Network Problem

[Guest]

I have a desktop running XP Pro (host) with a cable modem and a laptop
running XP with a Dell Wireless mini-PCI card, all connected by a D-Link
Wireless G Router. I wasn't able to set up a home network using the Wizard
for some reason, but did get one set up by disabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP for
all the network connections on both comps. The problem is that I can only
access the network when BOTH comps are on. However, Internet works on both
no matter what. Am I doing something wrong or am I just not seeing
something? Any help or advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Chuck]

I have a desktop running XP Pro (host) with a cable modem and a laptop
running XP with a Dell Wireless mini-PCI card, all connected by a D-Link
Wireless G Router. I wasn't able to set up a home network using the Wizard
for some reason, but did get one set up by disabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP for
all the network connections on both comps. The problem is that I can only
access the network when BOTH comps are on. However, Internet works on both
no matter what. Am I doing something wrong or am I just not seeing
something? Any help or advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Here are a few websites with useful tutorials:
http://www.cablesense.com/
http://www.homenethelp.com/
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/
http://www.wown.com/

Does the cable modem have an Ethernet, or USB, interface? If Ethernet, the
proper physical setup is cable modem to the WAN port on the D-Link. Both the
desktop and laptop should connect directly to the D-Link, on the LAN ports or
wirelessly.

When you used the wizard, what problem did you encounter? Please provide as
much detail as possible. Did you select "This computer connects to the internet
thru another computer..." (remember the router looks like a computer to the
wizard).

Once you get internet service working on both computers, deal with file sharing.

What version of XP on the laptop? Home or Pro? What SP on each (SP2 or
previous)?

Are you running both Client for Microsoft Networks, and File and Printer Sharing
for Microsoft Networks (Local Area Connection - Properties), on each computer?
Do you have shares setup on each?

Now enable NetBIOS Over TCP/IP (Local Area Connection - Properties - TCP/IP -
Properties - Advanced - WINS) on each computer. Windows networking (file
sharing) is built around TCP/IP, with NBT as an interface to file sharing.

Make sure the browser service is running on each computer. Control Panel -
Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and the
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started.

On any XP Pro computer, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel -
Folder Options - View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Pro,
you need to have SFS properly set on each computer.

On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled, check the Local Security Policies (Control
Panel - Administrative Tools). Under Local Policies - Security Options, look at
"Network access: Sharing and security model", and ensure it's set to "Classic -
local users authenticate as themselves".

On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled, if you set the above Local Security Policy to
"Guest only", enable the Guest account, using Start - Run - "cmd" - type "net
user guest /active:yes" in the command window. If "Classic", setup and use a
common non-Guest account on all computers. Whichever account is used, give it
an identical, non-blank password on all computers.

On XP Home, and on XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled, make sure that the
Guest account is enabled, on each computer. Enable Guest with Start - Run -
"cmd" - type "net user guest /active:yes" in the command window.

Do any of the computers have a software firewall (ICF / WF, or third party)? If
so, you need to configure them for file sharing, by opening ports TCP 139, 445
and UDP 137, 138, 445, by enabling the File and Printer Sharing exception, and /
or by identifying the other computers as present in the Local (Trusted) zone.
Firewall configurations are a very common cause of (network) browser, and file
sharing, problems.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[glusk \(AT\) bellsouth \(DOT\) net]

Chuck, could you clarify the checks/diagnostic stmts,
** "On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled..."
** "On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled..."
** "On XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled..."

Are those paragraphs describing either if we're enabled
OR disabled..."do so-and-so"... OR
(since my setup is SFS =enabled and my Guest-account is
already active,),,,
do you mean I'm to go back and disable and modify
guest...run test-access then try the enable.....
i.e., perform two test-conditions?
Thanks, Jerry

 

[Chuck]

Chuck, could you clarify the checks/diagnostic stmts,
** "On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled..."
** "On XP Pro, and with SFS disabled..."
** "On XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled..."

Are those paragraphs describing either if we're enabled
OR disabled..."do so-and-so"... OR
(since my setup is SFS =enabled and my Guest-account is
already active,),,,
do you mean I'm to go back and disable and modify
guest...run test-access then try the enable.....
i.e., perform two test-conditions?
Thanks, Jerry

Jerry,

The wording that I use is from experience. I previously stated "With SFS
disabled...", and noted elsewhere that SFS is optional only with XP Pro. But
some folk got confused, and complained that they could not find the SFS option
under XP Home. %-]

With XP Home, you are stuck with Simple File Sharing. Pure and simple. SFS is
not an option.

