From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Thu, 2/12/2026 9:57 AM, Graham J wrote:   
   > Graham J wrote:   
   > [snip]   
   >   
   >> Now to play, so more questions coming ...   
   >   
   > File sharing with Windows set up, from   
   >    
   > Firefox on Mint shows the [samba_share] section in as a single line in the   
   /etc/samba/smb.conf file ... confused me for a bit.   
   >   
   > Installed xrdp and can now use remote desktop from my Windows PC   
   >   
   > More playing soon ....   
   >   
   >   
      
   The recipe shown, is for a previous time before GUIs.   
      
   Yes, you should install samba.   
      
      sudo apt install samba   
      
   Here is the reference section of my notes file.   
   Only the last line may be of some assistance (smbpasswd).   
      
      sudo smbpasswd -a bullwinkle   
      
   You can try doing that one after verifying samba is installed.   
   The rest of the lines are "noteworthy but not necessarily essential   
   or functional for that matter".   
      
   *******   
   workgroup = WORKGROUP   # /etc/samba/smb.conf   
   server min protocol = NT1   
   server max protocol = smb3   
   client min protocol = NT1   
   client max protocol = smb3   
   ntlm auth = yes   
      
   wins support = yes        \   
   local master = yes         \   
   preferred master = yes     /   
      
   sudo apt install wsdd    <=== network neighbourhood?   
      
   sudo smbpasswd -a bullwinkle   
      
   *******   
      
   If samba has been installed, open your File Manager, do   
   Properties on that /home/graham/share you created, and   
   there is a "sharing" tab there just like on Windows.   
   That is where you do your thing, to make the folder   
   into a share.   
      
      mkdir /home/graham/share   # That's if you're a Terminal guy   
                                 # and before using the File Manager.   
      
   When this feature first came out (about four distros ago),   
   after you did the "sharing" tab, two packages used to install   
   and you might see this somewhere while it is happening. The   
   automation was installing them, as part of the ceremony.   
      
   If the interface today is silent, you might check "dmesg"   
   or "sudo dmesg" (depends on distro) and see if there   
   are any entries there. If you set the smbpasswd (as if   
   the password on shares is handled separately from the /etc/passwd   
   ecosystem), then that is one less thing to worry about.   
      
   The server min and max protocol values, would help a   
   WinXP user "see" the Linux Mint share. NT1 is likely   
   to be the SMB1 thing.   
      
   The wsdd is unlikely to ever work. Some bits of Samba   
   seem to have had the nuts cut off them, so they don't work.   
   But I find that these kinds of commands from your other   
   Linux machines, will reach the share on your (serving) machine.   
      
      nemo    smb://wallace/shared   
      thunar  smb://wallace/shared   
      pcmanfm smb://wallace/shared   
      
      nemo    smb://192.168.1.3/shared   
      
   These all tend to work, even if you cannot "see" the shares   
   in the GUI. Your workgroup = WORKGROUP is likely to be the   
   case, and is matching some of your Windows machines, but the   
   Win7 machine with home groups, may have resorted to   
   workgroup = MSHOME so you'll have to check that one to see   
   if it plays fair.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)