Home Network - can't access using share name

[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.

 

[Doug Sherman [MVP]]

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

 

[Guest]

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.)

 

[Doug Sherman [MVP]]

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