Cannot connect to workgroup on peer to peer network

Question

I am completely stymied and request help. Here’s the situation: I run two machines on a peer to peer network in a law office. One is a Dell XPS desktop running Win 2K Pro. I use this machine as my file 'server', sharing most of its folders with the second machine, a Dell Latitude D610 laptop. The internet connection is ADSL routed from the modem through a Linksys router, which is configured for DHCP and through which the two computers are connected via Ethernet cable. The connection between these two machines works perfectly, each having unique names in my workgroup, with no file or print sharing problems whatsoever. TCP/IP on both is set to obtain IP and DNS automatically with DHCP enabled. Here’s the problem. I need to connect another machine to the network in order to install a practice management/accounting program. The vendor states this program should not be installed on a machine that will be running other applications, but rather it should be installed to a mapped drive on a 'server' machine (not a client/server, just a p2p server). I haven’t needed this machine until now so it wasn’t part of my original network setup. I have configured this third machine (the exact same XPS model desktop also running Win 2K Pro, with the exact same Intel Pro 1000 NIC) exactly like the server machine, have carefully run the network connection wizard to make it part of my workgroup, with a unique name, etc., and it simply will not see or be seen by the other two computers on the network, nor will it access the internet. I’ve checked the Ethernet cable, run diagnostics and driver updates on the NIC, triple checked all the settings, powered everything off and on again, and still no recognition of the network. The LAN connection is enabled; it receives packets, but can’t send any. It’s terribly frustrating. I’m sorry I don’t have access to the IPCONFIG result as I write this, but it shows nothing for an IP or DNS address for the machine. It does reveal an address for the host. Any insight/suggestions would be appreciated.

MRF4700 · Answer

dssne I had this same problem when running multiple Win2K machines in a home network. First try going into the System Properties>Network ID and change your Workgroup name on all three machines. Restart all three machines. If that doesn't fix the problem, try going into the LAN properties for each machine and verify that the protocols are identical for all three machines? If that still does not rectify the problem? Again, go into the LAN properties window and Click on the INSTALL button and add the NWLink IFX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport, Network Driver and the NETBEUI protocols on all three machines. Restart all three machines. Check to see if all three machines appear on the network? You may lose access to the internet  but, you're trying to get the machines to share the network for now. If you get all three machines to see and exchange files with each other go back into LAN properties and uninstall those 3 afore mentioned protocols on all machines and your internet access should return. Now, I don't know the reasoning as to why this latter procedure worked for me, it just did! Good Luck!

rwm32 · Answer

It would be worth checking whether you need to configure the router to accept the MAC address of your new PC's Network Card.

dssne · Answer

thanks MRF 4700 and rwm32. I'll try both of these suggestions and post results.

dssne · Answer

I'm posting the results of MRF 4700's suggestion for resolving connectivity issues with a peer to peer network between Win2K machines. I installed all of the suggested protocols and it worked, although I never did get internet with the third machine - which is actually fine since I only use that one for a specific program to reside on. It's just bizarre that Microsoft cannot a simple plain English solution to what I would suspect is a not uncommon problem. Thank goodness for forums like this where real world users can actually help each other. Thanks again MRF4700.

MRF4700 · Answer

@dssne wrote:
I'm posting the results of MRF 4700's suggestion for resolving connectivity issues with a peer to peer network between Win2K machines. I installed all of the suggested protocols and it worked, although I never did get internet with the third machine - which is actually fine since I only use that one for a specific program to reside on. It's just bizarre that Microsoft cannot a simple plain English solution to what I would suspect is a not uncommon problem. Thank goodness for forums like this where real world users can actually help each other. Thanks again MRF4700.

Glad that it helped!

MRF4700

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

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