Weird Networking problem.

[Zeretul]

I am posting this question in the networking and general
forum as I see that very few questions are answered
promptly in the networking newsgroup.

I have three computers set up in a home network. C1 has
xp home and the most cpu speed, memory, etc. C2 has 98se
and a 633mhtz cpu and 256mb ram. C3 has 98 and a pII400
and 128mb of ram. C3 also has a printer attached.

I have set up all these computers to connect to the
internet through a router that hooks up to my cable
modem. All the computers have IP addresses sequential
from 100 to 102, with C1 being the first, and so on.

I have run the network setup wizard from the xp disk on
the other two comps, and checked and re-checked all my
settings, but my problem remains.

Here it is. C1 and C2 can both see each other across the
network. They can also see C3. They can access it's hared
files and shared printer. But C3 cannot access the
network at all. I get the error stating that I am unable
to browse the network, or a flashlight .gif file after I
access the Network Neighborhood.

I have tried to ping C3 and get the error that all
packets timed out. C1 and C2 can ping each other, but not
C3. C3 can access the internet with no problems, as can
C1 and C2.

So, my first and second computers work fine on the
network, and can see and use the third computers assets,
but the third computer can't even see the network.

I also noticed that the C2 computer, with a IP id code
of .101 on the network can access the C3's files much
faster than my xp computer can, and that the C2's network
runs faster altogether.

I want to know if designating one of the computers as the
networks router would improve the performance, or what
else I might do to fix my problem with C3.

Thanks all.

 

[Bob Willard]

I am posting this question in the networking and general
forum as I see that very few questions are answered
promptly in the networking newsgroup.

I have three computers set up in a home network. C1 has
xp home and the most cpu speed, memory, etc. C2 has 98se
and a 633mhtz cpu and 256mb ram. C3 has 98 and a pII400
and 128mb of ram. C3 also has a printer attached.

I have set up all these computers to connect to the
internet through a router that hooks up to my cable
modem. All the computers have IP addresses sequential
from 100 to 102, with C1 being the first, and so on.

I have run the network setup wizard from the xp disk on
the other two comps, and checked and re-checked all my
settings, but my problem remains.

Here it is. C1 and C2 can both see each other across the
network. They can also see C3. They can access it's hared
files and shared printer. But C3 cannot access the
network at all. I get the error stating that I am unable
to browse the network, or a flashlight .gif file after I
access the Network Neighborhood.

I have tried to ping C3 and get the error that all
packets timed out. C1 and C2 can ping each other, but not
C3. C3 can access the internet with no problems, as can
C1 and C2.

So, my first and second computers work fine on the
network, and can see and use the third computers assets,
but the third computer can't even see the network.

I also noticed that the C2 computer, with a IP id code
of .101 on the network can access the C3's files much
faster than my xp computer can, and that the C2's network
runs faster altogether.

I want to know if designating one of the computers as the
networks router would improve the performance, or what
else I might do to fix my problem with C3.

Thanks all.

Hardware routing (what you have) is much better than software
routing (see http://home.comcast.net/~bobwbsgs/homenet.txt).
And, changing from one to the other is more than simply
designating one PC to be or not to be the router; recabling
is required.

Access speed between XP and W9x PCs is asymmetric. If the
difference is only a factor of two or so, I suggest that you
merely accept it (some cynics contend that any code from M$
which works at all is a miracle, and working at full speed
is too much to expect). If the difference is really big, you
might try arranging to be logged on with the same credentials
(username & PW) on both PCs -- I found that made a big diff.
on my home LAN.

Check that all PCs are set up as DHCP clients, and that the
router has its DHCP server enabled. Then check that all PCs
are in the same IP subnet: typically, for IPA=a.b.c.d, each
PC should have the same a.b.c and different d's. You can
verify the IPAs on W9x PCs by run WINIPCFG; on XP, run CMD then
type IPCONFIG/ALL in the CMD window. If one PC fails to get
a DHCP-assigned IPA, then see if that PC can PING the router.

While debugging LAN problems, get rid of all firewall and
AntiVirus apps. XP's ICF should be permanently disabled on the
LAN connection. Some firewalls and (maybe) some AV apps are
hard to turn off; it may be necessary to uninstall them.

Make sure that all PCs are using the same protocols: it is
usually best (at least when behind a router) to use only TCP/IP,
and make sure that NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled. Make sure
that ClientForM$Nets and F&P Sharing are enabled on each PC,
and that each PC has a (non-root) folder with a short simple
foldername and a short simple sharename. Always try to make
file sharing work first, since it is simpler; printer sharing
depends on code written by printer vendors, for whom software
support is not a profit center and software design seems to
follow the ready-fire-aim process.

See if each PC can PING each other PC on the LAN. For each
PC-pair and in each direction, try ping-by-number and then
ping-by-name. If ping-by-number works but ping-by-name fails,
then your DNS params are probably wrong on some PC -- try
comparing these params between good and bad PCs.

If some of your PCs can get to the 'net but one cannot, it is
possible that your router is set up to block 'net access for
that PC. You'll need to read the router's manual for this
type of filtering, as it is not standardized.