Did Microsoft break my network?

[Gary]

I asked a question about repairing my network in this newsgroup a few days
ago and got no response so I'm going to ask it a little differently and see
if anyone can help.

Up until about two weeks ago I had a working network of three
computers running WinXP and two running 32-bit Vista. I could get on any of
the XP computers and access files in shared folders on the Vista machines.
I could go to any of the computers and click on "Network" and see all five
computers. I didn't use the network every day but it was there when I
wanted it. Yesterday, I was on one of the XP machines and wanted to open an
Excel file that was in a folder on a Vista machine and I couldn't access the
network. This is a file that I'd opened on that machine many times in the
past. I looked on the Vista machine and the file was there but I couldn't
see any other computers on the network. Nothing was working like it had
been the last time I looked. I hadn't changed a thing--no new software or
hardware! Nothing!

After changing some firewall settings and adding some protocols on the XP
machines I can get them to see each other and access files among them. I
can get the two Vista machines to see each other and swap files between
them. However, I can't get any connection between the Vista
machines and the XP machines. They're in the same workgroup but it's like
they don't know the other part of the group exists.

All five computers can access the web through the router and DSL modem so I
don't think it's a hardware problem.

As I said, I made no hardware or software changes to any of the computers in
the workgroup between the time the network worked and the time it didn't.
No changes to firewall settings, no changes to workgroup name. I'm running
the same firewall and same anti-virus as before.

As far as I know the only things that's happened to the computers are that
the anti-virus program updated it's signatures and the computers downloaded
and installed the Microsoft updates that came out. Is it possible that
Windows update installed something that changed enough settings to bung up
the network? I've thought about using system restore to go back before any
updates to see if that returns everything back to where it was. However,
I'm reluctant to do that since I haven't had the greatest experiences with
system restore in the past. Every time I've used it I've had something
break and I've ended up having to reinstall and reconfigure things.

Anyhow, does anyone have any suggestions? TIA

Gary

 

[GTS]

It seems unlikely that a Windows update impacted all your XP and Vista PCs
this way, but you could open System Restore and look at history on each
computer without actually running a restore. Is there any common event
around the time the problem started?

What protocols and firewall settings did you change on the XP machines?

What happens if you try to ping a problem Vista from XP and XP from Vista
machine?

Open an (elevated in Vista) command prompt. What happens if you run start
\\NETNAME between the problem PCs? What happens if you try to map a share
with a net use command (exactly what message do you see)?

Have you tried rebooting your router?
--

I asked a question about repairing my network in this newsgroup a few days
ago and got no response so I'm going to ask it a little differently and see
if anyone can help.

Up until about two weeks ago I had a working network of three
computers running WinXP and two running 32-bit Vista. I could get on any
of
the XP computers and access files in shared folders on the Vista machines.
I could go to any of the computers and click on "Network" and see all five
computers. I didn't use the network every day but it was there when I
wanted it. Yesterday, I was on one of the XP machines and wanted to open
an
Excel file that was in a folder on a Vista machine and I couldn't access
the
network. This is a file that I'd opened on that machine many times in the
past. I looked on the Vista machine and the file was there but I couldn't
see any other computers on the network. Nothing was working like it had
been the last time I looked. I hadn't changed a thing--no new software or
hardware! Nothing!

After changing some firewall settings and adding some protocols on the XP
machines I can get them to see each other and access files among them. I

"> can get the two Vista machines to see each other and swap files between

 

[Gary]

Hi! Thanks for the reply! The problem that I have is that I don't know for
sure when the issue started. I said two weeks, but in all honesty it may
have been even longer. As I said, it's not that I work on anything on the
network with any regularity. Most of my files are on a Vista machine and
that's usually where I'm working on them. It's just that once in awhile
I'll be on one of the other machines and want to work on an Excel file or
Word document that's on the main Vista machine (in a shared folder). A
little while ago I could do that with no problem and now I can't

I checked system restore on all the machines and don't see anything unusual
over the past few months. About the only thing that's happened is Windows
update sent service packs to every machine

Anyhow, I added a MS TCP/IP Version 6 protocol to the XP machines and
checked the firewalls to make sure they were allowing my LAN IP addresses.
I tried to load the LLTD Responder to the XP machines but I got the message
that my service packs were newer than the file that I was trying to load so
it wouldn't let me load it.

The router has been rebooted, along with the DSL modem, even though I know
the modem shouldn't have anything to do with it.

Now we're getting in uncharted waters with me! In other words, I know just
enough to screw things up! However, I can ping the XP machines from the
Vista machines and get a reply and the other way, too.

As I said, the XP machines all see each other and allow sharing, and I can
open files on one Vista machine from the other.

Thanks, again, for the reply!

Gary

 

[Gary]

Okay! I give up! All of a sudden things are almost back to the way they
used to be. When I'm on an XP machine I can open files that are in folders
on a Vista machine and I print from a XP machine using the printer attached
to a Vista machine. I could do those things before and then five days ago
it stopped working. It didn't work last evening but now it's working,
again. Gremlins live in these machines!

Anyhow, thanks for the help and wish me luck.

Gary

 

[GTS]

You're welcome and Good Luck!