Home Network setup probems: XP Prof. Desktop and XP Home Laptop

G

Guest

Probably put 20 hours of research in on this and still haven't made an ounce
of forward progress. It seems like I'm following all these step-by-step
directions to set up a simple home network to no avail.

We connect two computers through a wireless router. I have an XP
Professional PC that connects via ethernet cable directly to the router, and
a laptop that accesses the router wirelessly. I can not get these computers
to see each other. I've tried to setup the computers in the same workgroup
(MSHome) and activated file sharing. I have turned on Remote Access. Still,
on the XP Professional PC, If I go to "View Workgroup Computers", after a
long hourglass wait, I get an error message that says "MShome is not
accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource.
Contact the administrator of this server ot find out if you have access
permissions. The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently
available." On the XP Home laptop, the computer sees itself in the
workgroup, which seems at least like a start.

I just can't seem to get around this. Can anyone perhaps point me in a
direction that might allow me to make forward progress? Is the fact that one
computer is on XP Professional and the other computer on XP Home a problem?
Still, why am I not able to access my own workgroup?

*Any* help would be greatly appreciated. I've become quite disgusted and
frustrated by all these issues.
 
C

Chuck

Probably put 20 hours of research in on this and still haven't made an ounce
of forward progress. It seems like I'm following all these step-by-step
directions to set up a simple home network to no avail.

We connect two computers through a wireless router. I have an XP
Professional PC that connects via ethernet cable directly to the router, and
a laptop that accesses the router wirelessly. I can not get these computers
to see each other. I've tried to setup the computers in the same workgroup
(MSHome) and activated file sharing. I have turned on Remote Access. Still,
on the XP Professional PC, If I go to "View Workgroup Computers", after a
long hourglass wait, I get an error message that says "MShome is not
accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource.
Contact the administrator of this server ot find out if you have access
permissions. The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently
available." On the XP Home laptop, the computer sees itself in the
workgroup, which seems at least like a start.

I just can't seem to get around this. Can anyone perhaps point me in a
direction that might allow me to make forward progress? Is the fact that one
computer is on XP Professional and the other computer on XP Home a problem?
Still, why am I not able to access my own workgroup?

*Any* help would be greatly appreciated. I've become quite disgusted and
frustrated by all these issues.
Click to expand...

Remote Access, or lack of it, will not solve your problem.

Your problem, quite likely, is related to a personal firewall that's
misconfigured or overlooked. There are other possibilities too, so start with
this article.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html
 
J

Jerry M. Gartner

How are your machines getting their IP addresses? DHCP, or static? If
static, check to be sure that the subnet is the same.
 
G

Guest

In situations like this I would start by pinging each machine from the other
to see if it has an IP conenction. If that fails there is a fundamental
problem, and there is no point in trying to file-share until you've found the
cause.

Then, once a successful ping test has been done, try to connect to a share
using commandline instructions. These are much more reliable than 'Network
Places'

Open a Run box and type CMD - This will give you XP's equivalent of a DOS
window.

Now type

NET USE /PERSISTENT:NO

This will stop your tests causing permanent changes.

Then

NET USE H: \\SERVER\SHARENAME

Replace 'server' and 'sharename' with the name of the other machine, and the
name of a file share on it. At this point you may be asked to supply a
password. If you get tthe pasword-prompt (or success) it tells you that a
connection has been made to the other PC.

Now look to see if you have an H: drive in My Computer. If so, you've
cracked it.
 
G

Guest

Even this is above my head. How exactly do I ping the other machine? What's
the command I need to enter?

For the other questions--both computers access the internet using a dynamic
IP and both can use the internet through the router. The computers just
can't see each other. And the only firewall I use is the standard Windows
firewall. I've attempted completely disabling it to test, and I still get
the same results.
 
C

Chuck

For the other questions--both computers access the internet using a dynamic
IP and both can use the internet through the router. The computers just
can't see each other. And the only firewall I use is the standard Windows
firewall. I've attempted completely disabling it to test, and I still get
the same results.
Click to expand...
Even this is above my head. How exactly do I ping the other machine? What's
the command I need to enter?
Click to expand...

