How do I create a Win2000 peer to peer network?

[Muse]

I have everything wired but I can't get things started. When I open My Network Places and open Computers Near Me I get a message:

Workgroup is not accessible.

The network is not present or not started.

The Server service is running. How do I install my network?

 

[DynaGlide]

Silly questions, maybe, but have you installed "Client for Microsoft Networking"? How about "File and Print Services for Microsoft Networking" and enabled it? Have you assigned a Workgroup name? Is it the same for both PCs? Which protocol are you using? TCP/IP? Are you set for static or dynamic (DHCP) IP address allocation?

Open a command prompt and type IPCONFIG /ALL <enter> What do you see?

Do a Start | Run and type \\OTHERMACHINENAME What do you see?

Have you made a generous sacrifice to the Computer Gods? Like, maybe, your kid sister or your cat.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: DynaGlide
Silly questions, maybe, but have you installed "Client for Microsoft Networking"? How about "File and Print Services for Microsoft Networking" and enabled it? Have you assigned a Workgroup name? Is it the same for both PCs? Which protocol are you using? TCP/IP? Are you set for static or dynamic (DHCP) IP address allocation?

Open a command prompt and type IPCONFIG /ALL <enter> What do you see?

Do a Start | Run and type \\OTHERMACHINENAME What do you see?

Have you made a generous sacrifice to the Computer Gods? Like, maybe, your kid sister or your cat.

Nice. This stuff is not new to me, but to be honest, around a week ago most of it was either vague to nonexistent or some word I'd seen maybe.

Client for Microsoft Networking? I installed it an hour or so ago. File and Print sharing for MS Networking, yesterday or the day before. On both systems. I assume they are enabled, but not sure. Yeah, they both have checks next to them, come to think of it = enabled. I had the default workgroup name, WORKGROUP, and thought that was maybe a problem so I changed that on both boxes and rebooted. They still don't know about each other. I think I am using TCP/IP. The one thing about ipconfig /all that bothers me is that it says that IP Routing is NOT enabled. I don't know what that might mean.

I don't have a Primary DNS suffix on either machine. Do I need that? I did a little websearch on it and got the impression that it's only for Win2000 Server. I have no Connection specific DNS suffix. WINS Proxy is also not enabled. There's no mention in ipconfig /all of a workgroup.

[EDIT: At the bottom I basically quote ipconfig/ all. Immediately below are my thoughts on it. Thanks for help.]

I am using DHCP for my computers but have a static IP from my ISP. My router assigns IPs to my two machines. Now for the \\OTHERMACHINENAME thingy...

A little message pops up saying: The network path was not found.

I tried installing NETbeui but that didn't seem to help so I uninstalled it when I read that TCP/IP is the default communication in Windows 2000.

I'm afraid my sacrifices to the Computer Gods are wanting. No cats but come to think of it I haven't talked to my kid sister for a while. Got a letter from her yesterday, though....

Here's what ipconfig /all says:

Windows 2000 IP Configuration
Host Name: danmusic
Primary DNS Suffix:
Node Type: Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled: No
WINS Proxy Enabled: No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 3:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Description: NIC name
Physical Address: MAC ID
DHCP Enabled: Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes
IP Address: My DHCP assigned address by my reoter
DNS Servers: Those supplied by my ISP
Lease obtained: Today
Lease expires: In a week

I don't have a domain. But that's OK, right? I thought I only want a domain if I have a dedicated server. I'm just doing peer to peer, and sharing a DSL connection. The router also has a print server but getting it to work right is driving me nuts.

 

[Muse]

Well, I found a tutorial. Will see how this turns out...

 

[Muse]

When I try to access the workgroup in Explorer I get this dialog:

_______________________________________________________
Microsoft Windows Network
_______________________________________________________

Workgroup is not accessible.

The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available

OK

_______________________________________________________


On the other box when I try to access the workgroup this message appears:

_______________________________________________________
Microsoft Windows Network
_______________________________________________________


<Name of workgroup> is not accessible.


The network path was not found.


OK

_______________________________________________________

 

[speed01]

Do you have a firewall running on the machines? If so, turn it off and try it....

Speed

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: speed01
Do you have a firewall running on the machines? If so, turn it off and try it....

