Unable to open *View Workgroup Computers* nor access workgroup
jinnii
I have a PC and a laptop on our previously working home network. The
PC in question is wired to the D-Link router, and a laptop on the
network can see but not access the PC.
While on the PC, when I click on View Workgroup Computers it takes
about 30 seconds to respond, then I get an error message saying it is
not accessible.
Can someone please help walk me through any steps to resolve this?
Thank you.
Pajeroid
jinnii wrote:
1) Have you recently installed some new software?
2) How is the laptop connected to the network; wirelessly or wired?
3) Have you recently changed or updated any settings/windows programs
i.e: upgraded to IE7 ???
Then I can help you better. Dave.
jinnii
We recently upgraded from a Linksys DI-614+ broadband router to the
newer Linksys WRT54G. We did not change our workgroup name.
My laptop is wireless using D-link airplus 650+, and we have the D-Link
utility v3.02 installed and do not use WZC.
>From my laptop: When I click on My Network Places I can see shared
folders on the laptop and on our daughters laptop. When I click View
Workgroup Computers I can see my laptop, the PC, a 2nd laptop (our
daughters), and the printer. I can access our daughters laptop but
when I click on the PC I get the error message "[Workgroupname] is not
accessible. You might not have permission... Contact the
administrator... The list of servers for this workgroup is not
available." I can ping
>From the PC: When I click on My Network Places I can see the PC and
shared folders on it, and (this is new) a link for the WRT54G, but when
I click on View Workgroup Computers I get the same message as above.
I can ping the laptop from the PC but not itself, and from the laptop I
can ping itself but not the PC.
We still have IE6.
Pajeroid
First thing I would try is to open IE and type in the IP address of the
new router in the address bar (on your pc).
Make sure the laptop is given a static IP address and not DHCP.
Give the laptop this static IP address and make the gateway address
that of the router.
You will also need to give a DNS address, make this the same as the
gateway.
Make sure you give the laptop an IP address out of the range of the
DHCP range.
This will make sure it is not an issue with IP addresses which is far
more common than anything else with setting up networks as I have
recently discovered!
Make sure you restart the router after setting the IP address of the
laptop. After trying that, give me a shout to tell me how it goes.
Dave.
Chuck
Jinnii,
The error "The list of servers for this workgroup is not available..." is a case
of server message blocks not getting from computer to computer. This is most
frequently a firewall or NetBT problem.
Make sure that NetBT is consistently set on all computers. Read this article.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2006/04/netbios-over-tcpip.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2006/04/netbios-over-tcpip.html
Look for a firewall problem. Read this article with an open mind.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html
--
Cheers,
Chuck, MS-MVP [Windows - Networking]
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/
Paranoia is not a problem, when it's a normal response from experience.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck mvps org.
jinnii
Thank you! I reviewed your links, and after confirming via ipconfig
/all that both Dhcp and Autoconfiguration were enabled on both PC-A and
Laptop-B (I wasn't sure what else to to at that point), I checked the
firewall issue.
On PC-A I turned off (for now) the Norton Internet Security 2006
Personal Firewall, and confirmed that Windows Firewall was turned on.
(Shall I edit the Norton firewall settings so that I can turn it back
on?)
On Laptop-B (Norton Antivirus 2006) that Windows Firewall was on.
Voila... everything is networked beautifully!
Thank you,
Jinnii
jinnii
It appears it was a firewall issue and not an address issue, and after
comparing the Windows firewall settings on all computers involved and
setting them all the same way (and disabling the one packaged with my
antivirus program) it resolved the problem.
Cheers... jinnii
Chuck
Thank you for the feedback, Jinnii!
The personal firewalls are there for your protection, and if you can run with a
firewall on each computer, properly setup, it may help you in the long term. I
run a personal firewall on each of my computers - it's part of a layered
security strategy.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/please-protect-yourself-layer-your.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/please-protect-yourself-layer-your.html
jinnii
Do you mean a personal firewall that is *in addition* to the Windows
Firewall that is running (ie: reconfiguring the Norton Antivirus
Personal Firewall that I disabled earlier today)? It is part of my
Norton package. I keep seeing the red X on my Norton and am afraid
that someday one of the kids (or I) will turn it back on by accident.
Jinnii
Chuck
Jinnii,
You can use either NPF or WF, but not both - having 2 personal firewalls active
will cause problems. NPF is supposed to disable WF automatically. Maybe that's
the problem - it didn't.
Jeanne
PF later. I only have it available for the PC though. Won't it cause
problems if I were to switch back to NPF (after disabling WF) on only
the PC and the other laptops on the network were to continue with WF?
jinnii
PS: I am so happy to have our network working so well. It's better
than before! Glad you are here to help us.
Chuck
Jinnii,
Norton PF and WF provide about the same amount of protection from malicious
incoming traffic, so you should be able to substitute one for the other without
too much risk. The only real risk, from switching back and forth, is that you
might learn a bit about personal firewalls. ;)
Now properly installed, Norton PF is supposed to deactivate WF. WF is actually
a stopgap provided by Microsoft, and should allow itself to be replaced by a
properly installed third party PF, automatically.
So go ahead and try. Use common sense - don't go surfing to www.hackerzrus.net,
from another computer, while any computer on the LAN is unprotected from the
others. But as long as your LAN is behind a NAT router, you're safe from
malicious Internet traffic in general.
And thanks for the encouragement.
>Thanks, Chuck. Perhaps I will wait a bit and experiment with Norton
>PF later. I only have it available for the PC though. Won't it cause
>problems if I were to switch back to NPF (after disabling WF) on only
>the PC and the other laptops on the network were to continue with WF?
>
>jinnii
>
>PS: I am so happy to have our network working so well. It's better
>than before! Glad you are here to help us.