Home Networking with XP Pro

[Greg]

I have set up several networks bdfore, both using a server
and PtoP, using Win9x, WinME and Win2K without any serious
problems. I was recently asked to help set up a friends
home network. He has a Win98 machine, Win2K laptop and
two new WinXP Pro machines. I have set up his DSL modem
and d-link router/hub so that all four machines can access
the internet. The win98 machine and the win2k machine can
talk to each other but none of the machines can talk to
the XP pro machines and the XP pro machines cannot talk to
any of the other workstations. XP firewall is disable on
the XP pro stations. I believe (I'm not in front of the
computers right now) that netbios over TCP/IP on the XP
machines is enabled. This is becoming very frustrating
and has been going on now for several weeks. CAN ANYONE
HELP? PLEASE!

 

[Chuck]

I have set up several networks bdfore, both using a server
and PtoP, using Win9x, WinME and Win2K without any serious
problems. I was recently asked to help set up a friends
home network. He has a Win98 machine, Win2K laptop and
two new WinXP Pro machines. I have set up his DSL modem
and d-link router/hub so that all four machines can access
the internet. The win98 machine and the win2k machine can
talk to each other but none of the machines can talk to
the XP pro machines and the XP pro machines cannot talk to
any of the other workstations. XP firewall is disable on
the XP pro stations. I believe (I'm not in front of the
computers right now) that netbios over TCP/IP on the XP
machines is enabled. This is becoming very frustrating
and has been going on now for several weeks. CAN ANYONE
HELP? PLEASE!

Greg,

Is Simple File Sharing (Windows Explorer - Tools - View - Advanced settings: -
very end of list) enabled or disabled on the XP Pro machines? If disabled, do
you logon to each machine with an account / password identical to one setup on
the XP machines?

Please post ipconfig information for each computer.
Start - Run - "ipconfig /all >c:\ipconfig.txt" - Open c:\ipconfig.txt in
Notepad, copy and paste into your next post. Please identify each ipconfig by
machine name, and by Operating System.

Please verify that NBT (for reliability only use NBT) is in use on ALL machines
- not just the XP machines.

Do you have any third party firewalls on ANY of the machines?

Please describe "cannot talk to" any of the other workstations. Can you ping
the others - by name or by ip address?

Please learn to munge your email address properly, to keep yourself a bit safer.
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Guest]

Again, I'm not in front of the machines, but I believe I
have resolved the protocols. I will double check though.
Thanks for the advice...Anything else?

-----Original Message-----
I would first check what protocol the win98 and win2k

machines use for file and printer sharing. Usually it's
NETBEUI which is not automatically loaded on XP. You have
to load that protocol from the installation CD yourself.
Navigate to: "drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NET\NETBEUI" and read
the TXT file for more info.

 

[Guest]

Let's see if I can answer some of your questions, I will
not be able to get in front of the computers until tonight
at the ealiest:
-I'm not sure if simple file sharing is enabled or
disabled. Currently we would log on to each computer with
a unique account/password. Should simple file sharing be
enabled or disabled?
-What is NBT?
-There are no third party firewalls on any of the
computers.
-"Cannot talk to" I kind not read the shared drives, I
cannot ping either of the XP pro stations from either of
the other two computers (by IP or name) and I cannot ping
the other two machines from the XP workstations (by IP or
name). I can ping the router from all four machines.
-I'll have to review the link you provided on "Munge".
I've never heard this term before, this is the first time
I've been on a Quorum like this.

-----Original Message-----

 

[Chuck]

Let's see if I can answer some of your questions, I will
not be able to get in front of the computers until tonight
at the ealiest:
-I'm not sure if simple file sharing is enabled or
disabled. Currently we would log on to each computer with
a unique account/password. Should simple file sharing be
enabled or disabled?
-What is NBT?
-There are no third party firewalls on any of the
computers.
-"Cannot talk to" I kind not read the shared drives, I
cannot ping either of the XP pro stations from either of
the other two computers (by IP or name) and I cannot ping
the other two machines from the XP workstations (by IP or
name). I can ping the router from all four machines.
-I'll have to review the link you provided on "Munge".
I've never heard this term before, this is the first time
I've been on a Quorum like this.

Greg,

There are two types of file sharing provided with Windows XP Pro - Simple File
Sharing, and Advanced File Sharing. Simple File Sharing is like Win9x/ME -
everything shared is accessible to anybody on the LAN. Disabling SFS gets you
AFS - which is like WinNT/2K, and requires a matching account / password on the
other computer, for access to any share to which that specific account is
granted access.

I always recommend disabling SFS, unless the computers are owned by a Win9x/ME
addict.

But, if as you say you can't ping the WinXP computers, you have more than file
sharing problems.

Your ping symptoms are common to three possibilities.
1) No connectivity. But the four computers can ping the router.
2) Firewalls blocking connectivity. Can you ping the WinXP computers from each
other?
3) Protocol mismatch. If the Win98 and Win2K computers are running NetBEUI,
and the WinXP computers running NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NBT), this would explain
WinXP computers can ping each other but no ping between WinXP and non-WinXP.

Please ensure that NBT, and only NBT, is in use on all 4 computers.
<http://www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net.asp>.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.