Help with XP networking

D

David Gondek

I am trying to get a small peer-to- peer network set up for file sharing. I
can get everything working with the ipx/spx protocol but not with tcp/ip.

There are 4 Windows XP Pro computers connected through a Lynksys router and
a DSL modem that connect to the Internet fine.

Someone previously installed Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and
this may be what is preventing the computers from connecting to folders on
other computers and even seeing themselves in 'My Network Places'.

I ran the XP Networking Wizard but it keeps saying that I am connecting
through ICS no matter what I select.

I have tried stopping/disabling the Firewall/ICS service but this doesn't
change anything.

The DSL modem apparently requires a username and password but when I try
setting up a new manual connection this way I can't even connect to the
Internet.

How do I uninstall ICS? Could the problem be the Internet Gateway software?
Do I need ICS for some reason even though there is a router?

I have never worked with ICS or networking DSL before so I feel a little
lost.

Thanks for any help or insight anyone can provide!
 
S

Steve Winograd

I am trying to get a small peer-to- peer network set up for file sharing. I
can get everything working with the ipx/spx protocol but not with tcp/ip.

There are 4 Windows XP Pro computers connected through a Lynksys router and
a DSL modem that connect to the Internet fine.

Someone previously installed Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and
this may be what is preventing the computers from connecting to folders on
other computers and even seeing themselves in 'My Network Places'.

I ran the XP Networking Wizard but it keeps saying that I am connecting
through ICS no matter what I select.

I have tried stopping/disabling the Firewall/ICS service but this doesn't
change anything.

The DSL modem apparently requires a username and password but when I try
setting up a new manual connection this way I can't even connect to the
Internet.

How do I uninstall ICS? Could the problem be the Internet Gateway software?
Do I need ICS for some reason even though there is a router?

I have never worked with ICS or networking DSL before so I feel a little
lost.

Thanks for any help or insight anyone can provide!

You don't need ICS with a router. You can't install or un-install
ICS. You can only enable or disable it.

Do you see an "Internet Gateway" connection in the Network Connections
folder? That's your router. It doesn't indicate that ICS is enabled.
If ICS is enabled, you'll see "Shared" in the information about one of
the high-speed network connections.

Does the Network Setup Wizard say that it has found a shared network
connection? That's your router. It doesn't indicate that ICS is
enabled.

The most likely problem with networking via TCP/IP is that a firewall
program is blocking access. Configure any firewall (Windows Firewall,
Norton, McAfee, ZoneAlarm, etc) to allow access by other computers on
the LAN. Note that some recent antivirus programs have firewall
components, such as "Internet Worm Protection" in Norton, that need to
be configured.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
D

David Gondek

Thanks for the response.

I tried disabling the McAfee Firewall but that didn't help.

I have two network connections listed on one of the computers. One looks
like a normal network connection (with normal properties) and one is listed
as 'Internet Connection' which has virtually no information when you check
it's properties. Usually I can't disable this 'Internet Connection'. When
I try nothing happens. One time I got it disabled for a couple minutes but
when I checked again it was enabled.

On another computer there is an item labeled 'Internet Gateway' in the
components of it's network connection.

Using tcp/ip I can access the computer with two network connections listed
from other computers but none of the other computers can access anything but
themselves.

Using ipconfig shows me the ip addresses for the computers are
192.168.0.n --- my understanding is that these are ICS ip addresses not
Lynksys router addresses.

I would like to use just the router but I can't figure out how.

Thanks.
 
J

Jack \(MVP-Networking\).

Hi
I am not familiar with McAfee Firewall but some of these "Genius Firewalls"
run processes even when they are disabled. Check the Running processes and
the startup and make sure that it is Not Running anything in background.
These two free utilities (StartUp & Process Explorer) might help in finding
out, http://www.ezlan.net/infestation#startup
Jack (MVP-Networking).
 
D

David Gondek

Jack,

I'm fairly confident this issue has nothing to do with McAfee because the
one computer I could access also had the same version of McAfee running.

Like I said, the issue seems to be related to Windows Internet Connection
Sharing because the ip address of each computer is not coming from the
router but rather from ICS.

I'm not at the location where the computers are at right now but I'm
thinking of trying to enter static ip addresses that correspond to the range
the Lynksys router uses to see if that works. Even if it does I don't
believe it will be an optimal solution as the ICS DHCP server will still be
running and will keep people from accessing computers by name...if I
understand this correctly.

Another theory I'm considering is that the ICS Internet Gateway component is
allowing one of the computers to re-enable ICS after I disable it. Windows
XP's Internet Connection Sharing apparently allows an ICS client computer to
remotely monitor and control the ICS server computer's Internet connection.
I am wondering if that means it can automatically re-enable the connection
after I disable it on the host computer.

My other theory is that the router is somehow defective and that is why I'm
not getting ip addresses from it.
 
J

James Egan

I have tried stopping/disabling the Firewall/ICS service but this doesn't
change anything.

While ICS is running, your network will have two conflicting dhcp
servers. So disable ICS then restart all the computers so they can get
an ip address assigned by the router.


Jim.
 
S

Steve Winograd

Thanks for the response.

I tried disabling the McAfee Firewall but that didn't help.

I have two network connections listed on one of the computers. One looks
like a normal network connection (with normal properties) and one is listed
as 'Internet Connection' which has virtually no information when you check
it's properties. Usually I can't disable this 'Internet Connection'. When
I try nothing happens. One time I got it disabled for a couple minutes but
when I checked again it was enabled.

On another computer there is an item labeled 'Internet Gateway' in the
components of it's network connection.

Using tcp/ip I can access the computer with two network connections listed
from other computers but none of the other computers can access anything but
themselves.

Using ipconfig shows me the ip addresses for the computers are
192.168.0.n --- my understanding is that these are ICS ip addresses not
Lynksys router addresses.

I would like to use just the router but I can't figure out how.

Thanks.

Thanks for the additional information.

I don't think that ICS is enabled on your computer. To tell if ICS is
enabled, do this on each network connection:

1. Right-click the connection.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click Advanced.
4. Look for a box labeled "Allow other network users to connect
through this computer's Internet connection" under the heading
"Internet Connection Sharing".

If there's no Advanced tab, or no such box, or if the box is
un-checked, ICS isn't enabled.

I think that the connection named "Internet Connection", under the
heading "Internet Gateway" is your router, and it has nothing to do
with ICS. To see, turn off the router by unplugging its power
connector. The "Internet Connection" should disappear immediately.

Windows XP creates that connection when the router has its UPnP
(Universal Plug and Play) feature enabled. Clicking that connection
lets you monitor and control the router's operation. For example,
disabling the "Internet Connection" tells the router to disconnect
from the Internet.

Yes, ICS uses addresses in the 192.168.0.n. But so do many routers,
and it's possible that your Linksys router uses them.

Make sure that all of your computer's have their LAN connections
configured to obtain an IP address automatically. Your router's DHCP
server will provide the settings.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 

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