Home network problems

[Mort]

I wonder if anyone can help me with a networking problem I'm having. I'm trying to set up a simple p2p network between two winXP computers I have, there is no internet connection to worry about or anything complicated at all. I have set up dozens of networks before, including networking these computers before but for some reason this time they just won't talk.

I have two computers, named win and bell, connected to workgroup MSHOME. bell uses the static IP no 192.168.1.1, win uses the static IP no 192.168.1.2, both have the subnet mask 255.255.255.0
From what I can tell bell is seeing the workgroup fine and can ping itself but not win while win cannot see the network, ping bell or even ping itself using either it's name or IP address. I opened up the connection properties for the connection on win and although it seems to be sending packets it isn't recieving any, unlike bell which seems to be recieving more packets than it is sending. I have replaced the network card in win, plugged the cable into a different port on the switch and swapped the cables between the two computers and nothing changes the problem.

If anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them?

Simon

[Nikumba]

Get rid of the static IP and choose automatic. Windows then uses its cunning tactis and each machine sorts itself out with its own IP

Nikumba

[Chicane]

why are u doing p2p on a lan???

why dont u just share a directory? - or dont u trust each other?

[Afty]

Originally posted by Chicane
why are u doing p2p on a lan???

why dont u just share a directory? - or dont u trust each other? That's what he is doing - the machines won't talk to each other.

The problem is clearly with the box called "win". If it cannot ping itself then it's obviously a problem with your network card, its driver, or your configuration. As you've already swapped the card over that makes it highly unlikely to be the first two, so look hard into the way the card is configured...

[KingDaveRa]

Could be the windows firewall, or another firewall such as Zonealarm.

[Mort]

I don't have any firewalls set up and have never used any firewalls with these computers.

Any suggestions about what settings may be incorrect cos I've been through enerything I can think of / find and can't find anything that helps.

The only thing I would say is that the hard drive sharing on the win computer seems to be a little weird. I have one 180gig hd in two partitions. If you look at either of them in windows they don't look shared (have the little hand icon), although other shared foulders do. If you click on them to share them they say that they are shared and if you try to change the settings they say that they are administratively (sorry for the spelling) shared. The share will reappear when the server service is stopped and restarted when the computer is rebooted. I have a macromedia ftp and rds connection that someone else has put on my computer when they installed dreamweaver (I think) and a 1394 network connection (I have no idea what that is or where it came from but it might have something to do with the bluetooth adapter I have connected to the computer.

[Blood Sport]

i put my money on the Blue tooth causing the problem, removed that and see what happens

[Zenith]

The 1394 network connection is your Firewire socket. If you never use it, you can disable it.
I am assuming that your network cards are PCI plug'n'play type. That way Windows can assign the base address and IRC value for the card.

These are the things I'd look at in order...
1) Is the network cable crossover?
Peer-2-peer uses crossover, not patch cabling (I know it's obvious, but you have to start somewhere).

2) Are the network cards operating properly?
Download diagnostics programs for the network cards from their respective manufacturers websites and run them.

3) Run the "Network Setup Wizard" from
START > Programs > Accessories > Communications > Network Setup Wizard
Make sure that you run it on the Internet enabled PC first, then run it on the second PC.

I find the wizard solves most problems fairly quickly. Try that out and come back if you're still having problems.

[Nivek]

failing that "percusive maintainace" should do the trick (hit it with a hammer)

[Mort]

Originally posted by Zenith
The 1394 network connection is your Firewire socket. If you never use it, you can disable it.
I am assuming that your network cards are PCI plug'n'play type. That way Windows can assign the base address and IRC value for the card.

Oh that's what it is, Thanks, I had already dissabled it

[i]These are the things I'd look at in order...
1) Is the network cable crossover?
Peer-2-peer uses crossover, not patch cabling (I know it's obvious, but you have to start somewhere).[/B]

I don' t think I explained my setup very clearly, I have two computers both connected a small switch. I have tried a couple of different cables (I don't know is they are crossover or not, is there a simple way to tell?) but I have also tried using the same cables in the other computers, which makes no difference to the problem.

[i]2) Are the network cards operating properly?
Download diagnostics programs for the network cards from their respective manufacturers websites and run them.[/B]

I have had all the cards and switch other than the one I installed from new in the computer working before but I'll try

[i]3) Run the "Network Setup Wizard" from
START > Programs > Accessories > Communications > Network Setup Wizard
Make sure that you run it on the Internet enabled PC first, then run it on the second PC.

I find the wizard solves most problems fairly quickly. Try that out and come back if you're still having problems. [/B]

I have run the wizzard and that doesn't change anything

[Afty]

IIRC the thread earlier stated that the card CANNOT PING ITSELF. This clearly indicates something fairly low level (not the cable...).

Can it ping 127.0.0.1 ? (this address is known as "loopback"). If so, double check the IP address you have set in Windows Networking and then try pinging that, what occurs? What error message do you get?

[Mort]

ok it can loopback ping, very rarely but for no reason I can see it sometimes will ping itself ok but even then it wont ping the other computer on the network, usually when pinged it returns request timed out.

[Afty]

Try running

ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -t

The -t means it will run until you tell it to stop. If you do this on its own IP address, are you saying that it usually returns "Request Timed Out" but *occasionally* gets a ping through? Or that no ping at all gets through?

And are you running a firewall of any kind?

[Mort]

I'll try the ping -t when I get back to the computer this evening. I always get request times out apart from about once in 2 weeks when it got through but still didn't see the network. That was at the start of the week though, it wasn't getting through last night.

I have tried uninstalling as much of the bluetooth stuff as I can find but that has made no difference to the situation.

Oh and I have not installed any form of firewall and there is no firewall that I know of.