connect to windows network
I seem to be struggling to understand something so utterly fundamental...
I have full admin privileges/access rights to:
my main desktop Fedora machine running a fully up to date 4.4.4 kernel and gnome 3.18. A laptop running Windows 7. A wireless access point, with dhcp enabled.
I have both the Fedora machine and the Windows 7 machine connected to the same wireless network. Both machines can access the internet and browse the network.
I simply want to "look into" my Windows machine from here on the Fedora workstation. I can click on the "places" menu on the gnome bar and select "Browse Network". This opens a folder view in which is displayed "Windows Network". Clicking in this then opens another view to "WORKGROUP". This does appear to be the exact (default) name of the domain my Windows machine belongs to.
When I click on "workgroup" I can then see icons for two Windows machines - mine and another. The name "ALAN-PC" is indeed the name I gave my Windows machine. If I then click on the icon for this machine, a connection window pops up asking for a password.
It is completely unclear to me which password I should be using, as nothing works i.e. my user account password here on the Fedora; the root user account password; the password for the wifi connection.
This interface has also selected some default names for the connection - it has selected a domain name "MYGROUP", my user name in all lower case. Despite the choice of how to remember the password used, nothing I type at this stage will connect me to anything. Do note that the user account on my Windows machine has no password, and I am logged in there with Admin rights.
Sorry if this has been asked before - I have actually spent the past four hours trying to search the web for answers. I don't believe I need Samba or anything complicated... the network manager supports CIFS. Please help.
Can you ping your windows machine? also check some wireles routers has and option call Wireless Isolation is that is turn on, the router will not allow communication between machines connected to it. Hope this help.
Hi there,
Yes, I can ping my Windows machine using the ip address given to it by the router (I don't use static routes or ip). Doesn't seem to be any problem there.
The router in question - if it makes any difference - is a TPLink Archer C2. It's pretty much set up "out of the box" because the wizard seems pretty good at getting the right settings. I tweaked a few things like names and passwords etc. but didn't see any need for further intervention
Well since it is an out of the box check the router settings as it may have the Wireless Isolation set on. Not sure it will be but work looking for it on any case.
ah... no but... I notice that all guest access was turned off. Before one could even set client isolation, the guest access had to be on. However, this has made no difference whatsoever.
My confusion remains: when I use the gnome connection interface, it appears to find the network, my Windows machine etc. etc. But I am stumped with regard to what exactly the final connection window is asking to create. Name, domain, password... Which password? For what?
To connect to a Windows Shares you need to install samba client, then services or shares are set on Windows depending its versions workstation home, MS set some limitations. But all those are set on Windows side if your Windows machine is connected to a Domain then you must do the same to your Linux box.