XP Pro network problem - all but one PC is OK

[Guest]

Hey MS Network gurus

I'm setting up a small office with 6 graphics workstations on a true peer-to-peer network of XP Professional PCs. We're using 16 GB video files and lots of software like After Effects, accessing files from each others' machines via our gigabit CAT5 network. My network hardware is super-basic. I'm using a DLink router as my DHCP provider (this is one of those inexpensive DSL-WAN + firewall + DHCP server boxes), and a SMC 8-port gigabit switch.

I have two questions. I'll post them separately, so here's the first

I have one PC named BADPC that can see the network, but other PCs can't access in Explorer (typing \\BADPC\ in the Explorer commandline times out and gives error "Windows cannot find \\BADPC"). I can ping it, and a server application running on it ( RealVNC, which uses only the IP address) can be accessed by a client on another PC just fine, so clearly the network connection hardware is OK, and the TCP/IP service seems to work fine. Also, it can access the other PCs on the network fine. Finally, it can access the internet fine - both send and receive

I checked to make sure the Server service is running. It is. I have restarted several times. I tried restarting services that seemed related (NetBT), but I don't understand these well enough to be sure I'm helping

I tried everything in http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm - thanks for those, very useful! - and none of them helped. I did find that the node was set to 8. I reset it to 4, which is the same as a functioning PC on my network

I'm stumped. Let me know what other tech info I can supply to help diagnose this problem, if any..

-Jos
PS - if anyone can recommend an EXPERT consultant for this type of problem in the Oakland California area, please let me know! 510-610-4274 cel

 

[Chuck]

Hey MS Network gurus,

I'm setting up a small office with 6 graphics workstations on a true peer-to-peer network of XP Professional PCs. We're using 16 GB video files and lots of software like After Effects, accessing files from each others' machines via our gigabit CAT5 network. My network hardware is super-basic. I'm using a DLink router as my DHCP provider (this is one of those inexpensive DSL-WAN + firewall + DHCP server boxes), and a SMC 8-port gigabit switch.

I have two questions. I'll post them separately, so here's the first:

I have one PC named BADPC that can see the network, but other PCs can't access in Explorer (typing \\BADPC\ in the Explorer commandline times out and gives error "Windows cannot find \\BADPC"). I can ping it, and a server application running on it ( RealVNC, which uses only the IP address) can be accessed by a client on another PC just fine, so clearly the network connection hardware is OK, and the TCP/IP service seems to work fine. Also, it can access the other PCs on the network fine. Finally, it can access the internet fine - both send and receive.

I checked to make sure the Server service is running. It is. I have restarted several times. I tried restarting services that seemed related (NetBT), but I don't understand these well enough to be sure I'm helping.

I tried everything in http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm - thanks for those, very useful! - and none of them helped. I did find that the node was set to 8. I reset it to 4, which is the same as a functioning PC on my network.

Josh,

Can you ping BadPC by name and by ip address? What do you get if you use its ip
address in Explorer (as you did its name)?

Does "it can access the other PCs on the network fine" mean open files on other
PCs?

Was "node was set to 8" refer to the value of NodeType in
"HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netbt\Parameters"? Was there perhaps
also a DHCPNodeType value in there also?

Please provide ipconfig information for BadPC, and for one working PC.
Start - Run - "cmd". Type "ipconfig /all >c:\ipconfig.txt" into the command
window - Open c:\ipconfig.txt in Notepad, copy and paste into your next post.

Did you try swapping switch ports (and network cables) with another fully
working PC?

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I tried everything in http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm - thanks for those, very useful! - and none of them helped. I did find that the node was set to 8. I reset it to 4, which is the same as a functioning PC on my network.

Josh,

I think Chuck's advice is very good as the next step.

I'll be very attentive to learn about the actual cause and hope
you can identify it and then post it here.

My first thought was also an unrelated hardware defect. Another
possibility would be some kind of interfering software. Third
party firewalls are already covered in
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm, but how about any virus
scanners, ad-ware scanners, the like? Is there anything
installed that might interfere with the network stack?

Hans-Georg