Re: Default Browsers

This thread is getting very long and I've made so many mistakes in the past
two weeks that my desktop system seemed of the verge of crashing.  So, I
decided to restore my system to a date in mid October when everything --
were working well together -- even the file and printer sharing network and
the Grisom AVG Firewall.

After finishing the restore, I discovered that the changes I made yesterday,
following the procedures in PChuck's  "Clean Up The Protocol Stack First,"
had survived the restore process, but then, so did my problem.

I'm going to try to find a technician locally who will do a hands-on job of
examining and perhaps even solving my problem.  The only further thing I now
dare try by myself  is try reconfiguring the file-sharing configuration
using the Configuration Wizard and experiment with giving different answers
to the Wizard questions about my connections to the internet.  I now don't
even remember how I had answered them originally when I got the file-sharing
to work beautifully.

Thanks for your help.  I've learned a lot, though obviously not enough to
solve the problem or avoid destabilizing my computer system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Chuck" <none@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:06jpm1pe6nqro9vsrpkcuf7vf1dkfdabnv@xxxxxxxxxx
On Fri, 4 Nov 2005 22:53:19 -0800, "Joseph Carrier" <jercarrier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"Chuck" <none@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:bjnnm191l0db8ono44pqs4149qp34kupj5@xxxxxxxxxx

On Fri, 4 Nov 2005 13:13:17 -0800, "Joseph Carrier"
<jercarrier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"Chuck" <none@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:h6mkm1lgo6ekpn1sg6lh2qa5vr4bktcab1@xxxxxxxxxx

On Thu, 3 Nov 2005 10:10:29 -0800, "Joseph Carrier"
<jercarrier@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"Chuck" <none@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:hn2jm110m028m4m5160ll0mgal1rv8o208@xxxxxxxxxx

On Wed, 2 Nov 2005 19:49:21 -0800, "Joseph Carrier"
<*email_address_deleted*>
wrote:

I'm still trying to solve a File-Sharing problem and have eliminated
the
Firewall as a problem.  I thought I read somewhere in this newsgroup
that
having a different default browser on two machines may prevent a
file-sharing network  from working properly.  Is that the case?

If it is, I have a second question: How does one select a browser to
be
the
"default?"  I've tried but been unable to make the two machines to
have
the
same default browser; one is now set at IE6 and the other is set at
Firefox.
I've been tinkering with both machines and can't seem get it right.

I would like to experiment with setting IE6 as the default browser on
both
machines. Would some kind reader of this note please post a
step-by-step
procedure for getting this done?

Many thanks,
Joseph Carrier


Joseph,

What you're talking about is a master browser.  Having 2 master
browsers
in a
workgroup is like having 2 bosses in a company.  Some servers report
to
one
master browser, and some to another.  Depending upon which client
you're
on
(viewing Network Neighborhood from), you'll see the various servers
that
report
to the master browser that the client uses.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/04/nt-browser-or-why-cant-i-always-see.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/04/nt-browser-or-why-cant-i-always-see.html

Please don't confuse the browser subsystem (which populates Network
Neighborhood) with the program used for surfing the web. Those are 2
different
functions.

Anyway, if you're having a file sharing problem, provide some detail
about
the
problem.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/solving-network-problems-tutorial.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/solving-network-problems-tutorial.html

Or try diagnosing the problem.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html


(Sorry -- I pushed the wrong button and this reply did not go to the
Group,
as I had intended so I am now repeating it here.

Thanks. I had thought that was referring to the Internet browsers, and
I
guess it did not (I use two: Firefox and IE6.)

Here's my setup and the problem:

Three WinXP SP2 (Home Edition) computers connected (directly) into an
ADSL
router.  This works.  The two laptops are connected wirelessly and the
desktop is connected with an Ethernet cable.

A File Sharing network is set up on all three computers. This does not
work. The two laptops see each other but not the desktop. The desktop
cannot see the two laptops.

I think I've eliminated a Firewall as the problem.  The same
file-sharing
problem persists with no firewall functioning at all -- even after
uninstalling the AVG Firewall on my desktop and reconfiguring the
file-sharing network on all three machines.  (The two laptops use only
the
Windows Firewall.)

I'm completely stumped. Everything worked for months until a couple of
weeks ago. The only significant thing I changed in the system before
the
Desktop dropped from the view of the two laptops was to install the
Google
Earth program, fiddle with to try to get it to connect to the Google
Serve,
failed with that, and then uninstalled the new Google Earth program. I
think something done in that whole process might possibly have messed up
my
previously working file-sharing network.