# From a command window:
1. Ping www.yahoo.com.
2. Ping 66.94.230.33.
3. Report success / exact text of error messages.
# From your browser:
1. Browse www.yahoo.com.
2. Browse 66.94.230.33.
3. Report success / exact text of error messages.
Using a command window:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/command-window.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/command-window.html
 
G

Guest

OK--what I got from the PC that goes direct to the router is:

C:\>ping www.yahoo.com

Pinging www.yahoo.akadns.net [66.94.230.33] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=27ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=50

Ping statistics for 66.94.230.33:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 27ms, Maximum = 29ms, Average = 28ms

C:\>ping 66.94.230.33

Pinging 66.94.230.33 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=51
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=27ms TTL=51
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=51

Ping statistics for 66.94.230.33:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 27ms, Maximum = 28ms, Average = 27ms


----

from the laptop that accesses the router wirelessly:

C:\>ping www.yahoo.com

Pinging www.yahoo.akadns.net [66.94.230.75] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 66.94.230.75: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.75: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.75: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.75: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=50

Ping statistics for 66.94.230.75:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round
trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 28ms, Maximum = 30ms, Average = 28ms

C:\>ping 66.94.230.33

Pinging 66.94.230.33 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=51
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=50
Reply from 66.94.230.33: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=50

Ping statistics for 66.94.230.33:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round
trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 28ms, Maximum = 33ms, Average = 29ms


---------------

Both browsed the sites OK. Both computers can access the internet. Just
not sure how to get the computers themselves to see one another from this
point.

Thanks,
Scott
 
G

Guest

On this, I just got "System error 53 has occurred. The network path was not
found."

Thanks,
 
G

Guest

OK--I'm to the point now where from the laptop I can "see" the desktop PC.
However, it says it can't connect to it. And still, from the desktop PC, I
can't even view the workgroup because it STILL says "(Network Name) is not
accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource.
Contact the administrator of this server ot find out if you have access
permissions. The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently
available." Since I only have one user on the desktop, and that user is an
administrator (me), I'm not sure why I'm getting this.

Just to summarize, some of the steps I've taken:
--Enabled NetBios
--Disabled Simple File Sharing
--Switched Computer Browser service to "automatic"
--Put both the laptop and the desktop in the same workgroup
--Enabled shared folders

Thanks,
 
C

Chuck

OK--I'm to the point now where from the laptop I can "see" the desktop PC.
However, it says it can't connect to it. And still, from the desktop PC, I
can't even view the workgroup because it STILL says "(Network Name) is not
accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource.
Contact the administrator of this server ot find out if you have access
permissions. The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently
available." Since I only have one user on the desktop, and that user is an
administrator (me), I'm not sure why I'm getting this.

Just to summarize, some of the steps I've taken:
--Enabled NetBios
--Disabled Simple File Sharing
--Switched Computer Browser service to "automatic"
--Put both the laptop and the desktop in the same workgroup
--Enabled shared folders

Thanks,
Click to expand...

OK, now that we have decided that Internet access is NOT the problem, let's look
at file sharing / Windows Networking. What you're describing - "not accessible
.... not available...", "error 53", lack of visibility, all are symptoms of
Windows Networking problems.

Your problem, quite likely, is related to a personal firewall that's
misconfigured or overlooked. There are other possibilities too, so start with
this article.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html

If no help, provide "browstat status" and "ipconfig /all" from each computer,
and we can diagnose the problem, after you read this article, and linked
articles, and follow instructions precisely:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp
 
G

Guest

Have had no luck with the firewall troubleshooting. I can disable the
firewall on both machines and still the issue seems to be that I can't do
much of anything on the desktop PC network-wise.

Here's the "browstat status" and "ipconfig /all" info:

From the Desktop (the seemingly problematic machine, going direct to the
router via ethernet):

C:\Program Files\Support Tools>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : reconceive
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0C-76-98-49-E6
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, December 23, 2005
9:19:51 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, December 24, 2005
6:32:41
PM



C:\Program Files\Support Tools>browstat status

Status for domain GUNIT on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{B15B0754-F9E2-4300-8A0
5-F8ADBCEA8A85}
Browsing is NOT active on domain.
Master browser name is held by: RECONCEIVE
Master browser is running build 2600

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From the laptop (connecting wirelessly to the router):

C:\Program Files\Support Tools>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Renee
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated
Cont roller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0D-56-B5-D1-A6

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR 108 Mbps Wireless PC
Card WG 511T
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-09-5B-95-00-1E
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, December 23, 2005
11:43:16 P M
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, December 24, 2005
11:43:10 PM

C:\Program Files\Support Tools>browstat status


Status for domain GUNIT on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{298008DA-28C8-4BF8-889
8-B6B49412590D}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: RENEE
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master RENEE
\\RENEE
There are 1 servers in domain GUNIT on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{298008 DA-28C8-4BF8-8898-B6B49412590D}
There are 1 domains in domain GUNIT on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{298008 DA-28C8-4BF8-8898-B6B49412590D}


Hope this helps--thanks again,
Scott
 
C

Chuck

Have had no luck with the firewall troubleshooting. I can disable the
firewall on both machines and still the issue seems to be that I can't do
much of anything on the desktop PC network-wise.
Click to expand...

Scott,

This is a start, but just that.
# Two computers are on the same subnet, 192.168.0/24, and use the same DHCP
server, 192.168.0.254.
# Two computers show no signs of gratuitous protocol / transport.
# Both computers are members of the same workgroup, Gunit.
# One computer is a master browser, itself.
# The second computer does not have browsing ("Browsing is NOT active..."), but
acknowledges a master browser, itself.

