I have 2 computers running XP professional on a home
network. They access the internet through a linksys
gateway. I have just aquired a notebook with XP home. It
can access the internet through the gateway but can not
access the home network. I have run the wizard on all 3
machines. Need some help.
Between the laptop, and one of the XP Pro systems, test shares visibility (use
actual name / address of each computer as appropriate):
Start - Run then:
1) \\ThisComputerByName
2) \\ThisComputerByIPAddress
3) \\OtherComputerByName
4) \\OtherComputerByIPAddress
Report visibility of shares / error displayed in each test (8 tests total).
What model Linksys?
Make sure the browser service is running on each computer. Control Panel -
Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser service is
started.
On any XP Pro computer, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel -
Folder Options - View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Home
and Pro together, you need to have SFS properly set on each computer.
With XP Pro, 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".
With XP Pro, if you set the Local Security Policy to "Guest only", make sure
that the Guest account is enabled, thru Local User Manager (Start - Run -
"lusrmgr.msc"), and has an identical, non-blank, password on all computers. If
"Classic", setup and use a common non-Guest account, with identical, non-blank,
password on all computers.
For XP Home, OR for XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled, make sure that the
Guest account is enabled (for XP Pro, thru Local User Manager (Start - Run -
"lusrmgr.msc")), on each computer.
Do any of the computers have a software firewall (ICF or third party)? If so,
you need to configure them for file sharing, 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.
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
