File and Print Sharing stops working under Windows XP Pro SP2

E

Eckhardt Newger

Hello,

Small workgroup here (named HOMEWLAN) consisting of a NAT-router (D-Link
DI-614+, IP 192.168.0.1, setup as DHCP server) and two computers:

- PC1 (desknote-winxp), a laptop with Win XP Pro SP2 connected via onboard
wired Ethernet card
- PC2 (solovino-nb009), a PC with Win XP Pro Sp1 connected via wireless
Ethernet card

File and Print Sharing was was functioning quite well for several months,
and is now broken. I changed to things on PC1:

1. I introduced a new hardware profile (named Offline) for use when not at
home. I made quite a lot of changes to services and startup programs!
2. I upgraded to SP2 which went through flawlessly as far as I can see from
the past 15 days.

I looked for a troubleshooting guide, and found one on PChuck's Network
named 'Troubleshooting Network Neighborhood
Problems'. When I first walked through it and applied recommended actions, I
finally got the following situation:

Both PC's showed up under HOMEWLAN on both PC's, I could access PC1 from
PC2, but not vice versa. Here PC1 was set as master browser.

Then I changed my mind, and switched the roles of PC1 and Pc2 (against the
recommendation in that guide), so made PC2 - the wirelessly connected
computer - the master browser. I think this way round it makes more sense,
because PC2 is always present in the workgroup (it's wirelessly connected
because of the long distance to the router and to avoid having an Ethernet
cable running through the whole flat). PC1, the laptop, is used at home and
on the road (it's cable connected
because when used at home it's very close to the router). When I made all
necessary changes I got the following result:

PC2 shows up on both PC's. PC1 doesn't show up on either PC. On PC2, When I
doubleclick on Solovino-nb009 (under HOMEWLAN on PC1) I get
'\\Solovino-nb009\share-name is not accessible. You might not have
permission to use this network resource. ... Remote procedure call failed'.
In Windows Explorer on PC2, shares from both PCs are listed under Network
Neibourhood. When I try to open a share from PC1, I get error message
'\\Desknote-winxp\share-name is not accessible. You might not have
permission to use this network resource. ... Network path not found'.

Both PCs have

- latest hotfixes applied
- latest drivers installed
- simple file and print sharing disabled
- Windows XP firewall disabled
- ZoneAlarm Security Suite enabled (HOMEWLAN shows up in the Secure Zone on
both PC's)
- properly activated accounts for network access (via NET USER)
- Guest account disabled
- properly set User Rights Assignment for non-Guest authentication
- restrictanonymous = 0
- hidden = 0
- MaintainServerList = Auto
- no warnings/errors in Device Manager
- no warnings/errors in Event Protocol

PC1 / Pc2 have

- Service 'Computerbrowser' disabled / running
- IsDomainMaster = False / Yes


Here are 'ipconfig /all' and 'browstat status' for PC1:

Windows-IP-Konfiguration
Hostname. . . . . . . . . . . . . : desknote-winxp
Primäres DNS-Suffix . . . . . . . :
Knotentyp . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unbekannt
IP-Routing aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein
WINS-Proxy aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein

Ethernetadapter LAN-Verbindung:

Verbindungsspezifisches DNS-Suffix:
Beschreibung. . . . . . . . . . . : SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet
Adapter
Physikalische Adresse . . . . . . : 00-0A-E6-BA-8A-63
DHCP aktiviert. . . . . . . . . . : Ja
Autokonfiguration aktiviert . . . : Ja
IP-Adresse. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.100
Subnetzmaske. . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Standardgateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP-Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS-Server. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease erhalten. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 25. August 2005
08:59:47
Lease läuft ab. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 1. September 2005
08:59:47


Status for domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: SOLOVINO-NB009
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master SOLOVINO-NB009
\\SOLOVINO-NB009
There are 1 servers in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}
There are 1 domains in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}



And here the same for PC2:

Windows-IP-Konfiguration
Hostname. . . . . . . . . . . . . : solovino-nb00i9
Primäres DNS-Suffix . . . . . . . :
Knotentyp . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unbekannt
IP-Routing aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein
WINS-Proxy aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein

