Troubleshooting Shared Folders

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Troubleshooting

What problem are you having?

  • I cannot access shared resources.

  • I cannot view shared resource information in Shared Folders.

I cannot access shared resources.

Cause:  The network connection was lost.

Solution:  Verify network settings.

See also:  Troubleshooting network and dial-up connections

Cause:  Share permissions or file system permissions prevent access.

Solution:  Verify that the share permissions and file system permissions on the computer to which you are connecting allow access to network resources and that you have access to these resources. If you can access Shared Folders on the remote computer, check the Sessions folder to determine the user rights with which you are logged on to the remote computer. You may be connected as Guest.

You can also verify that the Full Control permission is not denied to the Everyone group. If the Full Control permission is denied to the Everyone group, no one is able to access the shared resource, even if you grant Full Control to the Administrators group.

See also:  View information about shared resources; Set, view, change, or remove permissions on files and folders

I cannot view shared resource information in Shared Folders.

Cause:  You are not logged on to the specified computer as a member of the Administrators group, Server Operators group, or Power Users group.

Solution:  Log on to the specified computer with the appropriate user rights.

Note

  • File sharing options may be limited if simple file sharing is enabled. For more information about simple file sharing, see article Q304040, "Description of File Sharing and Permissions in Windows XP," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.