What firewall did you disable? What antivirus protection do you use?

Renee is a laptop, using a WiFi connection. Do you ever carry Renee to
different places in the house? Does it ever lose connection with the router?
 
G

Guest

Both computers use the standard MS Security Center Firewall--but no other 3rd
party firewall, etc., is enabled on either machine.

I don't have Zone Alarm or Virus protection that has a built-in firewall
running. I use Norton Antivirus, but an older version (2003) that does not
have any firewall capabilities. The laptop has exactly the same security
settings--but I suspect the laptop is pretty much ready to go. I can't help
but feel the problem is something/somewhere on the desktop.

I can login of course to the router itself (192.168.0.254) but Remote
Management is off, and none of the Netgear security settings are enabled
right now--meaning the security options in the router are disabled (WEP,
WPA-PSK) although I may enable that later.

When I attempted to disable the firewall(s), I simply changed the firewall
to "off" in the Security Center "Control Panel".

The laptop has coverage of about 70% of the house. It is capable of losing
connection with the router--but it doesn't happen frequently. If it does
lose connection, I just shift or move to another location and it reconnects.

Thanks--let me know if there is any other information I could provide that
would be helpful clearing this up.
 
C

Chuck

Both computers use the standard MS Security Center Firewall--but no other 3rd
party firewall, etc., is enabled on either machine.

I don't have Zone Alarm or Virus protection that has a built-in firewall
running. I use Norton Antivirus, but an older version (2003) that does not
have any firewall capabilities. The laptop has exactly the same security
settings--but I suspect the laptop is pretty much ready to go. I can't help
but feel the problem is something/somewhere on the desktop.

I can login of course to the router itself (192.168.0.254) but Remote
Management is off, and none of the Netgear security settings are enabled
right now--meaning the security options in the router are disabled (WEP,
WPA-PSK) although I may enable that later.

When I attempted to disable the firewall(s), I simply changed the firewall
to "off" in the Security Center "Control Panel".

The laptop has coverage of about 70% of the house. It is capable of losing
connection with the router--but it doesn't happen frequently. If it does
lose connection, I just shift or move to another location and it reconnects.

Thanks--let me know if there is any other information I could provide that
would be helpful clearing this up.
Click to expand...

Scott,

At best, you have a segmented workgroup. If Renee ever loses contact with
Reconceive, it will elect itself a master browser.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/browsing-across-subnets.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/browsing-across-subnets.html
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/04/nt-browser-or-why-cant-i-always-see.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/04/nt-browser-or-why-cant-i-always-see.html

But I agree with you - the main problem is with Reconceive. we have to figure
out why Reconceive is dropping browser datagrams ("Browsing is NOT active").
Did you look at anonymous access? Hidden server?
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/07/restrictanonymous-and-your-server.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/07/restrictanonymous-and-your-server.html
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/hiding-your-server-from-enumeration.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/hiding-your-server-from-enumeration.html

Go thru my exhaustive troubleshooting guide.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html
 
G

Guest

I didn't really understand the registry path for checking anonymous access,
as it starts with HKLM, and at least if I'm going in through regedit I'm
starting with HKEY, etc. Anyway, I couldn't find what was being referenced
here.

However, I did make some modifications using TweakUI in the Powertoys deal
from Microsoft, and the guest account status in the settings there (as well
is in the User Accounts control panel) is off. Not sure why this would
restrict me being able to go to my own workgroup as an administrator, but if
that's helpful it is disabled.

I had the same problem trying to determine the hidden server thing as that
also starts from HKLM, which I don't understand. I have no idea about this
one.

I'll attempt to thoroughly read the guide linked here--but I thought I'd
respond with these two things in case that opened any immediate doors.

Thanks,
 
C

Chuck

I didn't really understand the registry path for checking anonymous access,
as it starts with HKLM, and at least if I'm going in through regedit I'm
starting with HKEY, etc. Anyway, I couldn't find what was being referenced
here.

However, I did make some modifications using TweakUI in the Powertoys deal
from Microsoft, and the guest account status in the settings there (as well
is in the User Accounts control panel) is off. Not sure why this would
restrict me being able to go to my own workgroup as an administrator, but if
that's helpful it is disabled.

I had the same problem trying to determine the hidden server thing as that
also starts from HKLM, which I don't understand. I have no idea about this
one.

I'll attempt to thoroughly read the guide linked here--but I thought I'd
respond with these two things in case that opened any immediate doors.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

HKLM is HKey_Local_Machine.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads

Wireless networking XP Pro to XP Home 5
Cannot share laptop files on home network 6
Home network 1
Network problem in XP home SP2 1
Home Network Problem 3
Mshome is not accessible 24
home networking 2
Can't change workgroup name 2

Top