Enter Network Password, eventhough Password Protected Sharing is off

[electronian]

It was working, the other day, I made no change, then turned my (Windows 7 Home Premium & Windows XP Pro) computers back on, and now I have to "Enter Network Password" on my W7 machine.

I read http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/32700-42-enabling-file-sharing-windows-windows-vista-machines ...it doesn't mention it, but isn't the n/w'ing & sharing setting "Change Advanced Sharing Settings": "'Password protected sharing settings'" supposed to suppress the "Enter Network Password" dialog box? (it was the other day).

I have a workgroup switch hardwired to the XP Pro box with a VIA Rhine Ethernet (100MB) adapter (my W7 box has a Gigabit adapter with [Auto-MDIX]). They are connected with a CAT-5e n/w cable, and 2 CAT-6 cables.

Anyone else suddenly get the "Enter Network Password" box with 'Password protected sharing' set to OFF?

Each can ping the other, and the XP can see/modify/delete the W7 files, but the W7 always asks for the "Network Password" (but the correct password doesn't work). Both have windows accounts named "SurfingToday", with identical passwords.
The other settings, are"
Turn on Network Discovery,
Turn on file & printer sharing,
Turn off public folder sharing,
(media streaming OFF),
Use 128-bit encryption,
(Turn off password protected sharing [of course],)
Allow Windows to manage homegroup connections [although I at first had it set to use user accounts & passwords, but when the password box popped-up, and wouldn't accept the password, I changed it {still didn't work}].

Turned Firewalls off (Norton Ineternet Security 2012--smart firewall) and windows firewall.
I was not connected to the Internet--my cable-modem was turned off.

 

[Saga Lout]

Perhaps it wants the Homegroup password it set when you installed Windows 7. Turning the Homegroup off is the quickest way to find out.

 

[electronian]

I skipped setting up a homegroup at installation-time.
I am not sure what you mean by "turning off the homegroup".

Basically, I started with a XP Home box, with ethernet 100Mbps card, and Linksys workgroup switch, set LAN properties to hardcoded IP @ of 192.168.10, moved on to my XP Pro box (w/ethernet card), set to 192.168.20, checked automatically search for network folders and printers in folder options. Then I fired up my Windows 7 Home Premium system with gigabit ethernet card, and set it to 192.168.30. All subnet masks were class C {255.255.255.0}.
Then changed my advanced sharing settings on W7 to allow for this "ad-hoc" network. All have "WORKGROUP" as computer name.

Last step was turning off the cable-modem, and all firewalls. It worked for a while, without asking for a network password.

To simplify matters, I'm just trying to get the W7 and XP Pro boxes talking, right now. They can ping each other, Ok. TraceRt shows connectivity. And, the XP Pro box can surf the W7 filesystem, ok (in the corresponding "windows account" on the W7 box).....the W7 box is, now, just asking for a stupid Network password before showing any of the XP Pro files/folders.
I guess the underlying network software got confused....I wonder if there's a way to reset it?

 

[electronian]

Now that was weird! :
I went to my XP Pro computer, and in folder options, selected the "view" tab, and unselected "use simple file sharing", and clicked "OK".
Then, I was able to access my Windows 7 machine, ok, without a network password dialog.
Weird thing is, then, I immediately opened folder options, and checked, and the "use simple file sharing" option was selected (although I just got done unselecting it)!

Sometimes, you just have to grope at straws (I could build an Eiffel Tower with all the straws I've gotten over the years).

 

[electronian]

It's back: unable to connect on a successive boot. I noticed, again, the "use simple file sharing" (on the XP Pro machine) keeps checking itself, after I uncheck it (not sure what that's about). Just playing around in hopes of ironing out this flakyness.

I played around some more, and got connectivity to my W7 box from the XP Pro machine, when I changed one of the "public" advanced n/w sharing settings, eventhough, when I first clicked on the n/w on the W7 machine, and the info bar said n/w discovery was turned off, and click to turn on, I turned it on...then, the dialog box that pops up to choose "let this apply to private n/w only" (or whatever the verbage is), so I let it apply to only the private n/w.
So, any changes to the "public" n/w shouldn't have mattered in my private (ad-hoc) n/w, I thought.

 

[Saga Lout]

The problem with that self-ticking box is that there are so many ways of changing it and the easy way is possibly overarched by the more complex methods.

You could try this command line method
netsh firewall set service type=FILEANDPRINT mode=ENABLE scope=ALL profile=DOMAIN
or you could have a look at Microsoft KB290403.

However, since unticking Simple file Sharing allows access to the security of files and folders, I wonder if it fools Windows 7 into thinking there's suspicious activity going on. Matter of interest - what is that setting in your Windows 7 box?

 

[electronian]

Turn on Network Discovery,
Turn on file & printer sharing,
Turn off public folder sharing,
(media streaming OFF),
Use 128-bit encryption,
(Turn off password protected sharing [like it says in my initial post],)
Allow Windows to manage homegroup connections.

 

[Saga Lout]

Why turn off public folder sharing and why have the Homegroup even running at all? Sorry to be a pain in the rear but W7 is nowhere near fit for networking purposes if the Homegroup is involved and that's why business is still using XP.

I can't get near a W7 system tonight but the Homegroup is easy enough to disable - I just can't remember how. It's the difference between being 65 yesterday and 66 today - the memory's gone now!

 

[electronian]

I don't know, to both questons. I'm just trying to get it to work, reliably.
I'm ready to give it 1 more try, before
I just bought a Wireless N Router, and PCI (Wireless N) Adapter, and a similar Adapter, except PCI-e, 1-lane--so, I will be going, here, in a little while, 1 way or another.

 

[Saga Lout]

I don't know, to both questons

You must know because where you're reading those settings is the place to select the alternative. If the "Allow Windows to manage Homegroup connections" radio button is blobbed, blob the other one - Let User Accounts etc" or whatever the wording is.

I'd love to have a better answer and why it changes itself is a mystery to me as well but taking control away from Windows is my best shot.