Ethernetadapter D-Link DWL-520+ WLAN:

Verbindungsspezifisches DNS-Suffix:
Beschreibung. . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link AirPlus DWL-520+ Wireless
PCI Adapter
Physikalische Adresse . . . . . . : 00-0D-88-AA-7E-F9
DHCP aktiviert. . . . . . . . . . : Ja
Autokonfiguration aktiviert . . . : Ja
IP-Adresse. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.201
Subnetzmaske. . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Standardgateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP-Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS-Server. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease erhalten. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 25. August 2005
08:51:18
Lease läuft ab. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 1. September 2005
08:51:18

Status for domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A4F4637A-E52B-491D-981C-DF8159B76CCA}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: SOLOVINO-NB009
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master SOLOVINO-NB009
\\SOLOVINO-NB009
There are 1 servers in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A4F4637A-E52B-491D-981C-DF8159B76CCA}
There are 1 domains in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A4F4637A-E52B-491D-981C-DF8159B76CCA}



Two remarks to the ipconfig output:

1. The hostname of PC2 is reported as 'solovino-nb00i9', but according to
Control Panel/System/Computername it should be 'solovino-nb009'. I searched
the registry, and found some entries for 'solovino-nb00i9' which I manually
changed to 'solovino-nb009', but still as you can see ipconfig shows
'solovino-nb00i9'!?

2. Knodetype is reported as 'Unknown'. on PC1, I tried to change that to
'Broadcast' by setting
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netbt\Parameters\EnableProxy
= 0
No success as ipconfig shows.


I did a LSP / Winsock repair prior to above reports according to the
description in the guide (which involved LSPFix, WinSockFix, and XP SP2
onboard tools 'netsh int ip reset' and 'netsh winsock reset catalog') .
Unfortunately, that didn't help. I once again checked both PC's are in the
same workgroup. They can ping each other, and both have Internet connect.

I really have no clue what's going on here. I highly appreciate any hint
which could help me to remedy my File and Print Sharing problem.

Many thanks in advance for anyone's investigation.

Best Regards

Eckhardt Newger
 
G

Guest

i have a similar problem and have doen most of the checks you have
see my post a few down - file sharoing option dissappeared

is this still there on your sever or do we have the same problem ?
 
E

Eckhardt Newger

ddominic said:
i have a similar problem and have doen most of the checks you have
see my post a few down - file sharoing option dissappeared

is this still there on your sever or do we have the same problem ?
Yes, it's still there, and deactivated on both PC's.

Eckhardt Newger
 
C

Chuck

Hello,

Small workgroup here (named HOMEWLAN) consisting of a NAT-router (D-Link
DI-614+, IP 192.168.0.1, setup as DHCP server) and two computers:

- PC1 (desknote-winxp), a laptop with Win XP Pro SP2 connected via onboard
wired Ethernet card
- PC2 (solovino-nb009), a PC with Win XP Pro Sp1 connected via wireless
Ethernet card

File and Print Sharing was was functioning quite well for several months,
and is now broken. I changed to things on PC1:

1. I introduced a new hardware profile (named Offline) for use when not at
home. I made quite a lot of changes to services and startup programs!
2. I upgraded to SP2 which went through flawlessly as far as I can see from
the past 15 days.

I looked for a troubleshooting guide, and found one on PChuck's Network
named 'Troubleshooting Network Neighborhood
Problems'. When I first walked through it and applied recommended actions, I
finally got the following situation:

Both PC's showed up under HOMEWLAN on both PC's, I could access PC1 from
PC2, but not vice versa. Here PC1 was set as master browser.

Then I changed my mind, and switched the roles of PC1 and Pc2 (against the
recommendation in that guide), so made PC2 - the wirelessly connected
computer - the master browser. I think this way round it makes more sense,
because PC2 is always present in the workgroup (it's wirelessly connected
because of the long distance to the router and to avoid having an Ethernet
cable running through the whole flat). PC1, the laptop, is used at home and
on the road (it's cable connected
because when used at home it's very close to the router). When I made all
necessary changes I got the following result:

PC2 shows up on both PC's. PC1 doesn't show up on either PC. On PC2, When I
doubleclick on Solovino-nb009 (under HOMEWLAN on PC1) I get
'\\Solovino-nb009\share-name is not accessible. You might not have
permission to use this network resource. ... Remote procedure call failed'.
In Windows Explorer on PC2, shares from both PCs are listed under Network
Neibourhood. When I try to open a share from PC1, I get error message
'\\Desknote-winxp\share-name is not accessible. You might not have
permission to use this network resource. ... Network path not found'.

