Home Network - can't access using share name

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Guest

We have 5 PCs connected to our home network - 4 wireless, 1 desktop.
Printer/music/media is shared from the desktop to the network.
Desktop's name is \\MAIN
All but one of the wireless PCs can access the desktop using \\MAIN but one
laptop cannot - I have to use the IP address \\192.168.xx.xxx, for example.
Problem is that if I restart the desktop it will get a new IP address from
my router, which will then require me to re-map to a new IP address from the
laptop. All of the other PCs can access \\MAIN using the "friendly" name
regardless of the IP address. Why? Can I fix this? Thanks.
 
There are several possible causes. One is disabled NetBIOS - see:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318030

General networking theory would recommend that you configure Main with a
static IP address because it provides network resources and is presumably a
permanent or semi-permanent machine on this network. If you did that, then
you could use an lmhosts file on the problem laptop:

Use NotePad and open C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\lmhosts.sam

Add a line to the end of this file:

<IPaddressofMain> main #PRE

Save the file as 'lmhosts' with no extension. Navigate to the file in
Windows Explorer and make sure that is saved as lmhosts - not lmhosts.txt.

Reboot the laptop and try \\main.

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP
 
Changed the NetBIOS setting but still no luck.
Added the lmhosts entry as suggested and it works perfectly now - thanks.
(Curious, though, that I did not have to do this on any of the other PCs,
just this newest laptop.)
 
This may result from master browser conflict, third party security software,
invalid node type, and/or other issues. Frequently, these kinds of issues
wind up crippling a network which relies on DHCP while the use of static
addresses could easily provide network functionality.

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP
 
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