Speed

I'm running Zonealarm on both machines. In general Zonealarm doesn't stop things from working. What it does is ask you if you want to allow the connection, whatever it is. You can say Yes or No and if Yes, you can check the box to allow the connection in the future. I will turn off ZA on both machines and see if things change but I'm not optimistic.

 

[Muse]

Well, I'm making progress. I turned off Zonealarm on both machines and suddenly I can see both machines in my network neighborhood. I don't know if it was turning off ZA that did it - I've been trying a lot of stuff. One thing that I think may have been instrumental is setting up an account on the other machine for the same user - same name. On my second machine I only had Administrator. However, after doing that I saw no change in my network connectivity problems. At the moment for whatever reason, neither machine can see shares that I created on my first machine. Both can see the ones on my 2nd machine. I just see a flashlight scanning while it tries to read my first machine. However, I opened a file on my 2nd machine from my 1st machine. It's encouraging!

 

[Muse]

Both machines see both machines (the names show up), but neither machine can actually see drives/folders/files on the first machine from My Network Places. Waving flashlight when I try to see the shared drives on the first machine. I've checked everything and don't know what to think.

 

[kyutip]

Try this.
right click on the my network places choose properties, right click on local area network, choose properties.
choose install, install protocols, choose IPX/SPX/NetBIOS
after all done you should be able to see the share computer & folder in my network places after a couple minutes.

I do this on my Win2k & WinXP machine, I've experience the same thing as you did.
But I still have problems, I have 1 Win2K, 1 WinXP Pro, 1 WInXp Home on wireless.
All 3 can see each other folders, Win2k have ZA basic, WinXP Pro have ZA 3 Pro, WinXP Home does not have ZA yet.
Both XP machine can access each folders and transfer fine. Win2K can access share folders on XP machine too.
But both XP machine can not access Win2K machine, although they can see it.
When I try to access the Win2K machine, it keeps asking me logon id and password.
any idea ?

 

[Muse]

Only idea I have about that is that I think you have to have the same user on each computer and to be safe I gave them the same group memberships. On my system there are no passwords (both systems) but this tutorial says you sometimes have problems with blank passwords. At least the guy who wrote it says he sometimes has problems. I will try your suggestions. I had modest success this morning in that one computer could open files on the other but since then I haven't been able to connect to the network at all from either machine no matter what I've tried.

 

[Muse]

... snip... Have you made a generous sacrifice to the Computer Gods? Like, maybe, your kid sister or your cat.

I went and bought my first Win2000 book last night. Must weight 6 - 7 lb. Using Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Special Edition (Que Press). 1500+ pages and CD and tearouts. It's got a bunch of stuff on this. The tearout itself would have saved me some time. I hope the Computer Gods are appeased, at least for a while....

Actually my cat eloped with a networking guru, a Cisco Systems guy. Yeah, he worked for them. He used to drive down to their headquarters (I guess) in Silicon Valley in his Porsche. He lived two doors down, and the cat was actually his but it loved to hang out in my yard and it was a lovely snow white and as good natured as they come. I grew quite attached to her. The Cisco engineer moved and the cat remained. One day he came back and got the cat. Um, does THAT qualify as a sacrifice to the Computer Gods?

 

[DynaGlide]

Muse...

That guy wasn't a Computer God, he was the demon's spawn. Anyone who would steal a guy's cat is low, low, low.

Wait a minute, was it Cat5e?

Maybe he just need it for a physical layer upgrade. All is forgiven.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: DynaGlide
Muse...

That guy wasn't a Computer God, he was the demon's spawn. Anyone who would steal a guy's cat is low, low, low.

Wait a minute, was it Cat5e?

Maybe he just need it for a physical layer upgrade. All is forgiven.

No, I'm sorry, maybe I didn't explain well. It was HIS cat! It hung out in my yard a WHOLE LOT. From the start it acted like I was it's long lost mother or something. It was not the least bit afraid of me... ever. Very very sweet cat. It spoke volumes about its owner. He must have been a very very nice guy, along with his wife. I didn't really get to know him. Anyway, it's as close as I've ever gotten to having my own cat. I could get one now but chances are very very good it wouldn't be as sweet as that cat even if I got it as a kitten.

I had a dog once, when I was around 11 or 12. I loved that dog a whole lot. When it died I didn't want another and have never gotten another.