Help with networking two XP home computers

[CaptainHotbeef]

I'm trying to enable file sharing for a home network, both machines using XP home. The network setup is:

cable modem-->smoothwall box-->wrt54g (used as AP and hub)

I have a desktop using a wired connection to the wrt54g and a laptop connecting wirelessly to the wrt54g using a wpc54g. No problems with either machine getting on the internet.

My problem is that I can't get the two XP machines to see each other so that I can transfer files between them. I have tried using wired and wireless connections but neither work. I have the windows firewall disabled right now and there aren't any other software firewalls running.

The smoothwall box is the DHCP and both machines pull IPs from that.

My desktop can ping my laptop and get a response, but I can't reach the desktop from the laptop. The laptop can ping the wrt54g

Any thoughts?

 

[fuzzynavel]

Download a program called Look at Lan so that you can look at your network properly and see what can be seen and what can be accessed...

The problem could possibly be that your Smoothwall is supplying the DHCP...maybe the router is dumb.....try setting the router to supply DHCP and see if that works.....or go into a command prompt on your laptop and PC and type "Ipconfig /all" take down the details and then manually assign the ip addresses and the DNS lookups etc then turn off DHCP on all devices including your laptop and PC and smoothwall and router... can your cable modem supply DHCP??? make sure that it can't.. also there may be security settings on your laptop to do with the wireless networking that will stop the computers "talking"

On a side note....Does the laptop have an ethernet connection??? try using that instead as a sort of diagnosis to make sure everything is ok then try to get the wireless working as I believe people use wireless to get freedom and don't want to be tied down with wires!

Hope all this helps...

Fuzzy

Edit!!!!>>>>>Does your laptop have SP2 for winxp...I believe that were some changes that messed with the wireless connections...try installing SP2 if you haven't already

 

[CaptainHotbeef]

I've tried using the laptop with both wireless and wired and there is no success with either

The router has DHCP turned off and it is essentially being used as a hub and wireless access point. The smoothwall machine gives the IPs for everyone involved.

and yes, both XP machines are using SP2

I'll give that program a try and see what happens

Thanks

 

[fuzzynavel]

From what i am reading yur connection looks like this


PC
Cable modem-Smoothwall-Wrt54g<
Laptop

so I presume that the Smoothwall assigns an IP to the wrt54g as well...I doubt it will be happy with that....

Turn of DHCP on the cable modem and Smoothwall and have the router assign DHCP....It is really just trial and error but you don't know if it will work unless you try!

I know it sounds stupid but I have to ask.....Did you go into "My network places" and "set up a home or small office network"??? I am using XP pro with SP" and have never had a problem.

I've tried using the laptop with both wireless and wired and there is no success with either

Ok so its not the wireless setup!!


If you have a straight through (as opposed to a crossover) network cable then try connecting the laptop straight to the PC and try to get them chatting that way...then once that works then add the router into the equation and build it up until it all works..

I would go through each PC/Lappy in sequence and double check that all firewalls are off and that there is no intrusion detection or blocked lists on any programs that you may be using....I know you said there are no firewalls apart from the windows firewalls and they are off but just make sure...(can you tell I am running out of ideas!!)

Also I am looking at online documentation for your router.....why do you bother with smoothwall....your router has NAT capabilities and is most likely stealthed to internet traffic....so chance of hacking is lower than most....

Try going to 192.168.1.1....which is your routers default address......and check all settings.....my thought are that the router won't be there....after all the smoothwall is handing out IPs...let the router handles DHCP.

I have got to page 60-61 in your linksys manual and found a section caled "Routing" I believe your answer may lie in there....what mode are you using??

Linksys manual here

have a look at the routing table and make sure that your lappy and your PC and listed!

Got to go will think again later!

 

[fuzzynavel]

on page 80 of the manual a question is asked....."What is AD-Hoc Mode????" the answer may interest you....

"The wireless-equipped computers are configured to communicate directly with each other. The Ad-Hoc wireless network will not communicate with any wired network"

This appears to be your problem so there appears to be a setting somewhere that determines and Ad-Hoc wireless network!!!!

 

[CaptainHotbeef]

Well, my brainchild was this:

I had a spare nforce board hanging around and wanted to play around with networking to educate myself a little bit. I read a little bit about using Smoothwall as a firewall instead of a router because it was considered a little more secure. So I thought I would play around with Smoothwall for fun and got that working fine (as a firewall anyway - I don't think that Smoothwall is the problem here). So I disabled DHCP in the router and I'm using it only as a hub to connect the PC's (both the wired and wireless) to the Smoothwall and then to the cable modem and out to the internet. So the router has a fixed IP so that I can access it to administer the wireless settings (WPA, power output, etc) but I'm only using the router as a hub for ethernet connections.

pc or laptop-->wrt54g-->smoothwall-->cable modem-->internet

For some reason I can't see my desktop from the laptop, but I can ping the laptop from the desktop.

Something with the router won't let them connect to each other and I don't understand why. Both machines pull IP's successfully (wired or wireless) so I don't think that the wireless ad-hoc or AP mode will make a difference. Basically right now I am using the laptop connected with an ethernet cable directly to the router to eliminate all of the wireless problems.

Yes, I did use the network setup in XP and it didn't get things right. I think all the basics are covered (same workgroup name, different machine names)

IPCOP is a similar Linux setup - they have a good picture of what I am trying to do.

network types

I can always go and buy a separate hub, but I thought since the router has a 4 port hub built it, I would just use that.

Bottom line is that everything works fine except Windows networking


Thanks for looking into it for me

 

[CaptainHotbeef]

Hold the phone!

I was just able to see everything on both machines now. Isn't there something with Windows taking awhile to see all the machines on a network? So now I have a wired connection that is working fine, so on to the wireless. Now I think you're onto something with the wireless modes. I'm in AP mode now. i'm going to go look into the modes now..

Thanks again

 

[fuzzynavel]

wahay semi successful....


careful i might get a big head....glad to help!

Make sure that filesharing is set up properly and that the connect by netbios is active....

double click your network connection and then click properties.

Then on the general tab click on Internet protocol(TCP/IP) and then click properties.

then click advanced under the section that lets you specify IP addys.

Then go to the WINS tab and check the "Enable netbios over TCP/IP button

see if that helps you share!

 

[CaptainHotbeef]

Well, to complete this thread for the archives if anyone has a similar problem in the future:

I was using the Sveasoft firmware for the wrt54g and loopback is enabled by default for port forwarding. Disabling it let things work immediately. If you're using the Linksys firmware, the setting is under interface (LAN and wireless) on the advanced routing page.

Hope this helps someone else and thanks to Fuzzy for the Look at Lan link - good software

 

[fuzzynavel]

glad to help...I have learned some stuff too!