Windows unable to access OSX 10.6 without password - SOLUTION

[jdxxx]

This problem that was driving me mad. Here is the problem and the solution.

 

I had one OS X 10.6.3 installation (and then 10.6.4 after upgrade) which would not allow shared access to Windows (Vista and 7) machines. On every access attempt by Windows computers to access shared files on the Mac, it asked for a user name and password logon. No way to get past this to guest sharing of public and shared files on the Mac.

 

Problem was in the Mac smb.conf file, which you will find in the hidden root level directory: .private/var/db/smb.conf This file is pretty much the same on OSX 10.5 and 10.6

 

The settings in this configuration file should looks like this:

 

(smb.conf file)
# Configuration options for smbd(8), nmbd(8) and winbindd(8).
#
# This file is automatically generated, DO NOT EDIT!
#
# Defaults signature: 967e100000200e0000764000000bc32164a000000000000d64b74b000000000000
# Preferences signature: 200e0000367a1600000154d394b0000000000004c2000000
# Configuration rules: $Id: rules.cpp 39251 2009-02-27 01:02:56Z jpeach $
# Server role: Standalone
# Guest access: per-share
# NetBIOS browsing: not a master browser
# Services required: org.samba.smbd org.samba.nmbd
#

[global]
security = USER
auth methods = guest odsam
workgroup = media
ntlm auth = yes
lanman auth = no
max smbd processes = 10
log level = 1
dos charset = CP437
netbios name = OfficeMac6
server string = OfficeMac6
use kerberos keytab = yes
com.apple: lkdc realm = LKDC:SHA1.BF5FA1E3B189303CFEE013DD2D4A64C7540B0E6F
realm = LKDC:SHA1.BF5FA1E3B189303CFEE013DD2D4A64C7540B0E6F
map to guest = Bad User
domain master = no
local master = yes
preferred master = no
com.apple: show admin all volumes = yes
enable disk services = yes
enable print services = yes
wins support = no

[homes]
comment = User Home Directories
browseable = no
read only = no
create mode = 0750
valid users = %S

[global]

 

For Windows to access the OSX shared files, there are two critical settings needed, as highlighted in bold below:

 

auth methods = guest odsam

 

map to guest = Bad User

 

For some reason (heaven knows how) these had been changed in my file to:

 

auth methods = odsam

 

map to guest = no

 

This blocked guest access. Nothing would fix this at a setup level in System Preferences, only fix was editing the smb.conf file manually.

 

If you are having this specific problem, inspect your smb.conf file in the above noted directory. If these two indicated value are different (no guest setting), then correct them to the above settings. Follow these steps to edit the file:

 

• To edit smb.conf, copy the file to the desktop. Despite the file warning, you can edit this file CAREFULLY. (Make a second backup copy of the original, to use in case you screw up.) Note the you cannot edit the file while it is in the system directory -- thus copy it to the desktop for editing.
  
• Edit with textedit, correcting only the two settings noted above.
  
• Save file back to desktop.
  
• Copy the corrected file back to the private/var/db/ directory. On attempt to copy file into this directory, you will be told you do not have privs to do this, and then asked for your system pw. Enter the password, and select to replace the file. Then reboot the computer. Now it should work for access from Windows.
  

 

I hope this helps someone. I could find no information on this anywhere on the net, and had to decipher it myself. So I will throw this solution out to the Google mania world of solution searchers.