Can't browse local network by names, only by IP address

[garry]

Hello, all. This is my first time posting in one of these groups
before. I have a Viewsonic v1100 tablet PC. All was working just fine
until about a week ago. I installed a new network device (a PCMCIA
802.11b/g wireless adapter) and all of a sudden I can't share files
over the local network. I have used this same card in 2 other
computers, so I know it's not the card. I just discovered that I can
share files if I browse the local computers on the network by IP
address, but the name resolution is aparently not working. It won't
find the workgroup that I'm on either. If anybody could point me in
the right direction, that would be totally great.

Things tried:
-I have uninstalled and re-installed TCP-IP by deleting the registry
entries out completely for winsock and winsock2 and then re-installing
the protocol from the network control panel,
-I have tried disabling the windows firewall (windows XP SP2 Tablet PC
edition)
-I have tried running the network setup wizzard several times to
enable/disable file sharing

If you need more specific information I can provide it. any help on
the subject would be great. Thanks!

 

[Kurt]

#1 reason - subnet mask not the same. NetBIOS uses local (subnet) broadcasts
for browser announcements, list requests, master election notifications. If
the subnet mask is wrong, the broadcast address will not match up either,
even though the IP addresses are valid with either mask. The other is that
you are connecting to a wireless router and routing to the other network, in
which case, once again, no broadcasts through the router. What's your
address/mask, and what's the address/mask of another computer on the network
that yor're connecting to? Also, could be that NetBIOS over TCP is disabled.

....kurt

 

[garry]

Checked the IP/subnet on another computer (all using XP) and they seem
to match. I may not be looking in the correct spot, but I went to the
network connection status and hit details in the support tab. It
showed my IP and subnet as the same as all other computers on the
network, and the DNS servers are the same.

As for NetBIOS, Microsoft Anti-Spyware has disabled that service. I
didn't think that would make a difference, though, because it has done
the same for all of the computers on the network, and they all still
work just fine.

thanks for the help...

 

[Kurt]

Microsoft anti-spyware probably disable d the messenger service. NetBIOS ove
TCP/IP (NBT) must be enabled (or another transport protocol - NetBEUI
installed) for name resolution (or a WINS server). Look on the WINS tab in
TCP/IP properties. Check the "enable NBT" box if it's not.

 

[CJT]

Hello, all. This is my first time posting in one of these groups
before. I have a Viewsonic v1100 tablet PC. All was working just fine
until about a week ago. I installed a new network device (a PCMCIA
802.11b/g wireless adapter) and all of a sudden I can't share files
over the local network. I have used this same card in 2 other
computers, so I know it's not the card. I just discovered that I can
share files if I browse the local computers on the network by IP
address, but the name resolution is aparently not working. It won't
find the workgroup that I'm on either. If anybody could point me in
the right direction, that would be totally great.

Things tried:
-I have uninstalled and re-installed TCP-IP by deleting the registry
entries out completely for winsock and winsock2 and then re-installing
the protocol from the network control panel,
-I have tried disabling the windows firewall (windows XP SP2 Tablet PC
edition)
-I have tried running the network setup wizzard several times to
enable/disable file sharing

If you need more specific information I can provide it. any help on
the subject would be great. Thanks!

Given that it worked until you installed the new device, the
installation of the new device apparently changed something having
to do with name resolution. So check your settings for WINS, DNS
or whatever you're using to accomplish name resolution. If you don't
know what you're using for name resolution, now would be a good time
to figure that out.