Problem with Network Places

[Derek Harvey]

Laptop XP Pro networked with PC XP Home via wireless router and Ethernet.
If I click Network Places on the laptop and there is some fault that
prevents it getting to the PC (e.g., router or PC off), the Network Places
window freezes up. If aborted in Task manager the contents of the desktop
all disappear including Start button and task bar. Any programs with visible
windows still work but nothing else can be accessed.
Explorer can be restarted using Task manager but why should this be
necessary? Is there some setting somewhere that will cause Network Places to
time out if it cannot get to the remote places? It seems a particularly
stupid piece of design if it doesn't even do a ping first. I know I could do
a ping first but why should *I* need to!?

(BTW it doesn't seem to happen with the PC XP Home.)

Thanks
Derek

 

[Jack \(MVP-Networking\).]

Hi
If both computers can access correctly the Internet, then your basic system
is probably working OK.
In order to use the computers as LAN you have to make sure that they are
both on the same Network name, each one has a unique name, and the file
sharing is configured correctly.
Successful Sharing involves some general consideration in Network settings,
http://www.ezlan.net/sharing.html
As well as specific adjustment of each computer according to what it is
allowed to be shared.
Windows XP File Sharing -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304040
Printer Sharing XP -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/honeycutt_july2.mspx
Windows Native Firewall setting for Sharing XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357
Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

[jameshanley39]

Laptop XP Pro networked with PC XP Home via wireless router and Ethernet.
If I click Network Places on the laptop and there is some fault that
prevents it getting to the PC (e.g., router or PC off), the Network Places
window freezes up. If aborted in Task manager the contents of the desktop
all disappear including Start button and task bar. Any programs with visible
windows still work but nothing else can be accessed.
Explorer can be restarted using Task manager but why should this be
necessary? Is there some setting somewhere that will cause Network Placesto
time out if it cannot get to the remote places? It seems a particularly
stupid piece of design if it doesn't even do a ping first. I know I coulddo
a ping first but why should *I* need to!?

(BTW it doesn't seem to happen with the PC XP Home.)

Thanks
Derek

I have found a similar problem..

Try unplugging your network cable. It can't get to the share but does
it take ages?
I find it takes ages when the computer with the share is off.

The "My Network Places" window opens up fine.

But if I double click on a share when the computer with that share is
off, then it acts like something is taking up lots of ram or cpu, and
then windows recovers itself and pops up with an error message.

And it's not just "My Network Places".

If I go to "My Computer" and double click a map to a network drive,
then it happens.

And also,
if you open notepad, and open a file on a network drive, then turn off
the remote computer. And try to save the file in notepad,
then notepad goes a bit crazy for a while, behaving in a similar way
to the "My Network Places" window. Windows doing the same thing.
Ms Word similar. With Ms Word, the Ms Word window went funny such that
when moving the mouse over it I could not see the cursor..

I agree with you, it would be great if windows did a simple ping,
and by the way, you can do a quick ping (useful if testing free
proxies perhaps!)

ping -n -n 1 -w 0 compblah

Your behaviour is a bit different to mine 'cos your one the "My
Network Places" window freezes straight away.

What happens on the XP Home machine if you double click a share where
the remote machine is turned off?
Does it freeze then ?

 

[jameshanley39]

Laptop XP Pro networked with PC XP Home via wireless router and Ethernet.
If I click Network Places on the laptop and there is some fault that
prevents it getting to the PC (e.g., router or PC off), the Network Places
window freezes up. If aborted in Task manager the contents of the desktop
all disappear including Start button and task bar. Any programs with visible
windows still work but nothing else can be accessed.
Explorer can be restarted using Task manager but why should this be
necessary? Is there some setting somewhere that will cause Network Placesto
time out if it cannot get to the remote places? It seems a particularly
stupid piece of design if it doesn't even do a ping first. I know I coulddo
a ping first but why should *I* need to!?

(BTW it doesn't seem to happen with the PC XP Home.)

Thanks
Derek

2 more obvious points.

- i'm assuming your file sharing is working fine, and you can do \
\ip (to another machine that is on and in windows) (start..run..\\ip
<ENTER> (where ip is the ip of the remote machine of course)
'cos if you can't do that then in terms of troubleshooting, you are
really asking the wrong question and misidentifying the problem.

- if you can do \\ip ,(which is good) There is indeed an issue of
"My network places" taking ages. But it's not really for what you
call shares it cannot get to. In a sense, it is I suppose . The
Name for them doesn't work, but the IP does. And the computer is
reachable, you can do \\IP and go to whatever directory. In that
situation, it's windows form of DNS, I think it's called NETBIOS
over TCP/IP or NETBT, that is where the problem is. And in that
situation, it's probably that it is not enabled on one of the
computers.
(there are 3 options, default, enable, disable). default prob works,
but just choose enable).


And some checks to make sure file sharing is setup up on each machine
and with NETBT.

check that ports like 135 139 445 are listening(or being listened on
rather), they should be , something like those ports. type netstat -
aon See the difference between enabled and disabled. it's prob 135.
The other are prob purely from adding file sharing(the screen from
right clicking a network connection..properties.
Install...Client.... )

And check that your firewall is really letting it all in, I think if
you double click "file sharing" in the windows firewall under
exceptions, it comes up with all the ports for NETBT. So I think
you're meant to fcheck the file sharing box, and check all the ports
it offers within it, liek 135 .139 445 So the firewall lets it in.

 

[jameshanley39]

I find it takes ages when the computer with the share is off.

this is a standard problem apparently.

windows is too stupid to give it a quick ping. A basic functionality
would be to tell you that the computer is off. one should not -have-
to know if the computer far away is on/off. or sohuldn't have to
manually ping.

One thing hthat can help a delay in some way - though doesn't help me
- is unchecking tools.folder options.."Automatically search for
network folders and printers".

another thing that might have been relevant, whether mapped by IP or
by hostname. If that's possible - if it really does work like that.
But I don't think that's the issue for me anyway. "My network places"
picks up the hostnames anyway, it has them cached. (a friend I was
having a -chat- with suggested /etc/init.d/smb restart but that's
obviously a linux samba thing). And that's just for clearing the
cache, possibly, and as a curiousity. And it's not the issue.