Is it an XP or Linksys Network problem?

[Ed]

I'm networking a laptop and desktop through a Linksys WRT54G wireless
router. The desktop is hardwired to the router while the laptop is
connected via a Linksys WPC54G wireless adapter. Both systems are
running XP Home SP2 with all MS updates and both the router and
adapter have the latest firmware.

Today when I was going to transfer 5 files (all in the same folder)
from the laptop over to the desktop, the desktop could only see 3 of
the 5 files. There were no attributes set on any of the files and
there didn't seem to be any strange characters in the file names of
the two that the desktop could not see. I copied the two files to
another shared folder on the laptop and the desktop still couldn't see
them even though it could see the other files in that folder. I
finally had to move the two files from the laptop to the desktop via
a thumb drive which was suppose to be put out of business because of
the network.

What in the world would cause these two files to be invisible to the
other computer on the network. Is this an XP or Linksys Network
problem?

Regards,
Ed

 

[Peter Kaufman]

Some things I would try that might provide some clues are rebooting
both machines and changing the mysterious files' name and/or their
extensions. As a matter of routine, I would also chkdsk the laptop.

How about the other way - can the mystery files bee seen on the
desktop from the laptop once they were copied over? I can't imagine
the problem is the router, but if you can see the files the other way,
it lessens the probability of that even more.

Peter

 

[Ed]

Greetings Peter,

Okay, did a chkdsk /f of both systems… No Problems reported.

FYI and remembering that each of these systems have a single share
folder to transfer files from one to the other….. I then copied a
folder containing multiple folders and files into the laptop’s share
folder. I then looked at that from the desktop and there were folders
and files missing. I rebooted both systems and looked at the laptop
through the desktop and the same folders and files were missing. I
then looked at the laptop’s share folder through the laptop’s network
places and all the folders and files that were in the share folder
showed.

I then reversed the whole process and copied a large folder containing
folders and files into the desktop’s share folder and looked at it
from the laptop and everything was there. So the problem so far is
when looking from the desktop to the laptop.

I then went back to looking from the desktop to the laptop and renamed
one of the files that were not showing up and things got really
strange. The renamed file showed up but one of the folders
disappeared at the same time. I deleted everything in the laptop’s
share folder and copied the same big folder containing folders and
files back and the same files and folders were missing and the same
thing happened to the same files and folders when I renamed that same
file again. WOW!

I then changed the attributes of that folder that I had been copying
into the laptop’s share folder to a share folder itself and looked at
that folder directly from the desktop. Folders and files missing but
not the same ones that had been missing when that folder had been
copied into the laptop’s share folder.

I then remembered that I had Zone Alarm pro running on each system and
shut it down on both systems and went through the whole mess again…
Same results…. I then shut off the router’s firewall… Same results….

So what we have so far is:

1. The desktop can’t see all files and folders in the laptop’s share
folder or any folder set to share for that matter….. Knocks out a bad
place on the HD probability….

2. File name length doesn’t matter as some files and folders not being
seen have names as short as 3 letters and others have files names as
long as 18 letters.

3. If you change the file name of a file that isn’t showing, then it
will all of a sudden appear but something else will then disappear
that was showing before.

4. No utilities or applications are blocking because I turned
everything off that I could think of (Firewalls, Virus protection,
ad/spyware protection).

Regards,
Stumped as hell Ed