Home Networking Difficulties

[bazie]

I have had something of an ongoing problem that I havn't bothered to fix but it is now useful to me to do so...

I have 3 computers, my XP home laptop, my familys win 98 desktop and my brother XP Pro desktop connected through a router

The laptop and the family machine connect fine, share printers and files fine. However there is nothing I can do to make my brothers computer ever see either of us and I have tried everything i know It connects fine to the internet of course...just not too each other. I can't get them to connect even if I run a direct line between them no router

Any suggestions what would do this?

Windows firewall is turned off on his computer

TIA

 

[bazie]

Futhermore, I don't know if this is related or an auxillary problem....

On occasion (once every day or so but with no known correlation to anything else) my internet connection just drops on all three computers and I have to just reset the router and it works fine again

 

[JackMDS]

I doubt that there is any connection between the two problems.

The Laptop seems to have a Sharing Disability.

Log to this page it has a lot of links to instructions to Windows Network Settings, and Sharing.

Link to: Windows Network - Installing & Sharing.

As for the disconnection (you did not indicate what type it is).

Might be Router WAN side problem or Authentication issue.

Link to: How to Fix Cable/DSL Internet authentication (password).

:sun: