Home Networking Problem

[Darren Murray]

My home LAN consists of two computers, a desktop and a notebook, joined
together by a Microsoft MN-700 Wireless Router. The desktop (named
'DESKTOP') is running Windows XP Pro SP2 while the notebook (named
'NOTEBOOK') is running Windows XP Home SP2.
DESKTOP is connected to the router via ethernet; NOTEBOOK by wireless card.

Up until the day before yesterday (or maybe the day before that)
everything was working well. Seemingly all of a sudden, each computer
can no longer see the other one, although internet access remains
unaffected. Both computers belong to the same workgroup and have
file-sharing turned on. I have removed all software firewalls as well as
disabled Windows Firewall on both computers, leaving only the hardware
firewall of the router.

Each computer has Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer
Sharing for Microsoft Networks, QoS Packet Scheduler and Internet
Protocol installed.

In Windows Explorer, if I click on Microsoft Windows Network, it shows
the workgroup.

If I click on the workgroup on NOTEBOOK, it shows both computers. If I
click on the icon for NOTEBOOK, I see the shared drives, etc. However,
if I click on DESKTOP, it says '\\DESKTOP is not accessible. You might
not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The network path was not found.

From DESKTOP, if I click on the workgroup under Microsoft Windows
Network it says '[workgroup] is not accessible. You might not have
permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of
this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available.'

I've also tried pinging each computer from the other. From NOTEBOOK, I
can ping itself as well as DESKTOP. From DESKTOP, however, I cannot ping
NOTEBOOK.

This was working only two short days ago, and I have tried everything I
can think of. In the event that it helps, I have pasted in the results
of 'ipconfig /all' from each computer.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
--------------------------
NOTEBOOK Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : NOTEBOOK
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wireless Notebook
Adapter MN-720
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0D-3A-2A-C7-07
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.51
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 21 January 2005 20:52:01
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 04 February 2005 20:52:01

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Compatable Fast
Ethernet Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-C0-9F-18-EA-09

-------------------------
DESKTOP Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link DE-528 Ethernet PCI
Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-80-C8-DD-35-95
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.185
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 21 January 2005 21:32:11
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 04 February 2005 21:32:11

 

[Chuck]

My home LAN consists of two computers, a desktop and a notebook, joined
together by a Microsoft MN-700 Wireless Router. The desktop (named
'DESKTOP') is running Windows XP Pro SP2 while the notebook (named
'NOTEBOOK') is running Windows XP Home SP2.
DESKTOP is connected to the router via ethernet; NOTEBOOK by wireless card.

Up until the day before yesterday (or maybe the day before that)
everything was working well. Seemingly all of a sudden, each computer
can no longer see the other one, although internet access remains
unaffected. Both computers belong to the same workgroup and have
file-sharing turned on. I have removed all software firewalls as well as
disabled Windows Firewall on both computers, leaving only the hardware
firewall of the router.

Each computer has Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer
Sharing for Microsoft Networks, QoS Packet Scheduler and Internet
Protocol installed.

In Windows Explorer, if I click on Microsoft Windows Network, it shows
the workgroup.

If I click on the workgroup on NOTEBOOK, it shows both computers. If I
click on the icon for NOTEBOOK, I see the shared drives, etc. However,
if I click on DESKTOP, it says '\\DESKTOP is not accessible. You might
not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The network path was not found.

From DESKTOP, if I click on the workgroup under Microsoft Windows
Network it says '[workgroup] is not accessible. You might not have
permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of
this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available.'

I've also tried pinging each computer from the other. From NOTEBOOK, I
can ping itself as well as DESKTOP. From DESKTOP, however, I cannot ping
NOTEBOOK.

