PCA Forums

i'm missing someting simple here but can't figure it out

home network - win2k pro all around - networked through dslmodem/router thingy + switch

all pcs set to "workgroup", sharing enabled on HDD, all pcs can connect to internet no problem

but whenever i try to see another pc all that shows on the network is the pc i am on

i had a mixed network before of 2k, 98 and me machines and could get on all of them - i would have to enter pw for the win2k machines but that was all - now nada - looked at the win2k help file and it seems i'm doing the right things - if i try and type in the location of something - such as \\mom\c$ - i get a network path not found


need to get this figured out b/c my wife has a 150 mb photo yearbook sitting on her box that represents mucho work and u want to make regular backups on my machine


thankee

Go into (normally) control panel/administrative tools/computer management/users and add the username for each PC that you want to have share on each PC. If you then want each PC to have full controls, (click on name, "members of") and add "administrator" to each PC as well otherwise the default is "user" (read only).
Not being a high security home network here, I enable "administrator" to all PCs that I allow to share (all but my sons PC who can only use the printer), that way I can move any files, install programs, etc remotely if I want to.
I also find that adding the Netbeui protocol helps with being able to see/access file sharing between local lan PCs but some say it's not required.
Also, if you use any firewall software like ZoneAlarm, you'll also need to add each PCs IP address to the list of allowed "trusted" users or ZA won't let the others in.

Evil may not have clearly gotten across that you need to make a user account each computer for each USER name used on each computer (the name that a computer is logged on as).

HOWEVER< that in of itself won't prevent you from seeing other computers on the network - you should still see the other computers, but if there's no user account for you you'll get a prompt for a username and password when you click on the computer icon.

Your problem is that the computer browser isn't picking up the other computers for some reason. Since you have net access on all computers, they SHOULD see each other.

Windows sometimes does this - why I don't know.

Check the network connection properties and make sure that File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is installed and that it's enabled.

Also, bring down the Advanced menu and select Advanced settings in the Network and Dialup connections window and under Bindings for Client for Microsoft Networks make sure that there's a checkmark net to each protocal.


If you haven't got it installed already, install the Netbeui protocal on all the computers. It's a more efficient protocal for small LAN file and printer sharing, and unlike TCP/IP usually doesn't give you this problem.

If you STILL can't see the other computer, hit CTRL-F while in network neighborhood and do a search for the network name of one of the other computers and see if it comes up. If it does, you should be able to click on it and access it.

If this works, then there's nothing really wrong with the network - just the automatic browser isn't doing it's job. You could just search for each computer and make a shortcut for it but that shouldn't be necessary.

If you disabled any services on these computers in order to tweak them, I'd take another look at that - you may have disabled the automatic browser.


Hope this helps...

I was having a very similar problem with a very similar set up only real difference is my computers are running WinXP. Neither computer could access the other. When I tried adding them in Network Places I would get and invalid folder error. Turned out I had some services disabled in computer management. Might want to check to make sure anything to do with networking is not disabled .

thanks! i'll give those suggestions a try - it is probably something in the setup of the remote computers since mine is exactly the same - i used to be able to go to the 98/me computers and do whatever, and the 2k machine would make me log in - i'll check these things tonight

I also use to have as many as 4 OSs on different PCs here (ME, 98SE, Win2K and XP Pro) and although I had them all networked, networking often seemed more problematic then (intermittant).
Now that they're all running Win2K and all properly setup, I have no networking problems ever and it's as stable as can be. Win98 was usually the most seemingly "bugged" with intermittant connection problems between the others compared to any PC running other OSs.

went back and doublechecked everything and now #1 and #2 see each other, #3 sees 1 and 2, but 1 and 2 can't see 3 - oh well, i'll fool with it more later

on #3 when i went to set the sharing on the hds - there was no sharing tab ?? 2k help sexz to jump start it with services, which i can't figure out tonite - brain power diminshing .......

Just another guess here but did you add the service "client for microsoft networks" and "enable file and printer sharing" in the network properties? If those aren't enabled, you won't get a sharing tab when a drive is r. clicked.