Cannot copy files from mac via smb

Question

I have a very strange effect since I went from 10.6 to 10.7. (I am on 10.7.2 now).
My Windows 7 PC can no longer copy files via SMB from the Mac to Windows.
I first thought this has to do with McAfee Endpoint Encryption, since the error message is
"Catastrophic Failure" (nothing else) in a small popup window which says McAfee Endpoint
Encryption in the title bar.
But then I discovered I can also not copy files to my Ubuntu system. The error message I get on
Ubuntu (11.10) is: "Operation not supported".
Both systems (the windows and the ubuntu system) however can copy via SMB from other systems
or among each other. It's actually from the Mac with which I have problems.
Nothing has changed for my Sharing Settings, but the only way currently to get files from my Mac
to the other systems is through an external harddisk, not over the network.
I see messages in other forums talking about that SMB in 10.7 is broken and Apple changed
to an unstable code base, but I can't find real helpful information on what the source of this
problem could be.
Any ideas?

Answer 1

The guy who controls the GPL licensing created a new scheme to prevent hardware manufacturers from limiting users to what the manufacturer wanted the users to be able to do (see Tivoisation). Samba, the code that Apple used for SMB took up that licensing scheme. So, Apple had to find another method in Lion.
Try turning on the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) in your windows boxes and use that instead
I don't have much need for smb file sharing, so I don't have many details. I have seen hints that certain passwords don't work, but I don't know why.
Some useful sites for possibly finding a solution are MacWindows and MacInTouch.