Other computer on LAN not accessible

This one has me tearing my hair out, as it's a recent problem.

My two XP Pro computers (desktop and laptop) are connected to the internet and to each other by a D-Link DI-524 wired/wireless router, and I have no difficulty connecting to the internet with either computer.

Up until recently each computer could see the other in Windows Explorer and I could transfer files in either direction from either computer, but that is no longer true ... operation remains normal from the laptop but, while the desktop sees the laptop, it will no longer connect to it.

ZoneAlarm settings are identical on the two computers, with the computers properly identified in the Firewall Zones section. I have compared all other settings I can think of, including those in Group and Security Policies, and they are the same.

I have a feeling that the answer is a simple one, but I'm out of ideas, and I'm hoping that someone else can shed some light.

 

See if the laptop is still sharing files.

JC

 

Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I thought I was.

I can still share files/folders between the two computers, using the laptop. Not so from the desktop.

 

Right. Go into My Computer on your Laptop and look on your hdd and see if it has a hand underneath it. If not, rt click the hdd and go under "Sharing and Security" and make sure it is still sharing.

JC

 

One question, are you running XP on the Laptop? If so, Professional or Home?

JC

 

ZA was the first thing I checked. Sharing and Security was the second.

 

Ill leave this to someone else!!

JC

 

As I said, I've covered every base I can think of. Obviously, however, there's something I'm not thinking of. Thanks for the suggestions, though.

 

Well for starter, thank goodness you are using a proper OS and we don't have to put up with XP Home's noddy networking systems.

You said that you had checked permissions for both file and sharing (this sounds like a permissions issue). What are they set as? Have you allowed a specfic user or user group, or are you using the Everyone group?

Next, when you say it doesn't work, can you be more specific? How are you trying to connect. There are three main options:

1. Browse to the PC in Network Neighbourhood - this is the least reliable way. Failure here can just mean Network Neighbourhood is misbehaving. You may not have a networking problem as such.
2. Access other PC by name using \\ComputerName in Windows Explorer's address box. Try this if you haven't already.
3. Access the other PC by IP address. \\192.168.0.1 If this works but accessing by name doesn't, we know it is a name resolution problem.

Method 1 can fail without much feedback. Explorer just hangs. However, if this is a permissions problem, methods 2 and 3 usually result in you being prompted for a user name and password. If this is the case and obvious usernames and passwords don't work try prefixing the user name with the computer name of the PC you are trying to connect to. E.g. computername\username this fixes a lot of problems! However, if you don't want to do that every time, you will need to review your user setups.

Last (perhaps this should have been first) make sure that the username you are using exists on the PC you are trying to connect to.

 

Hi Reggie,

I believe I said that I had checked Sharing and Security (for each of the four partitions on the hard drive). In "Network sharing and security" both boxes, "Share this folder on the network" and "Allow network users to change my files ", are checked for each partition.

For some reason, I'm unable to access permissions, but I recall seeing them just a few weeks ago, and they were set to give maximum access and control to all users (I'm the only user).

I work primarily from within Windows Explorer (essentially the same as your #1), and normally access folders/files on the other computer just by clicking on the one desired (see screenshot).

I wasn't aware of the method suggested in #2 and #3 until yesterday, when I saw your post in another thread. Both work, expanding Explorer to about what you see in the screenshot, but I'm unable to expand the laptop's folders any further. Instead, I get an error message "\\jss-laptop (whatever partition) is not accessible. You might not have permission ... etc, etc, etc ".

The names of my computers are, respectively, JSS-desktop and JSS-Laptop. What you see in the screenshot (JSS DESKTOP and JSS LAPTOP) are assigned nicknames.

Last, but not least, when I search NETWORK (Network Neighborhood) on the desktop computer for jss-laptop, it is found immediately, and I can expand it to what you see in the right pane of the screenshot. When I try to access anything, however, I get the "...not accessible..." error message.

A reminder, just so the information doesn't get lost in the discussion, I have full access to folders/files on the desktop computer from the laptop.

Thanks for the input. If you have any further thoughts or suggestions, I'm all ears.

 

I am still on the opinion that this is a permissions issue.

You only get a permissions tab if the partition is NTFS. You may be looking at a FAT partition when you looked and couldn't find the tab. FAT doesn't allow you to set permissions by file. Another reason for choose NTFS over FAT!

