Home Wireless Networking

[Mary Jo Martin]

I have been trying to set up a new home wireless network
with only partial success. Here are the details: running
Win XP Pro on a worstation, XP Home on a laptop. Both
machines have Norton Antivirus (version 8.07.17C on
laptop, 9.05.15 on workstation) with the latest dat files
and both have ZoneAlarm (v. 3.7.202 on laptop,
4.0.146.029 on workstation). Also using PestPatrol and
KeyPatrol and KillAd on the workstation. Using an
account set up as admin on both. I have a Linksys
wireless router WRT54G with workstation and Internet
wired via ethernet cable, laptop has a Linksys wireless
adapter WPC54G. I have been able to set up and use the
workstation as the primary Internet connection and the
laptop goes thru the router for its Internet access and
that is working fine. Both are set to automatically
detect IP address in TCP/IP configuration. I have set up
a new SSID (instead of the default name) and WEP
encryption (64 bit) on the router.

I have assigned both machines to the same workgroup and
am trying (without success) to get them to see each other
(so I can share files, printers, etc.). I have shared
both hard drives on both machines. I'm flat out of ideas
on what else to do. When I try View Network Computers in
My Network Places, I see the workstation on the
workstation but no laptop. On the laptop, I see both,
but when I right click on the workstation icon, I get a
dialog box that says "the server workstation could not be
found on the network." When I double click on the icon,
I get a dialog box that says "\\workstation is not
accessible. You might not have permission to use this
network resource. Contact the administrator of this
server to find out is you have access permissions. The
network path was not found."

I called Linksys support and they tell me that there may
be problems with new Windows updates that are causing
this. Sounds like passing the buck to me, but, just in
case, here are the updates on the laptop: Q309521,
Q311889, Q311967, Q313450, Q314147, Q314862, Q315000,
Q315403, Q317277, Q318138, Q323172, Q324096, Q324380,
Q326830, Q329048, Q329390, Q329834, Q329115. And, those
on the workstation: KB 282010, KB820291, KB821253,
KB821557, KB823559, KB823980, KB824105, KB824146,
Q329048, Q329115, Q329390, Q329834, Q322011, Q327979,
Q328310, Q329170, Q329441, Q331953, Q810565, Q810577,
Q810833, Q811493, Q814033, Q814995, Q815021, Q817606,
Q819696, Q328145, XP Service Pack 1a.

Finally - I looked on the MS Website, and di not find a
new driver, but might that not be the problem?

Any help would be most appreciated. This is driving me
crazy!

Thanks.

 

[Rob Schneider]

Mary Jo,

I don't think this a Linksys problem since you report the network is
working. And their advice that it's related to Microsoft updates is bogus.

Go back a few steps. Since all machines are XP, try the Network Setup
Wizard (On the Communications program folder).

Also check permissions on the shares.

 

[Colin]

have you enabled the guest account on both machines, then
gone to the disks/directories/printers you want to share,
and right clicked "sharing" and enabled that?

try closing down your firewalls - both zonealarm and the
microsoft one in case you enabled that. If it then works,
you can configure zonealarm to allow through traffic
between pcs.

Colin

 

[Ron Kohake]

I had a similiar problem. The firewall kept me from
seeing other computers. My suggestion is turn off
encryption
and your firewall and antivirus programs while you are
setting up and testing. The firewall will have to be
trained and the antivirus may have to be configured. I'm
still working trying to get encryption to work.
Ron