Both PCs have

- latest hotfixes applied
- latest drivers installed
- simple file and print sharing disabled
- Windows XP firewall disabled
- ZoneAlarm Security Suite enabled (HOMEWLAN shows up in the Secure Zone on
both PC's)
- properly activated accounts for network access (via NET USER)
- Guest account disabled
- properly set User Rights Assignment for non-Guest authentication
- restrictanonymous = 0
- hidden = 0
- MaintainServerList = Auto
- no warnings/errors in Device Manager
- no warnings/errors in Event Protocol

PC1 / Pc2 have

- Service 'Computerbrowser' disabled / running
- IsDomainMaster = False / Yes


Here are 'ipconfig /all' and 'browstat status' for PC1:

Windows-IP-Konfiguration
Hostname. . . . . . . . . . . . . : desknote-winxp
Primäres DNS-Suffix . . . . . . . :
Knotentyp . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unbekannt
IP-Routing aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein
WINS-Proxy aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein

Ethernetadapter LAN-Verbindung:

Verbindungsspezifisches DNS-Suffix:
Beschreibung. . . . . . . . . . . : SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet
Adapter
Physikalische Adresse . . . . . . : 00-0A-E6-BA-8A-63
DHCP aktiviert. . . . . . . . . . : Ja
Autokonfiguration aktiviert . . . : Ja
IP-Adresse. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.100
Subnetzmaske. . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Standardgateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP-Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS-Server. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease erhalten. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 25. August 2005
08:59:47
Lease läuft ab. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 1. September 2005
08:59:47


Status for domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: SOLOVINO-NB009
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master SOLOVINO-NB009
\\SOLOVINO-NB009
There are 1 servers in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}
There are 1 domains in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}



And here the same for PC2:

Windows-IP-Konfiguration
Hostname. . . . . . . . . . . . . : solovino-nb00i9
Primäres DNS-Suffix . . . . . . . :
Knotentyp . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unbekannt
IP-Routing aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein
WINS-Proxy aktiviert. . . . . . . : Nein

Ethernetadapter D-Link DWL-520+ WLAN:

Verbindungsspezifisches DNS-Suffix:
Beschreibung. . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link AirPlus DWL-520+ Wireless
PCI Adapter
Physikalische Adresse . . . . . . : 00-0D-88-AA-7E-F9
DHCP aktiviert. . . . . . . . . . : Ja
Autokonfiguration aktiviert . . . : Ja
IP-Adresse. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.201
Subnetzmaske. . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Standardgateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP-Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS-Server. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease erhalten. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 25. August 2005
08:51:18
Lease läuft ab. . . . . . . . . . : Donnerstag, 1. September 2005
08:51:18

Status for domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A4F4637A-E52B-491D-981C-DF8159B76CCA}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: SOLOVINO-NB009
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master SOLOVINO-NB009
\\SOLOVINO-NB009
There are 1 servers in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A4F4637A-E52B-491D-981C-DF8159B76CCA}
There are 1 domains in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A4F4637A-E52B-491D-981C-DF8159B76CCA}



Two remarks to the ipconfig output:

1. The hostname of PC2 is reported as 'solovino-nb00i9', but according to
Control Panel/System/Computername it should be 'solovino-nb009'. I searched
the registry, and found some entries for 'solovino-nb00i9' which I manually
changed to 'solovino-nb009', but still as you can see ipconfig shows
'solovino-nb00i9'!?

2. Knodetype is reported as 'Unknown'. on PC1, I tried to change that to
'Broadcast' by setting
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netbt\Parameters\EnableProxy
= 0
No success as ipconfig shows.


