Unable to Share Files

Question

hi, can anyone help me with this problem...  i have a wireless network in my home office that has been working great since i installed it earlier this year.  however, i have not been able to successfully share files.  i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong - i've tried disabling the windows firewalls and the norton firewalls i have on both of my networked computers, thinking that may be the problem.  i've also tried everything in the windows xp help document on sharing files - like confirming both of my computers are in the same workgroup, ensuring that both computers have file sharing enabled, etc. - but nothing has worked.  i feel like i might be missing something really simple but i'm not sure.   here are the details of my system if it helps:   cable modem hooked to dell truemobile 2300 hooked via ethernet cable to dell dimension 8100 also hooked via wireless connection to dell latitude d800 both computers on windows xp professional, with service pack 2, firewalls enabled both computers using norton internet security, with firewalls enabled   when i go into network places on my latitude, i cannot see the folders from my dimension that i have enabled to be shared.  also, when i go into 'view workgroup computers' on the latitude, i do not see the dimension listed.  it is the same if you try to find the latidude's files on the dimension.   thank you!!!

luenies · Answer

fyi - after i posted this message i found a link to the below website in the forum   http://www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net-update.asp#share   after following all of the instructions, i think the step where you configure all of the computers with netbios over tcp/ip resolved one of my problems - the reason why i say this is now when i look at the folders i have shared, they have an icon on them (is it a hand?) that didn't used to appear.  but this didn't resolve all of the issue as i still can't find the latitude on my dimension and vice versa.  i tried the troubleshooting steps listed - searching for the computer on my network and adding a network place and it says my address is invalid (i.e., \computername\sharename).   i don't know if this helps/matters at all, but after i followed the above instructions, when i click on network places on the dimension, i can see the folder from the dimension that i chose to share with the latitude.  however, when i click on network places on the latitude, i cannot see the folder from the latitude that i chose to share with the dimension.  plus i can't see the other computer on either.  strange?   help!!

sparticus1262 · Answer

Try this: Both computers should have their own IP addresses 192.168.1.xxx. With my Linksys router one is 101, 102 and etc. for xxx. I have 1 PC wired to the router and two Notebooks with WIFI cards. From one of your PC's Open up your browser or Windows explorer and type in \192.168.1.xxx\Folder (xxx is computer your trying to access and Folder is the 'folder' your trying to access). The hand means the folder is sharable. This has worked for me. If I use VPN then I cannot connect up but I think that's what is suppose to do?

lofstrom · Answer

I have the exact same problem. My two computers can't see each other, allthough they are connected to Internet via the same router.   //Stefan

maggie99635 · Answer

Leunies, make sure computer browser,netbios helper...., well this link might help you http://forums.practicallynetworked.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=833 and

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_filesharing/index.htm

maggie99635 · Answer

If you are using Pro on all the machines then they work better if you disable simple filesharing on each machine. You will be able to get to more folders. If you are using simple filesharing then go to computer management: local users and groups >users and enable the guest account on all the machines. If all your profiles and passwords are different it might help to go to the Administrator Account and make the password the same on all of them. Run box type control userpasswords2 to change them. Reboot the machines often while you are messing with the network.

Go to view workgroup computers and click on each one. Do you see the shares there? If when you look at the shared folder on the machine that it is one if it has a $(hidden share) then click new share and name it without the $

If you are using Windows to configure your network the SSID has to be broadcasting. Use MAC Filtering and wep or wpa.

luenies · Answer

maggie - i tried the steps in the links you sent and it still isn't working.   sparticus - also tried what you suggested, and it also didn't work.  btw, my ip addresses are 192.168.2.3 and 192.168.2.4.  does this sound right?   i'm not sure if this matters or not, but when i click on my network places, i can't see a list of all of the computers connected to the network.  what i CAN see on the dimension is the one folder from the dimension i have enabled to be shared on the network.  it is the same on the latitude - i can only see the one folder from the latitude i have enabled to be shared on the network.  does this make sense?   ooo, you know i just thought of something.  i have 'hidden' my wireless network so that neighbors cannot see it (there is a button to do this under the advanced settings of my truemobile 2300) - i wonder if that has something to do with it?  i'm going to go unhide it to see.   HELP!

luenies · Answer

maggie - per the link you sent, i already tried disabling simple filesharing, making the passwords the same, and rebooting. didn't work.

when i go to view workgroup computers i can only see the computer i am on - not the other ones on the network. they both have the same workgroup name so i can't figure out why they can't see each other.

i tried "unhiding" my wireless network and that didn't work. fyi - i already have wpa.

here's another thought - you can tell me if it might be the cause - my husband also connects into my dell router via ethernet cable for his work. he is on a vpn and part of a different workgroup (his work's). could something with his settings for work have affected my network? i would doubt it, but thought it was worth a shot.

really appreciate the assistance...

maggie99635 · Answer

Even if you aren't using the windows firewall go in and look click advanced then the exceptions. Printer and filesharing,upnp,remote desktop,, just check everything that is in there.  You can uncheck some later. I don't know how the truemobile 2300 handles VPN. If everything worked before SP2 this link might be the ticket. http://users.tpg.com.au/adsl5muj/index.htm  The first file can be downloaded from microsoft.

luenies · Answer

ok, i was finally, after at least three months of troubleshooting, able to figure out what the problems were. thought i would post my solution here in case anyone else finds it useful.

my first problem was that i had to enable netbios over tcp. i used the instructions in this link.

http://www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net-update.asp#share

my second problem was that both of my computers were set as master browsers. i used the instructions in this link (Tip 4) to figure out the problem, and then fix it.

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article64-page1.php

the person writing the article doesn't say this - and it might seem simple to a lot of people - but for those of us still learning - you have to hit start, run and then type in "command" to get to the command prompt screen shown in tip 4. then you type in "nbstat -n" to see the screen the tip is talking about.

i also confirmed what i already knew - that in order for sharing to work, the windows firewall must be turned off. however, my sharing still works when my norton internet security firewall is enabled.

thanks to everyone who helped! i'm ecstatic that i got this to work!

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Unable to Share Files

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