Home network driving me nuts

[SemperFi]

This thing is driving me nuts. I had a perfectly working network for a couple of years then I move my 2 boxes to different rooms now I can't share squat. I have read how to's and nothing is making sense anymore. Well enough of the whining here is what I've got.

I have my computer and the kids computer. Both are running xp pro. I have tcp/ip and netbuei protocols installed on both. I have folders shared and the workgroup name is same on both. I have identical logon names on both though not passworded. My user is passworded but not the rest. On my computer I want to share the printer with the other box is the main thing. Anyhow when I go in the kids computer in the workgroup the kids computer name shows and the folders that are shared. In my computer in the workgroup my computer doesn't show at all. I have files and printer shared.

Some things I forgot to mention. I have a router with cable modem and both machines surf the net fine. I tried to ping my machine from the kids computer and that does work. I have a sneaky suspicion that I have botched some setting since my computer doesn't even show in the network folder.

Can someone help save the last couple of hairs I have before I pull them out.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Having been driven nuts myself on network issues, I'll offer a couple of ideas. Most likely not going to help, but what the heck...

You don't mention anything about firewalls. You want to be sure to include the router's range of assignable addresses to the trusted lists on both machines.

Did you install SP2? I believe SP2 turns on XP's own firewall if you don't already use a thrid-party one.

Have you actually marked the printer for sharing?

I'm also a bit suspicious of those user accounts without passwords, especially if they are "limited" accounts. I'd do my troubleshooting from the passworded administer accounts.

Good luck!

 

[SemperFi]

I have the microsoft firewall off and I don't have any other installed at the moment. I am running sp1 still.

Yes the printer is shared along with one of my extra drives. I have a couple of folders shared on the kids machine. So I should be able to see something shared on both computers.

My account is passworded and admin on both machines.

I was reading your post and something made me think of the router settings. I just looked there and I didn't see anything to cause this to happen.

 

[Eltano1]

SemperFi, lets start from the basics:

is the router giving out IP (DHCP enable)?
if the answer is no, meaning that you have statics IP in your LAN, do you have those IP with the same subnet mask?
You mentioned that the workgroup is the same. Did you check the spelling?
One thing that you can do is remove all the setting in both PCs, including removing the NIC cards (no phisically, just from the Hardare Profile) reboot and let Win XP detect it again, and reinstall everything.

Best regards

Eltano

 

[SemperFi]

Yes the router is giving out IP. DHCP enabled.

I had thought about removing the nic from device manager and do a redetect but I haven't tried that yet.

What I found screwy is that on the kids computer I found in network neighborhood the kids machine name with the shared folders. I used to be able to get the same on mine, showing my shared stuff that is. I can't even get that. So I thought it might be a software setting i messed up.

I will give that a try here in a bit. I am loading an os on to a new comp and need the net to look some things up.