Can't view my workgroup. Hmmm

[Kelemvor]

Don't know what happened but here's what's going on

I have a few PCs network at home. All are setup in the same workgroup and have been for a long time. Only change I can think of is that I replaced y primary router so everything has a new IP address now but that's it.

Most of my PCs can go to Network Neighborhood, Entire network, Microsoft, and click the WOrkgroup name and view al the PCs. However, my main PC can not do that any more. When I click the workgroup name, it hangs for a bit and then comes back and says I can't access that resource, check my permissions, etc.

From the other PCs, I can view the workgroup and see the main PC in the list but when I click it, it says it's not accessible.

SO basically, this one PC has something wrong with it.

I *CAN* access the other PCs directly via ping or UltraVNC'ing into one of them, I just can't view them by browsing the workgroup

I tried adding this PC to a different workgroup and then adding it back but it didn't help.

Any ideas?

 

[spidey07]

typical network browsing problem. Use \\computername to access resources and not rely on network neighborhood.

 

[Kelemvor]

I'll try that later but I'd still like to know why it works on all the PCs except one and when it used to work on this one too. But I'm heading out so no time to troubleshoot now.

 

[nweaver]

stale browsing lists. your main PC is trying to get the browse list from the IP of the old master broser. SMB browsing is a dark art, that rarely works without sacrificing a virgin pygmy goat, or installing a WINS server. Even then, pray for a full moon.

 

[Kelemvor]

OK, here's some more info.

From my main PC. I can go to DOS and ping my PVR pc by name AND by IP Address. However, if I go to Start / Run and enter \\<name> or \\192.168.x.x, both of them fail and come back saying no such computer.

Is there something I can reset or delete or something to clear out whatever is stuck looking for the old setup if that's what it is?

 

[spidey07]

Not really. You're stuck in browsing hell.

turn off each and every machine. Wait 2 hours. Bring up the highest level OS you have. Wait 2 hours. Bring up each and every machine after that and wait one hour each time you bring a machine up.

Or screw all that and just install netbeui on every machine.

I know I sound like an idiot, but once you are in browser/netbios name resolution hell this is about the only way of fixing it. Or better yet, don't touch or reboot anything for a day. Rebooting ANY device just makes it worse.

 

[Kelemvor]

All my PCs are XP Pro. The media PC has been on for days as have a few others. I'll leave everything I can on overnight too just to be sure.

I have a total of 5 PCs. 4 of them can all see each other with no problem. It's just this one that is not behaving itself.

 

[spidey07]

you're just going to have to trust me.

Just because it worked before doesn't mean it will ever work again. You are in browser hell and only a complete and total analysis of every single network setting (not to mention what the OS actually thinks your settings are as they are many times different) and diagnostic will get you out of it.

Load netbeui and avoid all of this. Or else just bring up a wins server and it will all be done with.

 

[Kelemvor]

So how would I setup a Wins server? Is that something simple to do?

 

[nweaver]

wins server isn't too hard, as long as you already have a license for/machine running a server OS.

 

[Kelemvor]

Here's the part from my OP that should have clued me in but I missed it.

Only change I can think of is that I replaced y primary router so everything has a new IP address now but that's it.

Not just having a new IP, but having the 3rd set of numbers be different is what caused the problem.

My old router used 192.168.123.x and the new one uses 192.168.1.x. I use Zone Alarm and had the 123.x range setup as trusted for the home network. I never thought to change it to 1.x for the new one so ZA was blocking everything. Just had to change two numbers and now everything is happy.

Thanks.

 

[spidey07]

LOL!

Ya kind of conviently left out the fact that you were running software to PREVENT other computers from communicating.

 

[Kelemvor]

Yeah but only to prevent OUTSIDE PCs. Doh. Oh well. Bet I won't forget to check that the next time. heh heh.