Problem With NWLink

[Dick Kistler]

I am trying to use NWLink(IPX/SPX) for file and printer sharing on my home
network.
The first two computers I am trying to connect both are XP Home SP2, One a
laptop, and the other a desktop.
The router I am using is a Microsoft MN700 and the Laptop has an MN720
wireless adapter.
The network works fine with TCP/IP(internet access, file and printer
sharing), so none of the usual suspects(ie, workgroup name, etc.) is a
problem.
I have installed NWLink on both computers and unbound file and printer
sharing from TCP/IP and bound it to NWLink
I have set Frame Type to Ethernet 802.3 and Network Number to 00000001 on
both computers.
Neither computer shows itself or the other computer in My Network Places >
Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network > Home, the page is blank.
Internet access is ok on both computers.

My first question is whether the items in
http://www.careyholzman.com/netfixes.htm#1 and items 4 and 5 also apply to
Windows XP, since many of the details are not the same for XP. At the
present, I am most interested in the registry entries, since none of them
seem to exist on either machine, and the other items, at least in item 1,
seem to be ok.

Please don't try to get me to switch back to TCP/IP alone, just assume that
I am brain damaged and go from there.

Dick Kistler

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

I am trying to use NWLink(IPX/SPX) for file and printer sharing on my home
network.
The first two computers I am trying to connect both are XP Home SP2, One a
laptop, and the other a desktop.
The router I am using is a Microsoft MN700 and the Laptop has an MN720
wireless adapter.
The network works fine with TCP/IP(internet access, file and printer
sharing), so none of the usual suspects(ie, workgroup name, etc.) is a
problem.
I have installed NWLink on both computers and unbound file and printer
sharing from TCP/IP and bound it to NWLink
I have set Frame Type to Ethernet 802.3 and Network Number to 00000001 on
both computers.
Neither computer shows itself or the other computer in My Network Places >
Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network > Home, the page is blank.
Internet access is ok on both computers.

My first question is whether the items in
http://www.careyholzman.com/netfixes.htm#1 and items 4 and 5 also apply to
Windows XP, since many of the details are not the same for XP. At the
present, I am most interested in the registry entries, since none of them
seem to exist on either machine, and the other items, at least in item 1,
seem to be ok.

Please don't try to get me to switch back to TCP/IP alone, just assume that
I am brain damaged and go from there.

Dick Kistler

In my opinion, Dick, that web site contains numerous technical errors
and isn't a reliable source of networking information for any version
of Windows, particularly Windows XP.

The settings that you listed all look good. Please check one more: in
the LAN connection's properties on each computer, scroll down the list
of items and make sure that the box for NWLink NetBIOS has a check
mark.

I just configured two XP SP2 computers using the same settings that
you described, making sure that NWLink NetBIOS was enabled. Each
computer saw itself in My Network Places | Entire Network | Microsoft
Windows Network | Home. When I connected the computers directly to
each other using a crossover cable or indirectly through two regular
cables and a network switch, they saw each other and shared files.

When I connected one computer to a wireless router using a cable and
the other one using a wireless connection, they didn't see each other
and couldn't share files. As soon as I re-enabled TCP/IP, both
computers saw each other and shared files.

I take that to mean that the wireless router and/or the wireless
network card doesn't support NWLink IPX/SPX. But I'm not going to
suggest that you switch back to TCP/IP.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Dick Kistler]

In my opinion, Dick, that web site contains numerous technical errors
and isn't a reliable source of networking information for any version
of Windows, particularly Windows XP.

The settings that you listed all look good. Please check one more: in
the LAN connection's properties on each computer, scroll down the list
of items and make sure that the box for NWLink NetBIOS has a check
mark.

Where is this setting? There is no such setting in:

Network Connections > Wireless Network Connection > Properties > NWLink
IPX/SPX Compatible Transport Protocol

and the NWLink NetBIOS item does not have a properties selection.

I can find a NetBIOS over TCP/IP item in the configuration for TCP/IP and it
is set to default.

I know the in ME that there is such a selection, but I don't see one here.

I just configured two XP SP2 computers using the same settings that
you described, making sure that NWLink NetBIOS was enabled. Each
computer saw itself in My Network Places | Entire Network | Microsoft
Windows Network | Home. When I connected the computers directly to
each other using a crossover cable or indirectly through two regular
cables and a network switch, they saw each other and shared files.

When I connected one computer to a wireless router using a cable and
the other one using a wireless connection, they didn't see each other
and couldn't share files. As soon as I re-enabled TCP/IP, both
computers saw each other and shared files.

I have seen this sort of behavior when trying to use NetBEUI for file and
printer sharing on a wireless network. The only conclusion that I could
come to was that the wireless network was a separate network that was
bridged to the wired network, and required a routable protocol to
communicate.
But NWLink is routable, right, so that shouldn't be the problem.

In the NetBEUI case. I could wire the computers, the would see each other.
Then I could pull the PCMCIA wired card out and put a Wireless Card in, and
they couldn't see each other. I could pull the wired card out and put the
wired
card back in and they could see each other again. So I could do it on one
computer.

However I can't even see the computer that I'm on in the
list.

I take that to mean that the wireless router and/or the wireless
network card doesn't support NWLink IPX/SPX. But I'm not going to
suggest that you switch back to TCP/IP.

Somehow I have suspected this, that current wireless routers only support
TCP/IP.
However, I was assured on the microsoft.broadband.hardware group that
the MN700 would pass IPX/SPX packets. But, as it turns out, I haven't been
able to
do IPX/SPX on my router even with a wired connection.

New problem: When I install NWLink on my Desktop computer, an item appears
in the Device Manager under Network Adapters: WAN Miniport (IPX)#2
with an exclamation point on it. Properties says: This device is not
working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this
device. (Code 31)

The troubleshooter says to re-install the drivers.
When I try to reinstall the driver, no new or better driver can be found,
either on Windows Update or any of the XP disks I have.
(original, SP1a slipstream, SP2 slipstream)

This item goes away when I uninstall NWLink. The only mention I have found
on the internet
is a page that recommends pulling the NIC and reinstalling the drivers for
the NIC with the card
out. Somehow this makes the item go away. I don't know what the original
situation of that poster
was, so I haven't tried that yet.

Stranger and Stranger.

Dick Kistler

 

[Dick Kistler]

"> Where is this setting? There is no such setting in:

Network Connections > Wireless Network Connection > Properties > NWLink
IPX/SPX Compatible Transport Protocol

and the NWLink NetBIOS item does not have a properties selection.

I can find a NetBIOS over TCP/IP item in the configuration for TCP/IP and
it is set to default.

I know the in ME that there is such a selection, but I don't see one here.

Later, figured it out. Brain cloud strikes again.

Still no help though, box was checked anyhow.

Dick