With XP Pro, you can have either Advanced File Sharing (you have AFS with SFS
disabled), or Simple File Sharing, at your option. The appropriate selection
varies, according to what the other computers are running. If any of your other
computers run XP Home, SFS on XP Pro is the best choice for consistency. If all
computers contains a combination of XP and 2K, AFS is more appropriate. If all
computers run just XP Pro, you can use AFS or SFS (though I recommend AFS).

With AFS, you have the further choice of Classic or Guest only authentication.
Classic is the equivalent of file sharing under Windows 2000.

I get a headache trying to remember all of the possible combinations of
authentication between the various versions of Windows. The best thing to
remember is that they are all necessitated by Microsoft's need to make Windows
XP file sharing compatible with all other versions of Windows.

More about file sharing, between all different versions of Windows:
<http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...db-aef8-4bef-925e-7ac9be791028&DisplayLang=en>

If your file sharing works properly, I would not recommend changing it.
However, if you have any problems accessing files on one or more computers, this
issue, and firewalls, are the items I would recommend reviewing first.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Guest]

Dear Chuck - Already, I can tell how much experience you have and would like
to compliment you on your ability to teach through typed words. Anyways back
to my problem...I have a Ethernet connection and both my desktop and laptop
are connected (desktop - directly through LAN, laptop - wirelessly through
internal mini-PCI card). When I ran the wizard, nothing happened. When I
looked at the "Workgroup Computers," I could not see the computers (both have
the same workgroup name but diff. comp ID's) unless both computers are turned
on. The desktop is running XP Pro and the laptop is running XP Home. Both
computers can connect to Internet fine, but can't share files even though I
"Enabled NetBIOS," enabled SFS on both, and set up shared files. All
services in "Administrative Tools" are started. I just want a simple network
where I can access files easily on my laptop without having to go to the
other side of the house to turn on the desktop. Thanks in advance!

 

[Chuck]

Dear Chuck - Already, I can tell how much experience you have and would like
to compliment you on your ability to teach through typed words. Anyways back
to my problem...I have a Ethernet connection and both my desktop and laptop
are connected (desktop - directly through LAN, laptop - wirelessly through
internal mini-PCI card). When I ran the wizard, nothing happened. When I
looked at the "Workgroup Computers," I could not see the computers (both have
the same workgroup name but diff. comp ID's) unless both computers are turned
on. The desktop is running XP Pro and the laptop is running XP Home. Both
computers can connect to Internet fine, but can't share files even though I
"Enabled NetBIOS," enabled SFS on both, and set up shared files. All
services in "Administrative Tools" are started. I just want a simple network
where I can access files easily on my laptop without having to go to the
other side of the house to turn on the desktop. Thanks in advance!

I share with you your frustration. Sometimes the networking wizard is part of
the problem, or at best, not part of the solution. Many times, it would have
been simpler to make all the settings by hand, because you end up rechecking
everything by hand anyway.

Are you running both Client for Microsoft Networks, and File and Printer Sharing
for Microsoft Networks (Local Area Connection - Properties), on each computer?
Do you have shares setup on each?

By saying that you "Enabled NetBIOS", do you mean that you are running NetBIOS
Over TCP/IP (Local Area Connection - Properties - TCP/IP - Properties - Advanced
- WINS) on each computer?

Make sure the browser service is running on each computer. Control Panel -
Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and the
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started.

On any XP Pro computer, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel -
Folder Options - View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Home
and Pro together, you need to have SFS enabled on each Pro computer.

On XP Home, and on XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled, simply make sure
that the Guest account is enabled, on each computer. Enable Guest with Start -
Run - "cmd" - type "net user guest /active:yes" in the command window.

Do any of the computers have a software firewall (ICF / WF, or third party)? If
so, you need to configure them for file sharing, by opening ports TCP 139, 445
and UDP 137, 138, 445, by enabling the File and Printer Sharing exception, and /
or by identifying the other computers as present in the Local (Trusted) zone.
Firewall configurations are a very common cause of (network) browser, and file
sharing, problems.

If no help yet, let's get a picture of your network.

Please provide ipconfig information for each computer.
Start - Run - "cmd". Type "ipconfig /all >c:\ipconfig.txt" into the command
window - Open c:\ipconfig.txt in Notepad, copy and paste into your next post.
Identify operating system (by name and version) with each ipconfig listing.

Please provide adhoc browser view for each computer.
Start - Run - "cmd". Type "net view >c:\netview.txt" into the command window -
Open c:\netview.txt in Notepad, copy and paste into your next post.

From each computer, test connectivity and name resolution:
1) Ping itself by name.
2) Ping itself by ip address.
3) Ping the other by name.
4) Ping the other by ip address.
5) Ping 127.0.0.1.
6) Ping the router.
Report success / exact error displayed in each test (12 tests total).

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.