Lost network file sharring, can't get it back up

[vulcan4d]

I'm running out of ideas to fix my problem. I have 3 computers networked at home. I have a Win2K machine, WinME machine and a Win95 machine. At first it took quite some time to get the file sharring networking up and running because the Win2K and WinME machines always had problems finding eachother. Eventually after many hours of work, it worked. Well until last month . Now I have the exact same problem and I can't get it back up! What I find the most funny part of all this, the Win95 machine has ABSOLUTELY no problem file sharring with the other PC's. It can see both the WinME and Win2K machine, and NEVER had a single problem. Sometimes I can't even see the Win95 machine on the Win2k/Me machines, but a simple \\"PC-name" works every time. Too bad these newer OS's are going in the wrong direction, they should be getting better right? Well anyway, what else is weird is that I can't ping the other computer. It's like the other computer ain't there. \\"PC-name" or \\"IP" don't work either. All the PC's are connected to the same hub and connected to the same DSL modem so what gives? Only the Win2K machine has a firewall, but shutting it off doesn't help. The WorkGroup name is the same, each has a user account on the Win2K machine, and they are set to client logons so I have no idea what's going on.

Anyone have any other suggestions, I wish every PC was as easy to set up as Win95 .

[reader]

Vulcan4d,

I've experienced a problem like this. I was also running three different Windows OS's.

Check that the workgroup names are all the same on all the boxes.

That fixed it for me. Dunno if some of these are case sensitive, but I treated them as such. I don't remember ever changing the workgroup names (don't know why I would) but one had reverted to MSHOME from the network name I gave it.

And, you're right, the Windows 95 machine ALWAYS showed up on the others!

[YeOldeStonecat]

Same workgroups will help you browse "Network Neighborhood" easier to find the other computers in the same top level, but has no effect on pinging the others.

Are you running NetBEUI? I would. Makes "browsing" quicker, especially on mixed OS networks, especially when there isn't an NT server around to govern WINS. I don't know if you're specifying manual IP address, gateway, and DNS (better method), or letting a router do so (not so ideal)

[Partial]

I have a network with both 98 and 2k machines on it. Win2k is generally more difficult to get working than the win98, but there is reason for that. Security and control on Windows 95 and 98 are both crappy...everything from passwords, logins, accounts to file sharing. Windows 2000 made many changes to improve the weaknesses of the former OS's and that can appear to a user to be nothing more than a hassle. But its like complaining about a lock on your front door making it difficult to get inside your house. So even though these problems really are for a good purpose, it can be a real hassle.

YeOlde had some good ideas about manual configuration. You could also try changing the setting in the Network card properties for Media Type from "Automatically detect" to whatever your DSL modem is (half/full duplex). I guess that its full duplex. Maybe someone else can verify that.

[Scott]

I had similar problems with a Win2K and WinME machine when I was running Zonealarm on the 2K machine. It seemed that disabling it didn't work, I had to uninstall it completely or disable the service under the Services panel so that it didn't start up at all. Maybe that will help.

But, I would definitely set it up so that you are using NETBEUI as YOSC suggested, it seemed to make my life a little easier anyway.