I got a new computer, and set it up on our office network. It worked fine. Sometime last week while I was gone, it stopped being able to access the other computers, although it still can access the internet. I don’t know much about how the network here works, except that it goes through the internet somehow. The person who set it up hasn’t been here for over a year.
All the settings I made are still there…the network places still show the other computers. The other computers can’t access this one, either, although it is still listed in their network places. I checked the wire, because there is a miniature dachshund puppy loose in the office a lot. I plugged the network cable into a different jack and checked the connection at the computer back.
Given that the internet connection still works, I assume the hardware is still connected and working correctly. What should I do next?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Rain
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
The only thing I can recommend is to check if Windows Firewall is enabled on your machine as well as the machine you're connecting to. If it's on, it natively blocks file sharing services, but will allow HTTP.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
How do I check that? It did ask if I wanted to use Norton instead, and I said yes, and then I turned the Norton firewall off, but it didn't help.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
When I have that problem it's usually becuase a password expired on either my computer or the computer I'm trying to access.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Oooh, oooh, I have a network question of my own.
I have a home network that goes from modem to router to four wired devices: PC 1, PC 2, Vonage Adapter 1 and Vonage Adapter 2, with PC 3 connected by passing through Vonage Adapter 2.
Due to an amazing amount of silliness on Vonage's part, these devices absolutely NEED to be physically configured this way.
How can I get all three PCs onto the same network? The two connected to the router network fine, but PC 3 can't detect that network, presumably because Vonage Adapter 2 is acting as its own hub.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Are you out of ports on Vonage Adapter 1?
D_H, what operating systems are on all of the PCs? Is the new PC XP or Vista?
Posted by baduffer (Member # 10469) on :
Have you thought about adding a switch (not a hub) to one of the router ports and plugging in there?
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Originally posted by Primal Curve: Are you out of ports on Vonage Adapter 1?
Vonage Adapter 1 doesn't actually have an outgoing port (it's the Linksys mini-crap adapter thing, where the second adapter is the Motorola one that allows a passthrough).
quote:Originally posted by baduffer: Have you thought about adding a switch (not a hub) to one of the router ports and plugging in there?
I had, but I was trying not to buy any more equipment. Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
We opted for XP on the new computer because the others are XP and I've heard Vista can be irritating.
I had Windows firewall turned off, and turned off Norton's also on this computer and another one.
Now when I look at My Network Places, I see
Local network shared documents on (this computer)
The internet My websites on MSN
Unspecified (one directory on one of the other computers which worked fine last week) (another directory on another computer which worked fine last week)
When I click on one of those two, after a wait a message box comes that says:
(That network site) is not accessible. You might not have permissions to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permisssions.
The network path is not found.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Well, at least they're talking to one another. Do you have the same users on all of the PCs? Do you have simple file sharing turned on?
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
I have two users in common with some of the computers and one who is on all of them.
"Simple" file sharing? Is that where the little hand is holding the folders in my computer? Yes.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
As long as WINS is enabled on all of the machines and simple file sharing is running and all of the machines share common users, you should be alright.
Personally, I just setup a Primary Domain Controller using BSD and Samba, but that's definitely more involved.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
Thank you very much, Primal Curve.
Rain
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
So, the file sharing was already turned on. When I tried to access the directory I needed, the Norton Firewall kept asking if I wanted to use it instead of Windows Firewall. I kept saying okay. Finally, I went in and turned them both off. Then it allowed me to create a new network place duplicating the one I made last week, but this one works.
I don't know what happened to make the old network places bad, but they are deleted now, and good ones are in their places.
Will either of the firewalls automatically turn themselves on again? Now I have Windows Firewall off and Norton set to Low. Is this okay?
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
*sigh*
I ran into the same problem again with another new computer, but couldn't remember how we fixed it. (Brain damage and mental illness are some of the reasons I am disabled. I'm sure I'm still a genius, but I can never remember anything.)
For some reason, I thought to search for topically related posts before asking again.
Thank you again, Primal Curve!
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Boris's tech support rule #54...If anything inexplicably breaks and you have Norton anything on your computer, step one is uninstall Norton and find something that works
(Edit...with the exception of Norton Ghost. GoBack is terrible, don't ever ever ever use it.)
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I second Boris's tech support rule #54, although I tend to place it much higher than #54. Norton has a history of breaking things that used to work perfectly fine, being a resource hog, not uninstalling completely, and generally being a PITA. But I haven't used it in a few years, so it's possible it's improved. Except from Boris's comment, I'd guess not.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
Yeah, Norton and AOL are on my list of "viruses", and they are chock full of "features".
If my network only works with the firewall turned off, then what is the point of having Norton at all?
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
quote:Originally posted by quidscribis: I second Boris's tech support rule #54, although I tend to place it much higher than #54. Norton has a history of breaking things that used to work perfectly fine, being a resource hog, not uninstalling completely, and generally being a PITA. But I haven't used it in a few years, so it's possible it's improved. Except from Boris's comment, I'd guess not.
Norton has never improved. Each year it only gets more resource heavy and less user-friendly. Norton's philosophy is if you can't use your computer, you can't very well break it. Symantec (same company, but focused for use in businesses), on the other hand, is a good bit less top heavy (the theory being that corporate computers are hit less than home computers...that and they need to work), but still not as effective at finding and removing viruses as, say, AVG or Kaspersky. And the Norton rule is at 54 for a couple reasons. 1, there are more important things, like, don't hover over my shoulder and ask "What are you doing" while I'm fixing your computer. 2, 54 sounded pretty random, since I have never actually written a list of tech support rules Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Dead Horse, yeah, we just love "features", don't we?
Boris, have I mentioned lately how much I love your geeky ways? Posted by NotMe (Member # 10470) on :
Wait... I thought that attempting to uninstall Norton products was one of the leading causes of absurd and random computer problems. Anyways, for computers on a LAN, "personal firewalls" are more trouble than they are worth. Just make sure your router has a good, well-configured firewall to protect all your machines.
PS - Boris, what would rule 42 be?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)