This was working only two short days ago, and I have tried everything I
can think of. In the event that it helps, I have pasted in the results
of 'ipconfig /all' from each computer.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
--------------------------
NOTEBOOK Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : NOTEBOOK
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wireless Notebook
Adapter MN-720
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0D-3A-2A-C7-07
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.51
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 21 January 2005 20:52:01
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 04 February 2005 20:52:01

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Compatable Fast
Ethernet Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-C0-9F-18-EA-09

-------------------------
DESKTOP Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link DE-528 Ethernet PCI
Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-80-C8-DD-35-95
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.185
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 21 January 2005 21:32:11
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 04 February 2005 21:32:11

Darren,

You have a pair of XP SP2 systems, so check the Windows Firewall settings. WF
should be enabled on each computer, so check the File and Printer Sharing
exception on each, make sure that's on too.

Try pinging by ip address, as well as by name.

Next, check for a browser conflict (I'm not talking about Internet Explorer).

Make sure the browser service is running only one of the computers. Control
Panel - Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and
the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started. Disable
the browser service on the other computer to prevent conflicts.

After checking / disabling / enabling as above, power all computers off to reset
the browser settings on each. Then power both computers back on.

The Microsoft Browstat program will show us what browsers (I'm not talking about
Internet Explorer here) you have in your domain / workgroup, at any time.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305

You can download Browstat from either:
<http://www.dynawell.com/reskit/microsoft/win2000/browstat.zip>
<http://rescomp.stanford.edu/staff/manual/rcc/tools/browstat.zip>

Browstat is very small (40K), and needs no install. Just unzip the downloaded
file, copy browstat.exe to any folder in the Path, and run it from a command
window, by "browstat status". Make sure all computers give the same result.

For more information about the browser subsystem (very intricate), see:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188001
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winntas/deploy/prodspecs/ntbrowse.mspx>

The browser requires anonymous access, so look at registry key
[HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa], value restrictanonymous, on both
computers.
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows200...2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/regentry/46688.asp>
<http://www.jsifaq.com/subf/tip2600/rh2625.htm>
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=246261
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296403

The above articles refer to Windows 2000. Remember WinXP is NT V5.1, and Win2K
is NT V5.0.

Have you used the Registry Editor before? If not, it's a scary tool, but it's
pretty simple once you get used to it. Here are a couple articles that might
help:
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...home/using/productdoc/en/tools_regeditors.asp>
<http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/registry>

Just remember to backup the key (create a registry patch) for
[HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa] before making any changes, if
appropriate.

From the Annoyances article:
You can create a Registry patch by opening the Registry Editor, selecting a
branch, and choosing Export from the File menu. Then, specify a filename, and
press OK. You can then view the Registry patch file by opening it in Notepad
(right-click on it and select Edit). Again, just double-click on a Registry
patch file (or use Import in the Registry Editor's File menu) to apply it to the
registry.

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net

 

[Darren Murray]

Chuck,

Thanks for replying.

Darren,

You have a pair of XP SP2 systems, so check the Windows Firewall settings. WF
should be enabled on each computer, so check the File and Printer Sharing
exception on each, make sure that's on too.

First, Windows Firewall is disabled (turned OFF) on both machines. If it
should be on, I'll put it back. Ok, it's back on and the File and
Printer Sharing exception is checked on each machine.

Try pinging by ip address, as well as by name.

From NOTEBOOK, I can ping localhost, 127.0.0.1, NOTEBOOK, 192.168.2.51
(NOTEBOOK by IP), DESKTOP and 192.168.2.185 (DESKTOP by IP).

Next, check for a browser conflict (I'm not talking about Internet Explorer).

Make sure the browser service is running only one of the computers. Control
Panel - Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and
the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started. Disable
the browser service on the other computer to prevent conflicts.

After checking / disabling / enabling as above, power all computers off to reset
the browser settings on each. Then power both computers back on.

I have verified that the Computer Browser and the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
both show Status=Started. On NOTEBOOK, I have now Stopped the Computer
Browser service (I have disabled the service so that it does not start
again at the next reboot).

On DESKTOP, both services show a status of Started.

I have now rebooted and verify the above.