This may be a clue: I tried "repairing" the "LAN or high speed internet"
connection on my desktop, but that raised the error message that it
couldn't
finish the repair because 'cannot clear the DNS Cache.' I don't know if
that's significant or what to do about it.

Would appreciate suggestions about what to look for now. 

Joseph,

Provide relevant data here, and we'll diagnose the problem.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/10/irregularities-in-workgroup-visibility.html


Thanks for the suggestions.

Unfortunately the URL references in your response tend lose me as I try to
progress from one to the other. By now, I have several file-folders of
printouts from your Blog. I've studied all of them carefully without
getting any closer to understanding my problem -- indeed, I may have
become
even more confused.

For example, with respect to your Usenet posting and Blogs on "Browsers,"
I
still don't understand whether or not my using two internet browsers (IE6
and Firefox,) has any relevance to my file-sharing networking problem.

Let me refer explicitly to one of the many sections of your blog that
I've
studied: Chuck's Network Irregularities in Workgroup Visibility:" While
trying to follow your instructions there, I've progressed as follows:

1. I've pretty well eliminated a personal firewall as part of the problem
by
working with the software company that provides my firewall (Grisom>) and
the problem persists whether or not I have any Firewall.

2. I don't know how to go about checking for an "anonymous access block."
Any hints?

3. I've studied the "ipconfig/all" outputs of the three Work Group
computers and the one for my desktop looks very strange indeed --
especially
in contrast the output of the two laptops. But, I really don't know how
to
interpret what I see. What do you suggest I do then: post on this Usenet
forum the whole ipconfig/all reports for the desktop and ask "What's wrong
(if anything) with this?"

I haven't yet gotten to the download "browstat" part because I'm almost
certain that I'll run into the same road blocks as I have with the
"ipconfig/all" report: I won't know how to interpret the report or how to
frame questions about it.

I'm convinced that you're very knowledgeable, but I'm afraid you're way
over
the head of even the long-time, typical, computer user.

What is your suggestion for me, given the above? Be polite, now! 

Joseph,

From reading your other thread "How to Clean DSN Cache?", it appears that
your
immediate problem is the presence of IPV6 aka Teredo Tunneling on your
computers. Please start by removing that. Instructions are in this
article:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/fix-network-problems-but-clean-up.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/fix-network-problems-but-clean-up.html 

After reading about it in PChuck's Network, I downloaded and installed a
Support Tools Folder from the Microsoft web site so that I might use
Browstat.

I have a feeling that Support Tools are not meant to be used with the Home
Edition of Win XP SP2. In fact , its description at the MS web site seems
to suggest it's intended only for the Pro Edition.

Browstat wasn't among the list of tools in the folder I downloaded -- I
guess that's because at some point during the installation I neglected to
click on the right selection to get the complete set of tools.

When I went to  the "All Programs" listing to check out the Support Tools
folder, I clicked on it and then clicked on third item in the folder:
"command window"  That resulted in a full black screen that I was able to
get out of only by resorting to the <CTRL><ALT><DEL> salute.

I then went directly to Control Panel and uninstalled it. I'm beginning to
see signs of system corruption that may be the result of installing many
complicated and unfamiliar diagnostic programs recommended by technicians --
especially the ones at Grisom's AVG Firewall. One minor but weird example
is that "My Network Places" has now stopped appearing in the first display
after clicking on "START." (from overuse, maybe??)

Do you have a URL for a web page that will let me download "Browstat.exe" by
itself? I tried the web site of neighbor Stanford, (it was listed in
results of a Google search on "Browstat.") but that site doesn't provide a
download. 

Joseph,

<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/browstat-utility-from-microsoft.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/browstat-utility-from-microsoft.html
For more information, read the Microsoft article Troubleshooting the Microsoft
Computer Browser Service. There you will find a link to the Microsoft Support
Tools package, which includes Browstat.

If you want just Browstat, it's available on the web from various independent
sources, Dynawell, or from Stanford, for instance.
# http://www.dynawell.com/reskit/microsoft/win2000/browstat.zip
# http://rescomp.stanford.edu/staff/manual/rcc/tools/browstat.zip

I just checked both Dynawell and Stanford, and both download fine. They do
download fairly quickly, so you may need to check wherever you download, because
even with my slooow DSL, it's a small file, and downloads without any progress
bar.

--
Cheers,
Chuck, MS-MVP [Windows - Networking]
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/
Paranoia is not a problem, when it's a normal response from experience.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck mvps org. 

.