Network File Sharing

[Brian Lynn]

I have 10 PCs networked together... I have assigned static IPs to each PC and
named them all "pcone" to "pcten" and put them all on a network called
"hotel"...

I have shared a folder on each computer and given full control to any user.

On 9 of my computers everything works fine... I can add the other 9
computers shared folders and read/write to them.

One of my computers can't see the other 9 computers when I go to add a new
network place under My Network Places... I click through the wizard and get
to the "Browse for Folder" tree window. Under my networks name on all the
other 9 computers there is 10 machines listed, on this computer only 1 is
listed... itself!

So I can't add the shared folders of the other 9 PCs on this one machine,
but I can add this machines shared folder on the other 9!

Help! This is normally a very simple setup... I've checked everything I can
think of and all the settings are the same between machines. I can ping them
all...

Thanks!

 

[Chuck [MVP]]

I have 10 PCs networked together... I have assigned static IPs to each PC and
named them all "pcone" to "pcten" and put them all on a network called
"hotel"...

I have shared a folder on each computer and given full control to any user.

On 9 of my computers everything works fine... I can add the other 9
computers shared folders and read/write to them.

One of my computers can't see the other 9 computers when I go to add a new
network place under My Network Places... I click through the wizard and get
to the "Browse for Folder" tree window. Under my networks name on all the
other 9 computers there is 10 machines listed, on this computer only 1 is
listed... itself!

So I can't add the shared folders of the other 9 PCs on this one machine,
but I can add this machines shared folder on the other 9!

Help! This is normally a very simple setup... I've checked everything I can
think of and all the settings are the same between machines. I can ping them
all...

Thanks!

What you have here is likely a master browser (and I am not discussing Internet
Explorer) conflict. Let's look at logs from "browstat status" and "ipconfig
/all", from the problem computer and 2 other computers, so we can diagnose the
problem. Read this article, and linked articles, and follow instructions
precisely (download browstat!):
<http://networking.nitecruzr.net/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp>
http://networking.nitecruzr.net/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp

 

[Brian Lynn]

Would be nice if anything in your links explained what a "master browser"
problem is so i can understand it and start to look at what the issue is.

You're response is way too vague and the information contained in the pages
is incomplete in my opinion. I followed your directions on changing Node Type
and ... ummm ... well ?? It didn't do a thing. I tried to change from Hybrid
to Broadcast following your directions and nothing. I'm not even sure if I
did it right because the directions hop all over the place.

Well I can't say it did nothing. The IP address of my machine changed to
something it wasnt set to before without me touching it. So I deleted the
added reg key and I'm back to square one...

Only now I can't ping my machine from the other 9 like I could yesterday.

computers are IP:
10.0.1.1-
10.0.1.10
255.0.0.0 mask

IPconfig confirms this yet I can't ping from this machine to any of the
other 9, and they can't ping this one despite them having apparently
identical basic TCP/IP settings. I've changed the cables around from machine
to machine and all the machines work with all cables except this one. I
changed out the switch too and nothing.

If I plug the bad machine into an internet source (DHCP controlled network
with a router) it works and I get internet just fine so the ethernet card
works.

The bad machine works on my home network... I can see the other shared
folders and computers at my house and I have no problems.

Here, networked with these machines, I am having nightmares!

At least before I started with your help pages I could ping this silly
machine! What the heck happened?

I wrote IPCONFIG to a txt file, changed a reg key, and now I can't even ping
despite having re-set the reg key...

 

[Brian Lynn]

Ok, I am literally back to square one now. All the problems created by
following the help pages are fixed.

I can see the bad machine on all the other machines...

I can't see the other machines on this machine.

I can ping again, I can add the shared folder from the bad computer to all
the other computers, can't add anything to the bad computer, it still won't
see anything.

 

[Brian Lynn]

"For more information, read the Microsoft article (KB188305): Troubleshooting
the Microsoft Computer Browser Service. There you will find a link to the
Microsoft Support Tools package, which includes Browstat. If you just
downloaded and installed browstat.exe from an independent source (above),
don't bother to download or install any Microsoft package."

There doesn't appear to be a link to the package on this page...

 

[Brian Lynn]

ugh...

so I enabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP as everything Chuck's papers suggested...
and I'm totally hosed again...

None of the computers can see any of the other computers...

And none of my IPCONFIG report results match anything that Chucks show...

I enabled NetBT, and I guess I should see NetBIOS settings in a IPCONFIG
/all but I now see "Wins Proxy" not enabled...

where is my NetBIOS report in IPCONFIG??

Any why did NetBIOS kill all my communication between machines??

I am so hosed...

 

[Brian Lynn]

So I've gone over and over Browstat reports on all the machines...

So far they all report the same except this one. This one gives me error 53
all over the place.

The articles you posted state that I need NetBT enabled, run NetBIOS...

But... I don't have NetBIOS running on any of the other computers, and there
is no issue... when I enable NetBT in TCP IP advanced config I loose all
network communication between ALL the machines...

Still stuck! Still can't get this ONE computer to talk to the rest!

Success, easy success with nine computers... and one that's a problem. All
computers were fresh windows installs when I arrived, so they WERE all at
defaults, and they all networked just fine except this one!!

Browstat did show I had a Master Browser conflict (or at least two Master
Browsers running) but disabling the Computer Browser on any computer results
in it not being able to see any computer on the network no matter what I do...

Your directions on how to change Node Type are incomplete... or you assume
we all know how to edit/add registry entries... No word on if you use
decimal, hex, D-word, string??? confusing... had to google more help to try
some of your fixes...

This is way way more harder than it should be. I've never had these issues
trying to get this same setup going. Its usually walk walk in, set IPs, share
folders, add each folder to each computer via Network Places.

What's changed? Why is this one clean install of windows being such a pain??

 

[Brian Lynn]

Well i fixed it.

How?

No clue.

I turned the computer browser back on and all of a sudden everything works...

No idea what I did or why it now works. Every change I made I put back and
now it works... so frustrated! Wish I could nail down a "why".

 

[Chuck [MVP]]

Well i fixed it.

How?

No clue.

I turned the computer browser back on and all of a sudden everything works...

No idea what I did or why it now works. Every change I made I put back and
now it works... so frustrated! Wish I could nail down a "why".

If it goes out again, post the logs BEFORE making changes, so we can help you
interpret them.