Windows Networking Headscratcher (Can Ping but Can't Access the Internet)

[quiksil903]

Ok, this is a network puzzler. I have a Win95 computer and two WinXP Pro computers that are sharing a DSL connection using a 7004VBR Router and a Netgear WGR614 WAP. Architecture goes like this:

DSL Modem
/ | \
| | |
Win 95 WinXP(#1) Netgear WAP
|
WinXP(#2)

Everything was working great for a while including File and Printer Sharing (printer attached to the Win95 computer).

Then it stopped working. Without so much as a significant hardware/software/settings change.

The WinXP computers can still access the internet and share files between each other. The Win95 computer cannot access the internet.

I can ping the Win95 computer from the XP computers but not the other way around.

I have been troubleshooting for a while and have ruled out the cables - they work fine. The router is obviously not the problem because other connected computers work properly. The network card seems to be in good shape because I can ping the machine.

Here is an especially weird part. When on the XP computers, I could file share with the Win95 machine. Then I tried to print to the shared printer. I got an error message. I decided to try and remove the printer as a network resource and re-add it.

I restarted the Win95 machine and file sharing was restored. I tried to add the network printer and got the following error:

(path to the Win95 machine) is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

The network path was not found.

Whenever I restart the Win95 machine, file sharing to that machine is restored. Whenever I try to re-add the printer or before whenever I tried to print, I get the previously listed error.


Edit: Grrrr can't get the architecutre above to format properly: The DSL modem connects to the WinXP#1, the Win95, and the WAP which in turn connects to WinXP#2
Anyone have any insight as to what could be causing the problem? Much appreciated.

 

[mboy]

Besides from the super obvious-GET RID of the Obsolete Windows 95 and upgrade to a modern OS.
Make sure you are getting the proper DNS and gateway settings to the win95 machine.
Double check that netbios is enabled on the 95 machine and if all esle fails, reinstall the TCP/IP stack on the 95 machine as it may have become corrupt.

 

[quiksil903]

Might have solved it!

Trust me, getting rid of the Win95 machine is a hig priority. It might even happen this month. But in the meantime, I need to make sure that File/Printer sharing works flawlessly and that I have access to the internet to ease the File backup/transfer process. And this is my parent's computer so the process is going to move at their pace (slooooooooooooooooowly)

I checked out the DNS and Gateway settings. I see that I wasgetting different default gateway settings to the Win95 than I am to the WinXPs.

I checked out and compared the IP Configs of all of the machines.

The IP address for the Win95 computer was not in the range that it should have been for the wired router (which it is connected to). Its default gateway also did not resolve to the wired router's IP. Renewing the IP lease did nothing to help this.

So.....

On a hunch, I checked out the wireless router's settings and saw that it was configured to act as a router when I wanted it merely to act like a switch. (I have no idea when I might have done this) So I basically had a wired router linked to WAP also configured to act as a router. Even though the Win95 machine was attached to the wired router, when I disabled the routing ability on the wireless router and renewed the IP lease on the Win95 machine, the IP address and Default Gateway information fell into line with what they should have been all along.

Internet access is restored. File sharing is stably restored.

Could I have been that stupid? Why would this have affected only 1 out of 3 machines?

 

[mboy]

Could be anything from having 2 DHCP servers to not rebooting 2 out of 3 machines for a little while.My guess is you have to reboot the 95 machine A LOT more then the XP machines
Glad it is workin for ya.