# Networking difficulties - Computers only communicate one way **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114 "2005-09-04T23:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![quelquechose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6f9a4e/32.png) [@quelquechose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quelquechose)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114/1 "2005-09-04T23:22:10Z")
I have two computers in my house, a laptop and a desktop. Both receive internet through a wireless router. I’m trying to share a folder on the desktop computer with the laptop, but for some reason I can’t do it. When I try to open the shared folder on my laptop it says “the user has not been granted requested logon type at this computer.” However, I can share a folder on the laptop and view it from the other computer without any problem at all. Both are running WindowsXP and ZoneAlarm. I know the problem is not being caused by ZoneAlarm, but I don’t know where else to look. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114/2 "2005-09-05T01:09:58Z")
Make sure that the user’s login on the laptop is also set up as a User on the desktop computer, and that both logins use the same password. This is pretty common in our house, where our daughter likes to change her password regularly (as if anyone else would even _try_ to access her personal stuff on her computer without her permission), but then can’t open the shared folders on the file server until I change the user password on the file server for her. (Our network is peer-to-peer, although I hope to set up a client-server network with Active Directory in the next couple of weeks, so that all the computers use the same set of logins and passwords automatically.) ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114/3 "2005-09-05T01:32:48Z")
I take it you know it’s not Zonealarm, because you shut it off on both machines and tried to access the folder? ---
**Author:** ![quelquechose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6f9a4e/32.png) [@quelquechose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quelquechose)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114/4 "2005-09-05T02:05:09Z")
> [@Daizy](#): > > I take it you know it’s not Zonealarm, because you shut it off on both machines and tried to access the folder? Yes. I also have both computers’ IPs set to "trusted in ZoneAlarm, but I tried it with ZoneAlarm off just to be absolutely sure that it wasn’t the source of the problem. > [@Kiminy](#): > > Make sure that the user’s login on the laptop is also set up as a User on the desktop computer, and that both logins use the same password. I don’t have passwords set for either computer. Why would this result in the problem being only one-way? ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114/5 "2005-09-05T13:45:14Z")
Check to see if the XP firewall is running. Check that they’re in the same workgroup. Double-check ZoneAlarm anyway - make sure the IP interval used for assigning IPs is defined and open in ZA (dynamic IPs). Make sure the logon users are defined on both machines (as mentioned). Check that ‘real’ sharing is used and not just XP’s ‘simple file sharing’. Make shared folders on each computer and set permissions to ‘all’ (anything - read/write) (In the sharing dialog/window there’s an option to set permissions for external users - this should be set so they’re allowed to do anything.) ---
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-difficulties-computers-only-communicate-one-way/320114/6 "2005-09-05T19:53:05Z")
You’re not using Guest accounts by any chance are you? If you still can’t get it working, ref advices above, open ‘Command Prompt’ in the Program/Accessories (?) menu. Write _ipconfig /all \>text123.txt_ and _nbtstat -n \>text456.txt_. You have created two files, text123.txt and text456.txt, probably in the root foler. Clean up these files Notepad. In the text123.txt file, replace where it says IP adress, example 123.456.789.000 with 123.x.x.x (we don’t need to know your IP, but the first group in the IP is nice to have). Do this on both computers, post the content of the files here. Have a look in Programs/Administrative Tools (?) -\> Event Viewer, System, for any critical errors since your last boot. If any, post them as well.