Shared Folders not working. HELP!

[cdanr]

Using Fusion 1.1 to access my Boot Camp installation of Windows Vista, Shared Folders recently stopped working altogether for no reason that I can ascertain. I can enable them and disable them and have tried every tip I could find in these forums including editing the VMX file to remove the HGFS line, etc. The problem is that although VMware Tools says they are enabled and that they can be accessed at
.host\Shared Folders\ when I try to map to that location I get an error that it doesn't exist.

I have resorted to using SMB to share the files from OS X but I much preferred using Shared Folders when they were working. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling and repairing VMware Tools, you name it.

I tried uninstalling Fusion the other day and popped in Parallels and their shared folders worked fine.

I'm about out of ideas here. Anyone have any suggestions?

[MandarMS]

Have you installed any new application in Vista recently? also can you create a new shared folder and try accessing
.host

[cdanr]

Thank you for the reply. I have not installed anything new that I can recall. I tried creating a new shared folder using a folder I had never used before and got the same results:

"The parameter is incorrect"

[MandarMS]

Go to Virtual Machine Settings>Shared Folders> and check "Enable" and "Enable at power on" both the options are checked

[cdanr]

Thank you, but I have tried clicking both boxes. I also tried just clicking enabled. I have clicked Apply to ensure that the boxes were indeed checked but no matter what I do I get the following results and no shared folders:

[MandarMS]

can you access the shared folder via Start>Run or Start>
.host and check you can access the shared folders

[cdanr]

Both Start>Run>
.host and Start>
.host produce the same exact error as above:

"The Parameter is Incorrect"

I am beginning to think that I will never get Shared Folders working again.

[WoodyZ]

I am beginning to think that I will never get Shared Folders working again.

Sorry I don't have a solution for your VMware Shared Folder feature issue...

I normally do not use VMware Shared Folders feature as it is known to be a little on the buggy side, sorry VMware, but this hasn't changed for as long as I can remember and I've been using Workstation since at least version 3 and now Fusion. It is also a regular issue being posted about.

I would turn off Shared Folders under Settings for the target VM and map a drive to a Standard OS Share using one of the following conventions.

"//ComputerName/ShareName" or "//ComputerIPAddress/ShareName"

I believe you will find this not only to be less problematic but actually have a faster overall speed than VMware's Shared Folders.

[cdanr]

Thank you, WoodyZ. Actually I have been sharing folders from the OS X side and it works flawlessly. I know this is really the best way to do it. My sole complaint is really meaningless. I just don't like having the non-functioning mapped drives with their big red X's in Explorer when I am running from Boot Camp, lol. Also, when sharing folders from OS X I often have to manually change permissions on some folders (like Desktop) to access files.

But really they are pretty ridiculous complaints and it is working fine so I am going to give up on VMware's shared folders for now.

[WoodyZ]

My sole complaint is really meaninglesst

Actually I don't think it's meaningless, frankly VMware should have fix Shared Folders by now as it has been problematic since they started including this feature. You can search back for many years and there have been enought complaints that IMO there is a real unresolved issue with this feature. Frankly it should be removed as it just not needed when the OSes can handle sharing natively and it work better to begin with.

I just don't like having the non-functioning mapped drives with their big red X's in Explorer when I am running from Boot Camp, lol.<div>

</div>

You can right-click the disconnected drive icon and select Disconnect. Red X gone!

Also, when sharing folders from OS X I often have to manually change permissions on some folders (like Desktop) to access files.

Some people have the same problem with that when using VMware Shared Folders so that is probably just normal permissions issues.

[bairdc3]

I have the same issue in explorer Network Location the big red X, but on my desktop I do have a (Shortcut ICon) labled shared folder that works. It shows "
.host\Shared Folders" in the target line and target location of .host When I installed vmware tools it created this shortcut folder on my desktop. I am just trying to fix the big red X one and create a real one that I can save to from within Windows applications.

I try to create another one and it does not work?

I have Vista running in the VM and OSX 10.5 All my error screens are exactly the same as yours. When I try to disconnect the one in the exploref Network Location (1) with the big red X it states it does not exist?

[Obeechi]

I have Leopard 10.5.1 and there is a major bug with respect to SMB. Not sure if it affects all macs, but its documented online, and though several people offer several different solutions, none of them help me, nor a lot of those posting on the web. I've given up on using SMB until Apple provides an update that fixes this.

