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Thread ID: 42644 2004-02-17 21:52:00 Erratic Home Network tbacon_nz (865) Press F1
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216313 2004-02-26 21:06:00 I'm slowly going nuts here. I now have two PCS - desktop running XP home and laptop running 98SE. Both using fixed IP addresses, connected by a crossover cable. I can ping the laptop from the desktop, no problem. If I ping from the laptop I get all timeouts. So the laptop knows about the desktop (it displays the IP address) but ping doesn't work.

If I try to map a drive on the laptop from the desktop it says "no network found" - even though I can ping.

What's going on?
tbacon_nz (865)
216314 2004-02-26 21:37:00 Got any firewalls running? If so, disable them all until you get it all sorted . Don't forget the Win XP firewall as well .

Also check that there aren't any other programs that could be blocking access, eg Nortons .

Last idea: When my network decides to pack a sad I usually have great success in repairing it by running Win XP's network wizard, firstly on the Win XP machine which creates a floppy disk for the Win 98 computer . Hasn't failed yet (touchwood) . :-)
Susan B (19)
216315 2004-02-27 02:56:00 Perhaps you should install the network in a non-erratic home. :D Graham L (2)
216316 2004-02-27 04:41:00 >>a non-erratic home
You don't know how near the truth you are! One day I might start a thread all about so-called "smart" wiring. However at the moment I have deliberately separated myself from the house infrastructure by using the crossover cable. That's why I am sooo frustrated.
tbacon_nz (865)
216317 2004-02-28 01:12:00 You might find it worthwhile to check the pairing of the fixed cables, too. I assume it was installed by experts, but even experts make mistakes. Even I make mistakkes, and I'm a perfect speler ;-) Graham L (2)
216318 2004-02-28 09:20:00 Currently I'm still working outside the original cabling using a crossover cable . I now have network connectivity between the various machines, with no loss of ping, and I have ICS (via Wingate) email/internet connectivity from the Win98SE laptop through the XP home PC, but no connection with the outside world from the other XP home desktop . What settings should I be looking at that would be allowing internet access from one machine but not another?

Still tearing my hair out, (and I haven't even started to reconnect to the proper network!)

Tony B
tbacon_nz (865)
216319 2004-02-28 09:24:00 don't forget the gateway addy on the client pc's. the wingate setup should have a client setup. tweak'e (174)
216320 2004-02-29 00:35:00 Would that XP problem be the XP Home limitation to one network? I haven't got XP so I know nuttin'. :D If so, you might get around it by installing a proxy on the gateway machine. Graham L (2)
216321 2004-02-29 21:33:00 Right, I've finally solved the connectivity problem - I didn't have a DNS server identified on the second PC.

So the next step is to start reconnecting to the switch instead of a crossover cable and see what happens there.

Progress at last!

Tony B
tbacon_nz (865)
216322 2004-02-29 21:52:00 I've now connected through the switch (still outside the house infrastructure), and have another weird issue. The main (XP) PC and the laptop connect OK, but the other XP desktop does not. This occurs irrespective of the port I plug into on the switch, and if I swap cables, the problem still occurs from the same PC. The active light on the switch does not light, and I can't ping.

So if I use a crossover cable there is no problem, but as soon as I try any standard cat5 (that works on another PC), there is no connectivity.

Aaaaargh!

Tony B.
tbacon_nz (865)
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