Changing Network Authentication Mode

When I had completed installing the network at home, I tried to access the hidden folders on my bro's computer. I was presented with a prompt asking me to authenticate as a guest. The user name field was hard coded with "Guest" and was unchangable.

(For the context of this article I will refer to the machine sharing the folders as "remote computer". Also, this article has been written for Windows XP.)

Such a user prompt essentially stops you from accessing the hidden shared folders on the remote computer even if you know the login information. This is due to the reason that most computers do not have the guest account enabled, and the prompt forces you to authenticate as a guest. Of course all authentication attempts will fail if the guest account is disabled on the remote computer.

To change this authentication mode just follow these steps (on the remote computer).

1. Go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy.
   
2. A new window for Local Security Policy will open. There on the left pane, expand "Local Policies".
   
3. Inside Local Policies (still on the left pane), click on "Security Options".
   
4. On the right pane, find an entry named "Network Access: Sharing and security model for local accounts" and double click it.
   
5. In the dialog window that opens, select "Classic - local users authenticate as themselves" from the combo box.
   
6. Click on OK.

There you go. Now when you try to access the remote computer, you are presented with a prompt where you can enter both user name and password. Once you provide the correct login information, you will be able to access the hidden shared folders on the remote computer.