XP Network trouble

[woel]

Hi!

I have three xp computers connected in a small network via a hub. I want to be able to share files between them using file-sharing and tcp/ip with netbios. I've come so far that I can connect between the computers with each computer's ip address but I cannot browse my network.

Anyone have any ideas or tips how to get this working?

It might be some problem with the name resolution...

[Admiral]

Did you put them in a workgroup ?

You can view and browse them after in My Network Places with the View workgroup computers task.

[J1NG]

Have you got your XP Firewall up? Kill it if you have.

J1NG

[GNEP]

Also I seem to remember that either SP1 or one of the subsequent critical updates tightens down permissions a bit so even "My Shared Folders" is automatically passworded over the network. You should still be able to see them in Entire Network-->Microsoft Windows Network-->Workgroup though as computers, just not any folders beneath until you have the permissions and/or passwords sorted out.

But I would check that they are all in the same workgroup first.

[Gurm]

You have to set "simple file sharing", or else you have to get very drastic. Once you set "simple file sharing" (which it will warn you is a bad BAD idea) you're golden.

- Gurm

[DirtFarmer]

are these computer xp home or xp pro??
on xp pro i disable simple file sharing to get the file sharing to work like windows 2000. then add each user/password to all computers ... then you can share different resources based on the different user accounts.
check this link out for windows xp home:

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/winxphom.htm

and here for windows xp pro

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/winxppro.htm

i believe there is some step by step guides for networking xp in these pages.
--
Alan

[Admiral]

Ah, yes, you also need to have the guest account enabled for people to log on to your PC.

[Gurm]

Well it depends. If the machines don't have fixed IP addresses it gets really ugly really quickly, because there is no fixed WINS mapping and therefore the machines refuse to even SEE each other half the time.

It's really quite a pain in the ass.

- Gurm

[woel]

Thanx for the suggestions.

All computers are in the same workgroup.
I can only view the computers in the workgroup on the computer that is currently the "master browser".

XP firewall is off on all computers.

All computers use simple file sharing.

Guest account is currently off on all computers. Will try if it changes anything.

On computer is xp home, the other two are pro.

I have added an identical password protected account on each computer.

IP addresses are dynamic. Computers are connected to a hub which is connected to a cable modem. The computers gets their ip from the isp I think (if not the cable modem has a dhcp server).

It does seem that on the computer where I can see the other computers it cannot resolve the other computers addresses from their names. As I said I can connect to them through ip but not by name. Would not be a big problem if Ips were static.

Quite a long list, don't you think?

/Leo

[The PIT]

Enabling guest account is a bad idea if the pc's also have access to the wider world. Just create another general account with a password. To make life easier ensure they're in the same workgroup each one called something different other wise they'll conflit and you'll see no pc's. Make such the ip addressing is consistant 192.168.0.x and the subnet mask are the same say 255.255.252.0 for example. Thats should be it in theory.

[Gurm]

Pit, unfortunately that ISN'T it. Like I said, the problem stems from the fact that WINS and DHCP don't play ball very well. Unless the machines can resolve the WINS name they will never work properly

I guarantee you that you can probably get to the shared directories using the command prompt NET command and its subcommands, and the IP addresses. It's the NAMES and browsing that are all gooned up.

Microsoft, in their INFINITE wisdom, are hard at work here.

- Gurm

[The PIT]

Funny I thought I was talking about fixed ip's and making usre names weren't conflicting.

[Jon P. Inghram]

Unless you're behind a router I'd install IPX/SPX and be sure file sharing is bound to that and not TCP/IP unless you want to invite disaster. Be sure your ISP supports more than one IP if you're not using a router, many cable companies don't any more. Also, the modems DHCP server won't assign IP's unless it's offline.

[Technoid]

Originally posted by Jon P. Inghram
Be sure your ISP supports more than one IP, many cable companies don't any more. Also, the modems DHCP server won't assign IP's unless it's offline. And unless you're behind a router I'd install IPX/SPX and be sure file sharing is bound to that and not TCP/IP unless you want to invite disaster.

What kind of weird modemshave you encountered????

[Jon P. Inghram]

Surfboard cable modems? The built-in DHCP server doesn't assign IP's unless it's offline. If it's online it lets the ISP do it.