I copied and pasted the ipconfig command into the computers as you said, and all it did was bring up a small DOS window, and closed very quickly. I searched the entire computer, and there was not ipconfig.txt file that was created. But I can answer some more of your questions:
Desktop 1 (wired): Windows XP Home---working
Desktop 2 (wireless) Windows XP Pro--working
Desktop 3 (wireless) Windows XP Home-- Started working last night
Laptop 1 (wireless): Windows XP Pro---working
Laptop 2 (wireless): Windows XP Pro-Not working
All have McAfee Firewall. I've tried to allow acces from the entire LAN, and the disabled the firewall completely, to no avail....
I've been doing a little reading, and some people say that a password is required on the computer that is trying to be networked in order for it to be seen and opened on the network. Is that true? My comuter (computer 1) is not password protected and working fine..... Help
Thanks!!
You have several possibilities for problems. You have to resolve all of them
simultaneously, or never know when one problem is fixed. So consider all
suggestions below carefully.
Using a password on any account is usually a good idea, and yes, I have too read
advice that a non-blank password is essential. I have no experience with not
using a password, so I can't definitively state when one is required. I just
use one at all times. If you have a wireless network, it makes sense to do so.
So please start by setting up (and using) a common account, with identical,
non-blank (and non-trivial) password, on all computers. Once you resolve all
problems, you can use different accounts on different computers, if you wish to
separate access to some data. But fix the problems first.
Since you have a mixed network (XP Home and XP Pro), you need to check your
Simple File Sharing / Local Security Policy settings on all XP Pro computers.
On each XP Pro computer, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel -
Folder Options - View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Pro,
you need to have the SFS settings the same on each computer.
If SFS is disabled, check the Local Security Policy (Control Panel -
Administrative Tools). Under Local Policies - Security Options, look at
"Network access: Sharing and security model", and ensure it's set to "Classic -
local users authenticate as themselves".
If you set the Local Security Policy to "Guest only", make sure that the Guest
account is enabled, and has an identical, non-blank, password on all computers.
If "Classic", setup and use a common account with identical, non-blank, password
on all computers.
For a wireless network, I recommend that you disable the Guest account on all
computers, and setup and use another account. On all computers.
WRT McAfee Firewall, it is possible that un installing it may not have been
successful. If the above suggestions are not sufficient to resolve all your
problems, please re install it as necessary, then activate it and configure it
properly, by opening ports TCP 139, 445 and UDP 137, 138, 445, and / or by
identifying the other computers as present in the Local (Trusted) zone.
Firewall configurations are a very common cause of (network) browser and file
sharing problems.
And please don't contribute to the spread of email address mining viruses.
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 - never
post your address unmunged.
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
