Cannot Connect to NWServer

• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you try to connect to a shared directory or printer on a Windows 95 computer with the File and Print Sharing for NetWare Networks (NWServer) service enabled, you may receive one of the following error messages:

• The user name is not valid.
• The password or user name you specified is not valid for this resource.

CAUSE

If the security provider used to supply the user list for user-level security is another NWServer, passwords cannot be correctly verified.

RESOLUTION

Windows 95 can specify only user-level security for shared resources when installed as an NWServer. Windows 95 uses the list of users and groups contained on a Novell NetWare server to determine the appropriate security for users who access shared resources. You must specify the name of a Novell NetWare server as the security provider in order to use the File and Print Sharing for NetWare Networks service in Windows 95.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 95. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

When you are configuring the Access Control tab in Network properties, you must specify a server from which to obtain a list of users and groups in order to configure Windows 95 for user-level security. Windows 95 cannot determine whether the server you specify is a Novell NetWare server or a Windows 95 computer configured as an NWServer. When you are sharing directories or printers, you can select users from the list of users provided by the Windows 95 NWServer to grant access to the shared resources.

When it is authenticating a user who tries to connect to a shared resource, Windows 95 passes the authentication request to the NetWare server. If the server to which Windows 95 passes the authentication request is another Windows 95 computer, no authentication of the user and password occurs.