Windows 98 Client Unable to Connect to Windows NT Share (232890)

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to connect to a network share on a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0-based server using a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

You may be unable to gain access to the network share.
You may repeatedly receive authentication error messages.
You may be unable to gain access to any other network shares that were working previously until you restart your computer.

CAUSE

This issue can occur because the server is notifying the Windows 98/95 client that the client can have x1FF pending SMB commands to the server, but the client stores this value in a character, producing 0xFF. This value is then incremented to account for the SMB just received, and the client now interprets that it can have 0 outstanding commands to the server so it cannot send any more SMBs.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To work around this issue, use Registry Editor to delete the following value in the following registry key on the server:

Value type: REG_DWORD
Value: x1FF

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer\Parameters\MaxMpxCt