I'm a network noob please help.

[Pseudodominion]

At my wifes work they just added a new PC to the network. This network consists of 3 windows 2000 boxes and the recent winXP box. The 3 win2000 boxes have been on the network for awhile and see and communicate fine. The WinXP box doesnt see these win2000 machines on the network and vice versa. The network is on a 4 port linksys router. In the properties of the win2000 boxes it say workgroup name= workgroup(I didnt do this lol) and its not part of a domain. So when I setup the WinXP box I tell it to include itself in workgroup, but upon reboot, nothing. I admit I am a total noob at networking and just told them I would take a shot at it. Any help on where to start with this would be appreciated.

 

[JackMDS]

Sharing for Win2000.

Link: Windows 2000 Network Sharing.

 

[Pseudodominion]

I'll give it a read after work. thanks.

 

[Garet Jax]

Just a quick thought. Some routers have an uplink port that allows two routers to be connected. Is it possible that the new machine was plugged into this port. If so and there is no uplink switch, then you will need to get:

1) a crossover cable
2) a new router

If there is a switch, then flip it and try again. Another test is to plug one of the windows 2000 boxes into the port you used for the XP box to see if it works.

 

[Pseudodominion]

ya I switched ports every different way and the like. anything physical I tried to eliminate. I know its not the router because it did the same on a basic hub I had. Crossover cable? what is this?

 

[Pseudodominion]

Well after posting I ran the gamut of test to make sure it wasnt a physical hardware problem (cables,nics,ports,etc) Then noticed on the win 2000 machines that Netbui protocol was installed along with TCP/ip and IPX protocols, basically all of them so I elimintate them one by one and as soon as I uninstalled netbui protocol the win2000 machines stopped seeing one another. So this means its using that protocol for the network side. WindowsXP doesnt support or offer the netbui protocol. And using just the TCP/IP protocol nobody sees jack??? If someone could walk me through setting up a network in 2000 that would be great. BTW I reinstall netbui and IPX protocols and the 2000 boxen are all happy again, but this is a no gooda for da XP

 

[Pseudodominion]

NM got em all playing nice finally. After hours of searching reading and voodoo/death threats I seem to have managed to get a network limping along.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: demancalledbok
NM got em all playing nice finally. After hours of searching reading and voodoo/death threats I seem to have managed to get a network limping along.

Really?

I have never heard of computers giving voodoo death threats. But there is a first for everything.

 

[thatbox]

What was the problem?

 

[Pseudodominion]

Well it really the nics. Because they are old they only run 10mb/s and the router is trying to run the network at 100mb/s. However the XP box had a newer 3 com nic thatsupported 100mb/s so the 2 running 10mb/s saw each other while the newer box was left all alone.