LAN Problem(s)

Not having the slighest idea where this really belongs I will start here and someone can move it if they see fit.

First I have done a complete Virus/Trojan check on all three machines. I used both installed and online Virus scanners.

Three computers on a LAN connected by way of a Lynksys BEFSR41 Router.

All three will access the Internet with no problem.

A with Windows XP Pro. B with Win98SE. C with Win98SE.

All of the sudden in Network places A can see itself and B.

B & C do not show themselves or A in Network Neighborhood.

A & B can play games between them using the 192.168.x.xxx address. But anything that looks for the LAN will not work.

I can set a drive on B as shared and A will see it and I can transfer files to and from it.

C is completely out of the picture on any machine.

Both B & C went South at the same time.

My only thoughts at the time are that B & C are just not logging on to the LAN when started.

Also as the machines are starting up I can see them communicating ( or trying to ) with each other via lights on the Router.

Just is case I will have a go a switching Routers in the next day or two. That is if I do not freeze to death first. It is 0 ( Zero ) degree here right now.

BillyBob

 

Good Greif.

I must have been 3/4 asleep when I said I did not know where this post should go.

I Believe LAN stands for Local Area NETWORKING.

Still not too widw awake
BillyBob

 

BillyBob,

I was going to say it sounds more like a problem with the XP machine, as it seems odd that 2 machines would develop a problem at the same time, and ask if you had NAV on the XP and had done anything with it lately. But then I went back to your post in 'kudos to defrag' and I see where NAV was and my only suggestion to you now is run the Network Setup Wizard on the XP and make a disk to run on the other 2 (unless you have 1 from the original setup) and start from scratch to re-setup the network on the other 2 machines, after NAV is COMPLETELY removed!

 

noahdfear

I myself was thinking about Norton being the possible cause of the problem.

I have not had Norton on the XP machine for A LONG time. But did on the other two. Removing it was one of those " One of these days " jobs which was never gotten around to.

I also had put in the lastest Norton Updates. I had 2003 version on them.

I also tested things with Cable Modem disconnected and all Firewalls shut down. ( not even loaded at startup )

I have gotten Norton off of one machine ( VERY TOUGH Process ) and will get it off of the other soon. I was absolutley amazed at the stuff the Norton puts in the registry. RegSeeker found about 60 entries. And I had to MANUALLY remove some of the Norton folder.

This is not a job that needs to be done yesterday so I will get Norton off of the other machine and then start from there.

OH ! Something else I found while investigating. The Nieces and Nephews have been using AIM for awhile. On one machine I found AOL ( or part of it )

I also found that my Wifes' default Internet Home Page had been changed. One Niece does not like following instructions.

Ol BillyBoob hisself could B the cause 2.

BillyBob

 

I need a little help there.

BB

 

When setting up a home network with XP via the NSW you are prompted to create a disk to run on older OS's. I just recommend doing so as I assume it makes changes that affect the way they see each other (have never tracked the changes though).

 

I just checked Network Places on this XP machine and it now sees A, B, C computers.

So. I believe this is now marrwoing the problem down to the other two machines

Question.

Is ti possible that in messing around I unplugged the cables from the other two machine at the wrong time ( while they were actually connected ) and just plain disconnected them so that they do not now see the LAN at all ?

I write these thing to say different things that I have done which may well play a part in the problem.

Next step will be to get Norton off of the 3rd machine before going further. This may well be waiting till tommorow as we have two B'Day parties to go to today.

BillyBob

 

I think at most you would have gotten a system warning that you didn't disconnect from the network properly, and reconnecting/rebooting would have again reconnected the network.

 

Quick report then I gotta go.

XP machine on. Other two powered down.

Network Places show all three.

Clicking on B or C brings up the " Not accessable Message " Which of course is correct.

BillyBob

 

A note here about the setup wizard and making setup disks for the 9X machines - I'd be reluctant to do that. Too many cases where XP will create a perfect disk for setting up other XP systems but that will completely botch setup on other OS versions. Not always but often enough it would make me nervous.

BB - are things working now or do you still have problems when all machines are powered up?

Sorry for the delay in saying anything here but I was fishing this weekend (and temps down to 5º here too - brrrrr) and didn't really get near a PC except to check email. Brain was frozen I think.

 

Hi Newt.

I went thru the XP Network Setup Wizaard to the point where it said it would turn ICS on. NO WAY do I need that.

I was also thinking about it make disk to suit XP and just might mess up the 98SE machines.

No. Things are not right yet.

This XP machine will see the other two ( if they are on ) And if I share a drive on one of them I can run files back and forth. Right now XP sees none as they are both off.

