Networking newbie needs help

[mafat]

Home Networking help needed.

I have a cable modem and a Linksys Wireless B router. The router is connected to the modem. They both are in my living room. I have set up WEP encryption on the router and my SSID is not being broadcasted.

From my room on 2nd floor I am accessing the Internet through the router from my PC1 (WinXP Pro Sp2) using a PCI apadater Wi-Fi card. I am also able to access internet from another PC, PC2 (Win2K) through the router using USB Wi-Fi adapter.

So no problem with accessing internet from either pc or both simultaneously.

I want to share the files from PC1 and PC2 over the network. This is where the problem is. When I try to ping the PC2 from PC1 it fails and vice-versa. Both can ping the default gateway and access internet through the wireless router. So it seems both are going to the router but unable to see each other.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[JackMDS]

Successful Sharing involves some general consideration in Network settings, http://www.ezlan.net/sharing.html

As well as specific adjustment of each computer according to what it is allowed to be shared.

Vista File and Printer Sharing- http://www.microsoft.com/techn...evaluate/vista_fp.mspx

Basic XP - http://www.microsoft.com/techn...ntain/filesharing.mspx

Advanced XP - http://support.microsoft.com/d...x?scid=kb;en-us;304040

Printer Sharing XP - http://www.microsoft.com/windo...t/honeycutt_july2.mspx

Windows Native Firewall setting for Sharing XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357

Windows XP patch for Sharing with Vista - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922120

 

[mafat]

Jack,

Thanks for your response, but even after following the various link, my problem still is not solved.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
-Mafat

 

[jlazzaro]

hardwire both computers and see if the problem persists....also, disable any and all firewalls.

 

[ITJunkie]

possible your router is blocking smb ports?

 

[jlazzaro]

Originally posted by: ITJunkie
possible your router is blocking smb ports?

i assume both pc's are on the same subnet, hence they are being switched, not routed. since he is unable to ping between pc's, i doubt its a port issue.

 

[mafat]

Thanks for your responses.

I forgot to mention earlier that if I hardwire both pcs to the router then its not a problem.

But one pc hardwired and the other wireless, a no go as with both pcs wireless.

Looks like it doesn't work in the wireless mode (even though they can connect to the internet through the router wirelessly). Could the router itself be a problem? I tried calling linksys for the support, but, they said that as you are able to access the internet wired/wireless through the router, theit support end there and I will have to call microsoft for the OS level support!

Keeping my fingers crossed to find a solution!
-Mafat

 

[James Bond]

Can you ping external IP addresses?

 

[jersiq]

It may seem like a basic question: Are you SURE you are connecting to your network?

You MAY be hitting a neighbors network, I know my embedded wireless on my Laptop kinda sucks for connecting to my router.

 

[mafat]

Originally posted by: Tizyler
Can you ping external IP addresses?

It's kind of surprising. I am able to ping a few sites and unable to ping a few that I tried!

The successful pinged ones:
www.yahoo.com
www.google.com
my.yahoo.com
www.verizon.com

The unsuccessful pinged ones:
www.cisco.com
www.msn.com
www.microsoft.com
www.att.com
www.citigroup.com

 

[jlazzaro]

Originally posted by: mafat

Originally posted by: Tizyler
Can you ping external IP addresses?

It's kind of surprising. I am able to ping a few sites and unable to ping a few that I tried!

The successful pinged ones:
www.yahoo.com
www.google.com
my.yahoo.com
www.verizon.com

The unsuccessful pinged ones:
www.cisco.com
www.msn.com
www.microsoft.com
www.att.com
www.citigroup.com

not surprising...every site is different, and most block icmp outright.

 

[mafat]

Originally posted by: jersiq
It may seem like a basic question: Are you SURE you are connecting to your network?

You MAY be hitting a neighbors network, I know my embedded wireless on my Laptop kinda sucks for connecting to my router.

I checked my router setup DHCP Client table for my Ip addresses. I am definitely connecting to my Wireless-B router --> LINKSYS BEFW11S4 B. The firmware on that is version 1.50.10 if thats of any significance!

I just don't get what's wrong!. Is it the router?

Thanks.
-Mafat

 

[mafat]

Folks, I just upgraded the firmware on the router from version4 1.50.10 to version4 1.52.02 from the the linksys website. Still a no go on wireless way of computers "seeing" each other.

 

[BZeto]

One thing you may want to make sure of is that Client and File and Printer Sharing for MS Networks is enabled on the wireless interfaces. I'm not sure why they wouldn't be, but you never know.

 

[Tenet]

mafat, you are saying that when the pc's are connected to the router with an ethernet cable, you can browse to the shares on each pc just fine, but not wirelessly?

Did you disable the firewalls as jlazzaro mentioned? You probably want to disconnect the WAN while you are testing this so you aren't vulnerable. I don't know if you have a firewall in your router enabled or not.

The wireless card will have a separate ip address than that of the wired NIC. Check the firewall security logs and see if the wireless ip is being blocked. What firewalls are you using, anyway?

And definitely check for the 'File and Printer Sharing for MS Networks' entry in the properties for the wireless connections, as BZeto said above.