Can't access machine by name, only by IP address

[Sean Purcell]

I have two machines, and they've always been able to
access each other on my home WiFi network by machine name
(e.g.: "\\home1", "\\home2")

But for the last few days this has stopped working. I
get "the network path was not found". (Note: This may
have coincided with my checking the "remember password"
checkbox on the username/password dialog when I
accessed "\\home2"?)

This is strange, because they machines can still access
each other via IP address just fine.

I've already tried:
* rebooting both machines
* clearing the cached passwords from the "remember
passwords" checkbox
* deleting all references to the machines in their
respective "My Network Places" lists.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
-Sean

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I have two machines, and they've always been able to
access each other on my home WiFi network by machine name
(e.g.: "\\home1", "\\home2")

But for the last few days this has stopped working. I
get "the network path was not found". (Note: This may
have coincided with my checking the "remember password"
checkbox on the username/password dialog when I
accessed "\\home2"?)

This is strange, because they machines can still access
each other via IP address just fine.

I've already tried:
* rebooting both machines
* clearing the cached passwords from the "remember
passwords" checkbox
* deleting all references to the machines in their
respective "My Network Places" lists.

Sean,

please have a look at http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm and
have a particularly good look at the chapters that mention
NetBIOS over TCP/IP.

Hans-Georg

 

[Andrew Camfield]

I have two machines, and they've always been able to
access each other on my home WiFi network by machine name
(e.g.: "\\home1", "\\home2")
snip<

There's a file called hosts in C:\windows\system32\devices\etc, I
think. Add your machine names to this file in the format shown in the
commented section and I believe that will allow you to refer to the
machines by name. Clicking on the remember password thingy may have
kicked off some of MS's higher level networking features and they
pretty much all depend on a Primary Domain Controller and since you
are a two machine network, you don't have one. Why should you, unless
you just want to make M$ richer for no good reason.

Old Linux guy trying to help out windows newbies.

Later.

 

[Sean Purcell]

THANKS! This worked perfectly (or it will until the next
time the "home 1" machine gets a new IP assigned. ;-)

-Sean