I have gotten Norton off of the other two and now have AVG AV on them.

But what really puzzles me is the fact that BOTH machines messed up at the same time.

Things have worked so well for so long that I just plain forget what I might need to do.

I just keep getting messages that the Network is not Available.

I have a feeling the the kids may have messed up some passwords on me so the Windows will just not log on the the LAN.

But as I mentioned in an earlier post the lights one the Router show them doing thier checking on bootup.

Gotta get some sleep so I can finish the Kitchen Paneling project tomorrow. ( I HOPE ).

BillyBob

PS.
I have aslo shut down Kerio Firewall so that it did not load at startup.

BB

 

____________________________________________________
I just tried and I can copy files from one of the problem units but I can not copy files to it. It says I do not have the proper permissions.
____________________________________________________

I think that is pretty much what you should expect. When you "share" a drive, the default is to be READ-ONLY.

Do a "right click" on the shared drive of one of your "problem units ", and select "Properties ". Then, click on the "Sharing" tab. Under "Access Type" you should see that the drive is "Read Only ". Just as a test, because I would not recommend you leave this way, but try clicking on the "Full" button, and say "OK ".

Then, go to the PC in your network from which you say you copied files from the "problem unit ". You should be able to send a file to it.

Of course, that will not solve your problem (like the one I have) of not being able to see PCs in the Network Neighborhood, but if you are just trying to get some files onto that PC, setting the access type to "Full" should let you do it. Set it back to "read only" have to you copy the files you want.

 

Yep. I found that the drive was shared as " Read Only ". Reset it to full and files go to it just fine.

BB

 

Not all fixed yet

But I am gaining.

I found one of the other PCs was messed up.

Have once fixed. I THINK

BB

 

Lets try this again

 

A week ( or maybe more ) old problem fixed in five ( 5 ) minutes.

Unplugged the XP HD, Plugged in the 98SE HD. Booted up and BINGO !!! all 3 machines see all 3 machines.

I came up with this idea when I shut the XP machine down and found the other two were just fine.

And it makes no difference in which order I turn them on the way it did with XP.

Units B & C also were able to find the shared printer on A that they could not find with XP loaded. I just had to add a Printer Select Network for it and point it to the shared one on this machine.

Does this give anybody any ideas as to what might have been wrong ?

BillyBob

 

if you can ping

If you can ping between machines then you do not have a networking issue.

You have an OS issue where its not picking up the netbios information from the web. Try removing the network services components from windows itself and reinstall them.

You can also just make a host file and dump the info into it and put it on each machine. This would be quickest fix.


Gobbles

 

Gobbles

You could well be right about it being and OS issue.

I know which OS too. XP PRO.

And when I can just reconnect a Win98SE HD that has not been used in Months and have ALL LAN operations work without flaws I think proves it.

Also when I would shut this XP Pro machine off the other two would start up and shutdown without hangups also proves that something was not quite right in XP. ( I think ) With the XP machine on it would take about 2-3 minutes for the other two two shutdown.

Clue me in here please. Am I missing something ?

What has the Local Area Network got to do with the Web ?

I do not need the Web to use the LAN. With the Router the LAN and the WWW are completely separate. I can use the LAN without the cable even being connected.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob,

Like you said, the problem is obviously within the XP. Check out the fixes in these 2 threads, both odd. (to me anyway)
http://windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26622
http://windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26233

The first one had to do with winsock, the second with IRPStackSize, an entry in the registry created by possibly Norton, which may be in the XP machine since you did have NAV there at one time.

Don't really know what else to suggest at this point, as there really hasn't been much info given about your settings, what has been tried and what hasn't.

 

I really do have to ask this.

WHAT settings

In 98SE all I have ever had to do is;
1-- Give the PC a name.
2--Make sure it was in the proper Workgroup ( most important )
3--Put some discripition to it.
4--Plug it in to the Router and away it went.

I am sure that when I get back into it, things can be fixed up. I just needed to find out who did what and where. AND WHY ? I have a strange feeing that XP did not like something that I did and made its own changes. I HATE XP for doing that

Plus I prefer SEs. way of backing up the Registry only. Much easier to work with. And XP ( unlike SE ) did not ( if EVER ) make a Restore point on its own. SE does a good job of making a reg backup once a day as long as Windows is restarted.

But there is no hurry and the Nieces and Nephews need the printer for doing some schoolwork.

And I do not really need XP for anything anyway. I do not find it overall to be a bit better than SE. Other than taking up about 3 times as much disk space for the OS itself.

BB