Unable to turn off password protected sharing - windows server 2008

_{Monday, September 28, 2009 1:39 PM}

Hi,
I'm trying to set up a share on a "windows server 2008 standard" available to all the pc's in the network.

My problem is that in

**
**

 Control Panel >>> Network and Sharing Center:

 Password protected sharing: I can't turn off password protected sharing

I select it, but when I click on "apply" I'm back to the previus screen with password protection still selected.

This result in having to supply a valid user/pw from each PC I try to access the share.

I need to connect without user/pw, I'm not an expert of server 2008, what am I doing wrong?

Many thanks

Massimo

_{Monday, October 5, 2009 11:24 AM ✅Answered}

Hello Massimo,

To disable password protected sharing on Windows Server 2008, please do the following:

1. In the Sharing and Discovery section of the Network and Sharing Center window, click the down arrow next to Password protected sharing.

2. Within the Password protected sharing settings, click Turn off password protected sharing, and then click Apply.

   For another example, when a user disables password protected sharing, the default share permissions for new shares include the Everyone group. If the folder security specifies access for the Users group, another computer that is not using an account on the sharing computer will not be able to access the share. Another computer that is not using an account on the sharing computer will be using the Guest account, which is not a member of the Users group. To allow this other computer to access the share, you must add the Guest account to the folder security settings.

   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

_{Thursday, October 8, 2009 8:23 AM ✅Answered}

I GOT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was trying (and failing) to remove guest password working as administrator: I had simply to log on as "guest" and remove the password.

Then the "password protected sharing" behaviour turns as expected!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your help anyway.

Regards

Massimo

_{Thursday, October 8, 2009 8:03 AM}

Hi David, THANKS for your help.

Unfortunately the procedure you wrote is exactly what I'm doing, but it's not working!

Let me resume my operations (the menu I describe are translated, because I'm using Server2008 in Italian)
1)I open control panel, then Nertwork connections and sharing.
2)Here in the Sharing and Discovery section I see 5 lines, the last one is "password protected sharing", has the green light ON and is ACTIVE
3)I click the arrow on the right, the section expands and I see 2 options: ENABLED (already selected) and DISABLED (selectable), the Apply key is shaded.
4)I select DISABLED, the Apply key becomes "live"
5)I press Apply and I'm back to point 2: last line "password protected sharing" has the green light ON and is ACTIVE

I understood that accessing shares without a local account relies somehow on the guest account, and this maybe related to my problem: I'm not able to remove the password set at the installation on this account, I simply haven't found how to remove it!

Any further help will be greatly appreciated

Thanks again

Massimo

_{Tuesday, March 22, 2016 9:58 AM}

Hi,
I'm trying to set up a share on a "windows server 2008 standard" available to all the pc's in the network.

My problem is that in

**
**

 Control Panel >>> Network and Sharing Center:

 Password protected sharing: I can't turn off password protected sharing

I select it, but when I click on "apply" I'm back to the previus screen with password protection still selected.

This result in having to supply a valid user/pw from each PC I try to access the share.

I need to connect without user/pw, I'm not an expert of server 2008, what am I doing wrong?

Many thanks

Massimo

In my case, I need to follow the steps bellow:

1. Login as an administrator

2. Open gpedit.msc, disable password complexity requirement

3. Open computer management, go to User group, right click on [Guest] account --> Set Password.

4. Left password box blank and click OK button.

_{Wednesday, November 15, 2017 6:56 PM}

Wow, many years later and this is what allowed me to finally set up some simple anonymous print sharing. :)