RE: Cannot browse or open shared printers or server on sbs 2003 from client pc

Hi Tom,

Thank you for posting in SBS newsgroup.

>From the description, I understand the issue to be: client computers can
not use the shared printers and also you can not access each other though
typing //servername or //computername on client computers or SBS. If I have
misunderstood your concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

As I know, the issue may be caused by DNS resolution, we can try to check
the following:

1. SBS configuration:

1) Leave the Default Gateway of the internal NIC blank.
2) Configure both the internal NIC and the external NIC to use the internal
DNS Service as the DNS Server.
3) On the DNS Server, create the DNS Forwarder to forward the external DNS
resolution requests to the ISP's DNS server. See:

323380 How to configure DNS for Internet access in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=323380

4) Strictly followed the instructions in the KB article below to run CEICW:

825763 How to configure Internet access in Windows Small Business Server
2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=825763

2. Check the default domain controller level policy "Enable computer and
user to be trusted for delegation" to see if it has administrators added as
following:

1) Expand Advanced Management | Group Policy Management | Forest | Domains
| Server name | Domain Controllers.
2) Right click Default Domain Controllers Policy and select Edit.
3) Expand Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings |
Local Policies.
4) Click User Rights Assignment and then double click Enable computer and
user accounts to be trusted for delegation in the right pane.
5) Check if Administrators has been added in the policy.

If the issue still occurs, please check the following settings:

1. Make sure that you have selected Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP and the
Computer Browser service on client computers and SBS as following:

1) Right click My Network Places and select Properties.
2) Right click Local Area Connection (client computer)/Network Connection
(server) and select Properties.
3) Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and high light it. Click Properties.
4) On the General tab, click Advanced. Go to WINS tab.
5) Make sure that you select Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.
6) Click OK twice and close all the windows.

For detailed information, please refer to the following KB article:

827603 Remote users cannot see a Windows Small Business Server 2003
computer in
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=827603

318030 You cannot access shared files and folders or browse computers in
the
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=318030

2. Make sure the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service and the Server service and
Workstation service are running on SBS, client computers. You may check
them through running Services.msc.
3. Check WINS:

1) Open WINS console in the SBS Administrative Tools.
2) Make sure that the service is started.

4. Check Computer Browser on SBS and client computers:

1) Open Services console in the SBS Administrative Tools.
2) In the right pane, make sure that the "Computer Browser" service is
started and the startup type is "Automatic".
3) Check the same settings on all client computers and make sure that the
"Computer Browser" service is stopped and the startup type is "Disabled".

5. Please disable ICF in your client computers. To do so:

1) Click Start, and then click My Network Places.
2) Under Network Tasks, click View Network Connections.
3) Right-click the connection that you use for the Internet, and then click
Properties.
4) Click the Advanced tab.
5) Click to clear the "Protect my computer and network by limiting or
preventing access to this computer from the Internet" check box.

For detailed information, please refer to the following KB article:

298804 Internet firewalls can prevent browsing and file sharing
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=298804

6. Please try a clean boot to see how thing goes:

1) Click Start, click Run, and then in the Open box, type "MSCONFIG"
(without the quotation marks). Click OK.
2) In the System Configuration Utility (MSConfig) window, click to select
the Selective Startup button.
3) Click to clear the check mark from the "Load startup items" below
Selective Startup.
4) Click the Services tab, click to check the "Hide All Microsoft Services"
box, and remove all the check marks from the remained Non-Microsoft
Services. Please note that the Exchange services could be marked as
non-Microsoft. Please do not disable those services.
5) Click OK to close the MSConfig window. Click Yes when you are asked to
restart your computer in order to enable the changes.
6) After restarting, please check whether this issue will reoccur.

If it does not works, would you please help me collect the following
information for troubleshooting?

1. Use nslookup utility to check the DNS record:

1) On the client workstation, open a command prompt.
2) Type ''nslookup'' (without the quotation marks) and press Enter.
3) Input the server name and then press Enter. Does it return an internal
IP address?

2. Tried to ping SBS by FQDN and server name from client computers and what
is the result.
3. Get the ipconfig/all result from SBS and problematic client computers?
4. Does the situation occur on all LAN client computers?

Hope it helps.

I am appreciated your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Crina Li (MSFT)

Microsoft CSS Online Newsgroup Support

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

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--------------------
| From: "Thomas Lem" <tlem442@xxxxxxxxxxx>
| Subject: Cannot browse or open shared printers or server on sbs 2003 from
client pc
| Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 07:51:24 -0800
| | Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs

|
| I have an existing sbs 2003 server with approximately 40 clients pc's
| (windwos xp sp2 and win2k sp4)
|
| everything has been running fine for about one year.
|
| About a week ago, users have not been able to print. When they open up
the
| printers, their system freezes. I think the pc cannot see or get a list
of
| the printers from the server.
|
| Related to this is that the same computers cannot browse the server
shared
| folder s by typing in Start->run \\servername This also freezes.
|
| The mapped network drives via the login script work fine. Internet
surfing
| works fine.
|
| If I go to the server and also try to connect to the pc that cannot see
the
| server shares, I get a msg that it is not accessible and I might not have
| permission to use this network resource.
|
| - we have trend antivirus and I have done antivirus and antispyware scans
| (all clean)
| - if i go to the workstation or the server and click start->run and type
in
| the ip address, I can see the shares, I can ping the server and
workstations
| fine.
|
| I think the problem is somehow related to either browsing or something on
| the network that has changed.
|
| can you give me some input on how to disagnose/fix this
|
| thanks,
| tom
|
|
|
|

.