About that Sharing Bug in Leopard. I disabled Print Sharing Services in Vista (Internet, LPD, LPR were all selected) and did the reboot, and then left my computer, came back to do something, and for the first time I noticed that I see my Vista virtual vm listed in the sharing area of Leopard's Finder. Couldn't log in (its my mac password isn't it?) but at least I can see it now. Still can't get into my Mac though Vista's side though (no change there).

[MandarMS]

Hello Obeechi,

If you are trying to access your Mac shared folders from Windows Vista please make the following changes and check you can access the Mac Share from Vista

1. Click Start.

2. Type "secpol.msc" in the search box and press Enter.

3. Windows Vista will display a warning message; click Continue.

4. Windows Vista's Local Security Policy console will appear. Highlight Local Policies.

5. Double-click Security Options.

6. Scroll down to the Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level policy entry and double-click it.

7. Change the value from the default setting of "Send MTLMv2 Response Only" to "Send LM & NTLM -- Use NTLMv2 Session Security If Negotiated" then click OK

[bairdc3]

Vista home premium does not have the secpol.msc

[WoodyZ]

Vista home premium does not have the secpol.msc

Yes and I wouldn't worry about it either as that setting, the default one at that, should not matter as it should and does work regardless of that setting. Not sure why it was even suggested in the first place!

[bairdc3]

I have updated to the new vmware fusioin 1.1.1 and this still does not work anyone have any ideas?

[marsrvr]

Same problem: OS X 10.5.1, VMware Fusion version 1.1.1, Windows Vista Home Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo, all running up-to-the-minute according to all the updaters.

VMware Tool Properties in Vista says "Your shared folders are at Folders\., you can map a drive letter to this path using Windows Exploer -&gt; Tools -&gt; Map Network Drive You can also access your shared folders from Windows Explorer under My Network Places....blah blah blah."

Mapped drive file sharing results: the drive does mount, but the moment I try to write anything to it (say a new text file), I get "Item Not Found, Could not find this item. This is no longer located in &lt;%3 NULL:OpText&gt;, Verify the item's location and try again. Shared Folders(} Space free: 0 bytes Total size: 0 bytes [Try again] [Cancel] "

Windows Explorer under My Network Places results: First of all, Vista has no "My Network Places". ".host" does however appear under "Network" in the Vista Windows Explorer. Opening that gets a window to "&gt;Network &gt; .host &gt; Shared Folders", but the moment I try to write anything to it (create a new text file for test), I get the same message I got from mapping the drive.

Mac-to-PC File Sharing: Go-&gt;Network on the Mac shows a blank. The Vista instance does not broadcast. I've a second PC running Vista on the same network switch that also does not show under my Mac's "Network" browser. It used to when I was running Tiger.

Mac-to-Raw NTFS: My Vista installation is on a BootCamp partition that I can see from the OS 10.5.1 desktop--but only while VMware Fusion is not running. The drive unmounts itself once VMware Fusion starts up and returns when Vista powers down.

VMware Fusion Vista-to-Native PC Vista File Sharing: I have a PC running Vista natively. Neither instance of Vista (one running under VMware Fusion on my MacBook, the other running native on an actual PC) can see each other dispite the fact that they're 1 foot apart on the same Ethernet switch. To be fair my Vista PC can't see OS 10.5.1 either, even when I bash in the afp://host/ as prescribed, I get some permissions error. Leopard's cross-platform file sharing services are actually much more secure and much less functional than Leopards ever were.

BootCamp Vista to Native PC Vista File Sharing: my Mac and Vista actually CAN see each other and share files when I actually BootCamp into Vista on my Mac.

So that's, what? Two working out of say six or so file sharing transports I'm supposed to have with VMware Fusion?

Sound familiar? Any solutions for my Vista-Mac or Vista VMware Fusion-to-native PC Vista file sharing woes? Should I be demaning a refund from Microsoft? VMware? Apple? All of the above?

[bairdc3]

Updated to 1.1.2 still no success

Can anyone get this to work at all. Mac OSx 10.5.2 with Fusion 1.1.2 VM Vista Home Premium. Create a mapped drive?

[admin]

There is a known issue with precompiled HGFS modules (e.g. all Windows) in 1.1.2. For now, not updating Tools (or going back to an older version) is the only workaround; we're figuring out how to best fix the problem.

[bairdc3]

Not the case it did not work in 1.1.1 either