XP SP2 machines not seeing each other on network

[Guest]

Help, Help, Help.

I posted this yesterday, it got overlooked, and I'm in a bind because I have
to get my machines synched before leaving the country for business later
today.

I have a laptop and desktop, both on XP Pro, SP2. The new laptop's name,
password, and everything else is like that of an old one I'm getting rid of.
All machines are on the same workgroup. Before the weekend, the new laptop
was able to connect to the workgroup just fine, synching to the files on the
desktop and everything that the old laptop could do.

Friday, I was in the middle of installing SP2 from a disk onto the new
laptop, and somewhere in the middle of the copying (before the start of
install), the self-extract
stalled for whatever reason. Bottom line is that I had to stop the install
halfway. Now I've reinstalled SP2 fully onto the new laptop, but it cannot
see the workgroup.

Nothing else has changed, and I know that the basic configuration of laptop
to desktop works, because the old laptop still connects just as it always had.

I need some serious, QUICK help, as I have to fly out, and desperately have
to get what's on the desktop tranferred onto the laptop (and there is too
much data to do a CD transfer sort of deal).

Thanks much if you can point me in a few directions that may be trigger
points for this sort of problem. I am unfortunately very limited in my
knowledge of this setup stuff, and am lucky each time I have ever had crashes
and then fumbled my way back to the right configurations.

 

[Guest]

you can call me @ 804-365-7821

 

[Ron Sommer]

Have you turned off the Firewall on the laptop?

 

[Guest]

You're a star. Didn't realize that the firewall of the new laptop was on,
and at a level that the outgoing connections were turned off. Thanks a
million. John, thanks very much for the offer as well. Truly appreciated,
though won't bother you now.