Networking help needed ASAP!!!!!

[Nancy]

Hubby and I got a used computer for Christmas, and it's running XP Pro SP2.
I have XP Home SP2. We hooked a network cable to them both and ran the
wizard on the new computer --- everything worked fine.

Then, yesterday, the networking stopped working. We can't see the other
computers, and when we pull the IP numbers out, and try to let the IPs be
assigned automatically, we get limited connection errors.

But when we put the IP numbers in, the computers SAY they're networked, but
he can't find this computer on his (the client.) And I can't see his on
mine. And he can't check email or surf the net.

I've tried to run the networking wizard on this computer (the host), but if
I select 'this computer connects to the internet', and hit 'next', the
program locks up and the only way I can get out is to end task.

I can select it as a client, but not as a host. When I select it to be the
client, it goes through the wizard, but then we don't have a host computer.

Anyone know what we're doing wrong? This was never that much trouble before.
I think it has something to do with SP2, since the last time we did this,
SP2 hadn't been released yet. Please contact me privately with an answer,
if you can.

nancy eddy

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Hubby and I got a used computer for Christmas, and it's running XP
Pro SP2. I have XP Home SP2. We hooked a network cable to them both
and ran the wizard on the new computer --- everything worked fine.

Then, yesterday, the networking stopped working. We can't see the
other computers, and when we pull the IP numbers out, and try to
let the IPs be assigned automatically, we get limited connection
errors.
But when we put the IP numbers in, the computers SAY they're
networked, but he can't find this computer on his (the client.) And
I can't see his on mine. And he can't check email or surf the net.

I've tried to run the networking wizard on this computer (the
host), but if I select 'this computer connects to the internet',
and hit 'next', the program locks up and the only way I can get out
is to end task.
I can select it as a client, but not as a host. When I select it
to be the client, it goes through the wizard, but then we don't
have a host computer.
Anyone know what we're doing wrong? This was never that much
trouble before. I think it has something to do with SP2, since the
last time we did this, SP2 hadn't been released yet. Please
contact me privately with an answer, if you can.

This 'used computer' - before you connected to your other computers and
began using it - you did completely format and install the OS and
application fresh, right? I mean - you truly have no way of knowing 'who
did what' with a used computer.

 

[Nancy]

This 'used computer' - before you connected to your other computers and
began using it - you did completely format and install the OS and
application fresh, right? I mean - you truly have no way of knowing 'who
did what' with a used computer.

No, we didn't. We ran several spyware/virus scans, and it came up clean. We
just uninstalled the network card and then reinstalled, no difference. Still
wont' work. Next step would be to uninstall the network card on my machine.
Networking SAYS there are no problems with the system it can find when we
have the ip numbers fixed. But they still won't work.

It's very frustrating. Hubby was looking forward to having his own computer
again.

nancy

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

No, we didn't. We ran several spyware/virus scans, and it came up
clean. We just uninstalled the network card and then reinstalled, no
difference. Still wont' work. Next step would be to uninstall the
network card on my machine. Networking SAYS there are no problems
with the system it can find when we have the ip numbers fixed. But
they still won't work.

Shenan's advice was very good, and you should heed it. If I bought a used
computer, the first thing I would do with it would be to reinstall the
operating system cleanly. You have no idea how the computer has been
maintained, what has been installed incorrectly, what is missing, what
viruses and spyware there may be, etc. I wouldn't want to live with somebody
else's mistakes and problems, possibility of kiddie porn, etc., and I
wouldn't recommend that anyone else do either.