I did a LSP / Winsock repair prior to above reports according to the
description in the guide (which involved LSPFix, WinSockFix, and XP SP2
onboard tools 'netsh int ip reset' and 'netsh winsock reset catalog') .
Unfortunately, that didn't help. I once again checked both PC's are in the
same workgroup. They can ping each other, and both have Internet connect.

I really have no clue what's going on here. I highly appreciate any hint
which could help me to remedy my File and Print Sharing problem.

Many thanks in advance for anyone's investigation.

Best Regards

Eckhardt Newger

Eckhardt,

In a setup with 2 computers, you can make either computer the master browser,
with equal results.

The one thing to remember is that, when the two computers are not connected,
using Network Neighborhood, from either, will be useless. The computer that is
running the browser will see itself, and possibly the other computer, but will
get an error when trying to access the other (it's not connected after all).

Depending upon how each computer is connected, TCP/IP may or may not load. With
some computers, if an expected Ethernet cable isn't connected, the network
drivers will deactivate, and you will get network errors.

When you open Network Neighborhood on the computer that is not running the
browser, you have to expect an error. In some cases, an attempted
authentication results. Just expect something unexpected.

Now then, when it comes to identities on the computer, you will find many. When
you go thru the registry, and manually change any value in there, you are going
to get unexpected results. I'm not sure how to help you there. There are
several wizards or other places to change a computer name:
# System Properties.
# TCP/IP Properties - DNS.
# Hosts.
# LMHosts.

But remember, when you use a wizard to make a name change, it may translate that
change into multiple locations changed in the registry. If you truly want to
change all of those locations by hand, use a tool like Regseeker, which will
search the registry for you, and jump to each key of interest at your command.
I would not ever search the registry manually - miss one entry, and you have a
corrupt registry.
<http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm>
 
E

Eckhardt Newger

Hi Chuck,

thanks for quick reply. I highly appreciate your guides I came across
recently. Please see my comments inline.

Chuck said:
In a setup with 2 computers, you can make either computer the master
browser,
with equal results.

The one thing to remember is that, when the two computers are not
connected,
using Network Neighborhood, from either, will be useless. The computer
that is
running the browser will see itself, and possibly the other computer, but
will
get an error when trying to access the other (it's not connected after
all).

Depending upon how each computer is connected, TCP/IP may or may not load.
With
some computers, if an expected Ethernet cable isn't connected, the network
drivers will deactivate, and you will get network errors.

When you open Network Neighborhood on the computer that is not running the
browser, you have to expect an error. In some cases, an attempted
authentication results. Just expect something unexpected.
OK,. Of course, you're right. Just to repeat: PC1 (master browser) is always
connected to the LAN, PC1 as soon as it's used at home. I'm going to add a
3rd computer (laptop) in the near future, so I choosed PC2 to be master
browser because it's always present in the workgroup.

Do you have any idea why PC1 doesn't show up under Network Neighborhood? PC1
sees the remote computer PC2, but doesn't see itself?! Could that be due to
a missing / not started service? And how to debug this problem?
Now then, when it comes to identities on the computer, you will find many.
When
you go thru the registry, and manually change any value in there, you are
going
to get unexpected results. I'm not sure how to help you there. There are
several wizards or other places to change a computer name:
# System Properties.
# TCP/IP Properties - DNS.
# Hosts.
# LMHosts.

But remember, when you use a wizard to make a name change, it may
translate that
change into multiple locations changed in the registry. If you truly want
to
change all of those locations by hand, use a tool like Regseeker, which
will
search the registry for you, and jump to each key of interest at your
command.
I would not ever search the registry manually - miss one entry, and you
have a
corrupt registry.
In fact, I used an other registry tool (Resplendent Registrar). Nevertheless
I wonder where ipconfig catches the computername 'solovino-nb00i9' from. Do
you think that this might be responsible for not being able to access PC2?

Best Regards

Eckhardt
 
C

Chuck

Hi Chuck,

thanks for quick reply. I highly appreciate your guides I came across
recently. Please see my comments inline.


OK,. Of course, you're right. Just to repeat: PC1 (master browser) is always
connected to the LAN, PC1 as soon as it's used at home. I'm going to add a
3rd computer (laptop) in the near future, so I choosed PC2 to be master
browser because it's always present in the workgroup.

