Re: Home Networking Difficulties

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From: Ron Lowe (ron.lowe_at_{DELETE}btopenworld.com)
Date: 03/12/04 

Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 10:32:37 -0000

"Ryan" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:ba3801c4080d$5b42fb90$a401280a@phx.gbl...
> I've got 2 computers in my house, one running XP Home,
> and the other running XP Pro. I can share the internet
> connection fine, but I can't share files or printers.
>
> The XP Home machine can successfully ping itself by IP
> address and name, and can ping the XP Pro machine by IP
> address, but not by name (Cannot find host).
>
> The XP Pro machine can ping itself by IP address and
> name, but cannot ping the XP Home machine at all (IP
> address times out, and cannot find host name). Neither
> computer can see the other in the Network Places window.
>
> Strangely, when I double-click the Network Setup Wizard
> on the XP Home machine, absolutely nothing happens. So
> I've manually named each machine, and joined them to the
> same workgroup, but that doesn't seem to help. Any ideas
> what my problem might be? Thanks in advance!
>
> --Ryan

It sounds like there is a firewall enabled on the
XP Home machine making it unpingable.

We can't say what the correct fix is untill we know how Internet access is
set up.
I don't want to tell you to take down the firewall unless the configuration
is safe to do so.

How is the Internet sharing configured?
A router?
One of the XP machines running ICS?
A hub and cable modem feeding both machines?

If the machines are connected to a regular domestic broadband router, or use
XPs Internet Connection Sharing, then it's safe, and you need to disable all
firewalls on the internal LAN connections on both machines.

If you have a hub fed from a broadband modem ( not router ), then do not
disable the firewalls.

As regards the XP Home being able to ping XP Pro by IP address but not name,
it will depend on the answer to the configuration question.

If the machines are connected by router or ICS, then ensure:

NetBIOS-over-TCP/IP is enabled on the internal LAN connections;
There's no firewall on the internal LAN connections;
Check the NodeType on each box from 'ipconfig /all' and report back. 

--
Best Regards
Ron Lowe
MVP - Windows Networking

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