[Samba] Need Help Getting Windows XP To Use Samba Properly

[Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520 SMXS/MXDEC]

John,

First, thank you for the response.  I'll take any help I can get.

Yes, I do have WINS enabled on the Samba box.

Do I set WinXP to use the Samba box as the WINS server?  If so, then I have already tried this and it didn't work.

Other details:  I do not use a DNS server, I use the hosts file in XP.  The Samba box and the WinXP box simply share a worgroup name.  Trying to keep this as simplistic as possible.  

Also, the "Computer Browser" service is disabled in XP - this is to force WinXP to use the Samba server as the master browser, and is the method I used in Win2K which worked great.  In XP, however, it produces the error "Network name is no longer available".  Enabling the service causes XP to elect itself as the master browser and ignore the Samba box (which I want to be master browser like it was with Win2K).  This improves things SOMETIMES - the "Network name" error still pops up half the time, meaning network browsing of the Samba box from XP went from "100% broken" to "Cross your fingers".

REALLY desperate to get this working.

MAJOR thanks to anyone who can help me with this, especially since the internet is loaded with people who have posted for help on this problem and no solutions follow.





-----Original Message-----
From: John Drescher [mailto:drescherjm at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2010 12:01 PM
To: Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520 SMXS/MXDEC
Cc: samba at lists.samba.org
Subject: Re: [Samba] Need Help Getting Windows XP To Use Samba Properly

On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520
SMXS/MXDEC <robert.hodges.ctr at hill.af.mil> wrote:
> Hi everyone, new to the list.
>
> My apologies if this issue has already been covered, but I am having the
> following problem with Samba:
>
> Using Windows XP as a client, I am trying to see a Solaris system as a
> server.  Solaris is running Samba 2.4.2, and Windows 2000 sees it as a
> server without any problems.
>
> Windows XP, however, generates the error "The network name is no longer
> available" when trying to browse to shares on the Solaris box.  Browsing
> is what produces the error - otherwise, I can map to and access
> resources directly with "\\servername\share".
>
> Running the command "browstat status" on the WinXP box shows that the
> Windows machine is not able to pull the server list from the Solaris
> box.  Again, Windows 2000, however, works fine and does not have this
> problem.
>
> Desperate for help to get this resolved.

Did you enable WINS on the samba server and set that up on the XP box?
Usually that fixes a lot of windows browsing problems.

John