Do you have any idea why PC1 doesn't show up under Network Neighborhood? PC1
sees the remote computer PC2, but doesn't see itself?! Could that be due to
a missing / not started service? And how to debug this problem?

In fact, I used an other registry tool (Resplendent Registrar). Nevertheless
I wonder where ipconfig catches the computername 'solovino-nb00i9' from. Do
you think that this might be responsible for not being able to access PC2?

Best Regards

Eckhardt

Eckhardt,

If PC2 is the master browser, then the contents of PC1 Network Neighborhood
could be unpredictable, if its communications with PC2 are not perfect. What
you have is a browser problem. For details about browser problems:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/04/nt-browser-or-why-cant-i-always-see.html>

Check both computers for:
Misconfigured / overlooked firewalls:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html>
Registry setting restrictanonymous:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/07/restrictanonymous-and-your-server.html>

Finally, post "browstat status" and "ipconfig /all" from each computer, as a
start. Read this article, and linked articles, and follow instructions
precisely:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp>

I am not familiar with the tool you mentioned. I know, and trust, Regseeker.
Try Regseeker, and make sure that your tool didn't overlook an entry. There's
always the possibility that a corrupt registry might cause your problem, but
start with the above possibilities, which are known and common scenarios, first.
 
E

Eckhardt Newger

Hi Chuck,

unfortunately no progess so far. See comments ...

If PC2 is the master browser, then the contents of PC1 Network
Neighborhood
could be unpredictable, if its communications with PC2 are not perfect.
What
you have is a browser problem. For details about browser problems:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/04/nt-browser-or-why-cant-i-always-see.html>
What do you mean by a perfect communication, and how to check that? As
alreaady mentioned, both PC's can ping successfully each other.

Why do you believe I have a browser problem? Can you see that from the
browstat output at the beginning of this thread? I can't see any unusual
there except that PC1 is just invisible (why?).
ZoneAlarm Security Suite has HOMEWLAN workgroup (192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0)
in its Security Zone on both PC's. Windows' firewall is disabled on both.
What could be better than that?
Finally, post "browstat status" and "ipconfig /all" from each computer
Have already been communicated (see beginning of this thread).

I still believe a missing / not started service might be responsible for the
problem. What do you think?

Best Regards

Eckhardt Newger
 
C

Chuck

Hi Chuck,

unfortunately no progess so far. See comments ...


What do you mean by a perfect communication, and how to check that? As
alreaady mentioned, both PC's can ping successfully each other.

Why do you believe I have a browser problem? Can you see that from the
browstat output at the beginning of this thread? I can't see any unusual
there except that PC1 is just invisible (why?).

ZoneAlarm Security Suite has HOMEWLAN workgroup (192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0)
in its Security Zone on both PC's. Windows' firewall is disabled on both.
What could be better than that?

Have already been communicated (see beginning of this thread).

I still believe a missing / not started service might be responsible for the
problem. What do you think?

Best Regards

Eckhardt Newger

Eckhardt,

A missing network component or service is always a good possibility.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#Components>

The browser is a very delicate and intricate service, and there are a number of
ways it can be interfered with. Please read my article.

I think this is an interesting clue:
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: SOLOVINO-NB009
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master SOLOVINO-NB009
\\SOLOVINO-NB009
There are 1 servers in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}
There are 1 domains in domain HOMEWLAN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{92926010-B84E-4A59-9B04-B20AB53CD499}

You don't have a browser conflict; both browstats report the same master
browser, but both also only report 1 server. If you have 2 computers, both
properly setup and sharing files, that figure should be 2 or more.

You're running the ZoneAlarm Security Suite. IIRC, that version of ZA requires
2 settings to enable file sharing. First, you have to put the other computer
(and the router) in the Trusted Zone. Second, you have to explicitly tell ZA to
reduce the Paranoia level, to allow file sharing within the Trusted Zone.

If that doesn't help, you may need to un install ZA, totally, at least to
diagnose the problem.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/un-install-security-products-carefully.html>
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/your-personal-firewall-can-either-help.html>
 

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