I have now run Browstat and the results are not at all the same.

NOTEBOOK results:

Status for domain EXPATCDN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{F7EA7DB3-5756-4E98-B42F-5FE32A1BE3CB}
Browsing is NOT active on domain.
Master name cannot be determined from GetAdapterStatus.

DESKTOP results:

Status for domain EXPATCDN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8F4F7BC-A441-4D17-AE92-1A197BC113F6}
Browsing is active on domain.
Master browser name is: DESKTOP
Master browser is running build 2600
1 backup servers retrieved from master DESKTOP
\\DESKTOP
There are 2 servers in domain EXPATCDN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8F4F7BC-A441-4D17-AE92-1A197BC113F6}
There are 1 domains in domain EXPATCDN on transport
\Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8F4F7BC-A441-4D17-AE92-1A197BC113F6}

I have no idea what to do with this information, so I guess I'll check
some of the links you've provided.

The Microsoft Browstat program will show us what browsers (I'm not talking about
Internet Explorer here) you have in your domain / workgroup, at any time.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305

You can download Browstat from either:
<http://www.dynawell.com/reskit/microsoft/win2000/browstat.zip>
<http://rescomp.stanford.edu/staff/manual/rcc/tools/browstat.zip>

Browstat is very small (40K), and needs no install. Just unzip the downloaded
file, copy browstat.exe to any folder in the Path, and run it from a command
window, by "browstat status". Make sure all computers give the same result.

For more information about the browser subsystem (very intricate), see:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188001
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winntas/deploy/prodspecs/ntbrowse.mspx>

The browser requires anonymous access, so look at registry key
[HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa], value restrictanonymous, on both
computers.
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows200...2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/regentry/46688.asp>
<http://www.jsifaq.com/subf/tip2600/rh2625.htm>
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=246261
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296403

 

[Darren Murray]

[snip]

From NOTEBOOK, I can ping localhost, 127.0.0.1, NOTEBOOK, 192.168.2.51
(NOTEBOOK by IP), DESKTOP and 192.168.2.185 (DESKTOP by IP).

I should also have said that from DESKTOP, I can ping localhost,
127.0.0.1, DESKTOP, 192.168.2.185 (DESKTOP by IP). However, when I ping
either NOTEBOOK or 192.168.2.51 (NOTEBOOK by IP), it times out.

 

[Chuck]

[snip]

From NOTEBOOK, I can ping localhost, 127.0.0.1, NOTEBOOK, 192.168.2.51
(NOTEBOOK by IP), DESKTOP and 192.168.2.185 (DESKTOP by IP).

I should also have said that from DESKTOP, I can ping localhost,
127.0.0.1, DESKTOP, 192.168.2.185 (DESKTOP by IP). However, when I ping
either NOTEBOOK or 192.168.2.51 (NOTEBOOK by IP), it times out.

Darren,

The asymmetrical ping problem is most frequently caused by a misbehaving
firewall. What firewall did you remove from Notebook?

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net

 

[Darren Murray]

Darren,

The asymmetrical ping problem is most frequently caused by a misbehaving
firewall. What firewall did you remove from Notebook?

Chuck,

I think that was it.

I had Zone Alarm Pro 4 installed on the notebook. When I got the router,
I disabled ZAP but I didn't un-install it.

Now, I've uninstalled it and that seems to have done the trick.

Thanks very much for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[Chuck]

Chuck,

I think that was it.

I had Zone Alarm Pro 4 installed on the notebook. When I got the router,
I disabled ZAP but I didn't un-install it.

Now, I've uninstalled it and that seems to have done the trick.

Thanks very much for pointing me in the right direction.

Darren

Glad to have helped. Zone Alarm again. Huh. Thanks for the update.

BTW, Darren, posting your email address openly will get you more unwanted email,
than wanted email. Learn to munge your email address properly, to keep yourself
a bit safer when posting to open forums. Protect yourself and the rest of the
internet - read this article.
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net