Mysterious network share login problem

[Volatus]

Well, I hope the title managed to relay the problem...

I have several computers on my network, mostly using the same login details. When I want to share info between them, I use the same Windows login name and password on them. The computers I loan to other people in the local area to use, I use auto-login with the password. Not the most secure method, but it works.

Recently, I ran into a curious problem with one of those computers. It refused my network login to access its network share (the c$ administrative share) and presented me with the "guest" login prompt (where the username is "guest" and greyed out). I then worked my way backwards and found that it will not let me in to ANY resource requiring a login. I switched on auditing on the problem computer, and found that it was denying my login with "Unknown user name or bad password". I then tried enabling the Administrator account by adding a password (the same password as usual), and it did the exact same thing - Unknown user name or bad password. I try to access the administrative tools (MMC modules) on that computer remotely, and every access results in "Unknown user name or bad password".

However, if I try to access my desktop from the problem computer, it works just as it should - logging in with its current login, and not asking for anything. Now that's strange.

Someone please give me some advice here... I've run out of ideas. Sometimes MS software just does weird s***.

[Mr Snrub]

Look into "simple file sharing" and try disabling it on the machine you are connecting from and getting the error.

[Volatus]

Nope, it's off, that's the first thing I disable (usually with nLite before it's even installed).

It should also be mentioned:

- I can access other computers from the "source" computer normally.

- The "problem" computer shows the correct username in the failure audit event (but shows the "domain" as my source computer's name, is that supposed to be there?)

I had forgotten about that simple file sharing thing, but alas... no such luck.

edit:

....

I don't believe it. Simple File Sharing was turned on, on the PROBLEM computer! Are you kidding me? I can't believe that would cause such a massive headache. I guess I should get back into the habit of doing tweaks on the computer, because I assumed nLite had, like it always did, disabled simple file sharing for me (in my preset). s***.

Well, that solves that problem! Thanks for giving my brain the kick it needed

Edited March 30, 2008 by Volatus