. I did that and it was accepted. Now suddenly the network parth which was configured was changed to laptop\myusername. When I try to reconnect it gave me error that the userid and password is not right. This thing is really weird to me.

[Trevor]

Is the Microsoft position seriously that if users of Vista Home want to connect to a local network drive and have their connection automatically restored on re-start, they have to manually perform registry changes themselves?

Astonishing. And rather a step backwards from XP....

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

The thing that you are talking about also depends on the version of Windows. Like Windows Vista work in different way to get authentication from the network attached storage compared to Windows XP. It is quiet much easier in XP as it works on the same traditional platform. While Vista has its own way of authentication where maximum users land into trouble. I had made some changes to Local Security Policy and Group Policy Editor by directly modifying the registry key. That really worked well, but it is not a novice job. Some edition of Vista like the Home Edition lack a number of tools which as mentioned by above users is missing. So if you are checking the edition try to buy the Ultimate as it comprises of number of essential tools.

[jerryrard]

[QUOTE=Tylast;2701253]> I have exactly the same problem but I can't see the "Local Security Policy"[color=blue]

FOR VISTA HOME EDITIONS:

a. Run the registry editor and open this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

b. If it doesn't already exist, create a DWORD value named
LmCompatibilityLevel

c. Set the value to 1

[DMN]

I found an answer and thought I would share it here, after all I had searched about 20 fourms and not one touched on this simple task.
After trying uncessfully to map a network drive between to Vista machines, I found this:

Go to your control panel, User Accounts and Family Safety, User Accounts and click on "Turn User Account Control on or off"

Turn this off for all Vista machines!

And like magic, all my network drives were mapped

Oh and I also added a password to all of my vista accounts, just under that same User Accounts window. This way your are "logged in" and I never was even prompted to enter a user name or password when trying to map the drives.

I hope this helps.