From your posting it looks as though you are using the default set up. That is you are using the Administrator account with no password. Having no password is bad! Makes life easier for trojans and the like, and funny things tend to happen - almost as if Windows forgets it doesn't have a password. In my experience, if there is an option to set a password, it is alway best to set one - even if it's just a simple one. If you don't systems can get confused between an empty password, and a NULL password - the two are different.

OK let's see what happens if you try connecting as a user:

1. Create a new user on each machine. Make the user name Jim, and the password 'password'.
2. Then explicit set permissions for the user Jim on the folders on the laptop that you want to share. If you are not sure how to do this, skip this option. We can return to it later.
3. Then log off the desktop PC, and log on as Jim.
4. Then try connecting to the shared folders on the laptop.

Logging on as a different user may not be as easy as it could be if you have the default setup. The simplest thing is to go into the user settings in Control Panel and enable the option that forces users to Ctrl-Alt-Del to log on. Then if you reboot, you'll be prompted for a usename and password. While you are in the user options screens check that I am right about your default user name (that it is Administrator). The last thing you want to do is log in a non-admin user and then find you can't log back in as Admin. However, your usual log in name should be in the username box when you reboot. It might be worth logging in with that user name first, just to make sure you can, before logging back in as Jim.

 

Correct.

 

At least I've got something right so far!!!!

 

As I mentioned in my PM, I won't be able to pursue this further until after the 17th.

All partitions in both computers are formatted in NTFS.

 

I don't think I can suggest anything further until you posted back with how you've got on with trying to log on as a different user.

 

Not to worry. I'm away from home, with the laptop, and won't have access to the desktop computer until after the 17th.

 

Reggie ...

I'm sorry to have taken so long to get back to you, but I've had other irons in the fire, fish to fry, or any other cliché that applies.

All partitions (four on each computer) are, and always have been, NTFS, but there are NO permissions tabs in ANY partition Properties window.

As I'm the sole user of my computers, I have always been the Administrator (with no other accounts), have never used a password, and have never experienced any problems.

1. Did that.
2. As I mentioned earlier, I could find no way to set permissions. Note that I am in a workgroup, not on a domain.
3. Logging off didn't work ... it was necessary to reboot.
4. You never mentioned whether the new JIM account should have Administrator or Limited privileges, so I tried both ways. Using Limited privileges, I was able to connect to the laptop folders ONE time. Subsequent attempts with Limited privileges failed, as did ALL attempts using Administrator privileges, even after rebooting each computer several times. FWIW, except for the one time I was successful, using Limited privileges, I have gotten the message shown in the screenshot.

I could find no option requiring the Ctrl-Alt-Del "three-finger salute ". When I rebooted I was presented with the JSS (Administrator) and JIM (Limited or Administrator) icons; clicking on JIM prompted me for a password. I even assigned a password to the JSS account, in the hope that doing so might allow access to the laptop files/folders, but no such luck.

 

My question would be, do you have another machine that you can test with, that isn't part of your network normally? The reason I ask this, is because I ran into a similar problem awhile back. The computer could access all machines on the network, however when you tried to access this machine even if you had permissions it wouldn't let you connect. After doing some foot work I found it was combination of some broken Reg Keys, and TCP/IP Stack. Most of the reg keys where hashes and I was unsure of there original settings as they where altered by a system tweak utility. Although I have noticed that depending on what the machine is doing the TCP/IP stack can hobble along for along time before it fails.

Hopefully this might give you some more ideas on your problem.

That thumbnail that you have there JSS3rd is the same error message I would get.

It was faster for me to Format and reinstall than to fix the issue.

 

dcrypter ...

Unfortunately, I don't, and the only one I might be able to borrow is already set up to run on my LAN.

I had already considered the TCP/IP angle, but I don't think that's where the problem lies. I think it's more likely to be something amiss in the Registry.

The problem is not a major one, as I do have two-way communication between the computers from the laptop. It would be nice to get it solved simply because it's more convenient to work from the desktop.

If I can't get it resolved I will reformat one of these days, when I have the time. I have a couple of other nuisance issues that will only be resolved by a complete reinstallation.

 

Welocome back

What are the other nuisance issues? They may be related?