Sudden Network Problem - Mixed Win OSs

[John McGaw]

Today I took my home network down to replace the router -- stopped using
the router included in my Westell ADSL modem and started using a Netgear
WNR3500. I was careful and recorded all of my settings, passthroughs and
other important information and the whole process went surprisingly fast
and easy. Of course there was a problem and it is making me crazy. I
suspect that I've gotten too involved in it to see the obvious and hoped
that someone here could help.

The network consists of three machines running XP, one running Vista, and
one running W2K. The latter machine is used as my impromptu fileserver. My
problem is that my main system SHUTTLE refuses to share files with
FILESERVER and vice versa. Every other machine plays nice with every other
machine. All machines have internet access through the rewired network. The
users on all the machines and the permissions on all the shared folders
remained the same in the changeover.

As an example of the error, I just tried to access a directory on
FILESERVER from SHUTTLE (where I'm typing this) and get: "\\Fileserver\F is
not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource.
Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access
permissions. The specified network name is no longer available."

I just want to emphasize that the usual culprits don't seem to be at play
here. Users are identical on all of the XP machines and two out of three of
these have no problem talking with FILESERVER. No permissions have been
changed on any machine.

Please try to help me get my brain around what is going on here.

 

[John McGaw]

Today I took my home network down to replace the router -- stopped using
the router included in my Westell ADSL modem and started using a Netgear
WNR3500. I was careful and recorded all of my settings, passthroughs and
other important information and the whole process went surprisingly fast
and easy. Of course there was a problem and it is making me crazy. I
suspect that I've gotten too involved in it to see the obvious and hoped
that someone here could help.

snip...

Just to follow up...

The problem is solved but it was not done in a satisfying manner--
discovering the true cause for example. Finally it came down to fate.

Yesterday afternoon the system drive on the FILESERVER computer, an old and
well-worn 80gB Western Digital drive gave up the ghost -- totally non
responsive and seemingly not even spinning. There was nothing for it but to
scrounge through the junk box and find a replacement. I finally turned up a
200gB Seagate and installed that in the machine. Then I installed the same
old W2K from the original CD. Upon doing that the network problem went away.

That tells me that the problem was some unidentifiable something on the W2K
machine but gives me no clue as to what it was. Oh well, gift horses and
all that...