Hi everyone. I have three computers at home all running Windows XP, all three connected to a 2Wire Home Portal who assigns each computer internal addresses. The network has the following architecture… Computer A, desktop computer, Windows XP, connected to the 2wire unit via Ethernet, network address 199.20.1.41 Computer B, desktop computer, Windows XP, connected to the 2wire unit via Ethernet, network address 199.20.1.42 Computer C, Laptop, Windows XP, connected via Wireless, network address 199.20.1.43 ALL computers have Windows Firewall disabled, Antivirus Firewall disabled, different names for each computer and same workgroup “WORKGROUP”. ALL computers have one or more shared folders. ALL have Microsoft Network Client, Microsoft Share Files and Printers, QoS Packages Programming and TCP/IP enabled and selected. I made sure ALL computers have the same services and protocols enabled and with the SAME properties for all of them. I can access INTERNET and POP3 Mail from ANY computer A, B or C. The problem is that I can’t see Computer B in the Network. When I go to “My Network Places” in computer A, I see computer A and C, I can share files and printers among them. Going to “My Network Places” in computer C is the same, I see computers C and A. Going to “My Network Places” in computer B shows NOTHING, not even computer B. The 2wire unit comes with an internet home portal where you can check the status of the broadband connection and the home network. When I log into that page it shows Computer A, B and C as active (????). I used computer A and log into the 2wire Home Portal Internet page, I can see the computers in the network and I can see the shared folders and files of Computer A and C, but when I try to see the shared folders in computer B it says that I don’t have permission to do that (???) If I use computer B and log into the 2wire Home Portal Internet page, I can see all three computers in the network but, when I try to access the shared folders in computer A it shows the message “Can not find "file://199.20.1.41". Make sure internet address is correct” (???). It shows the same message (just changing the IP address) when I try to see ANY shared folders in ANY computer, including computer B’s shared folders. I checked the IP with running IPCONFIG from the console and ALL computers returned the gateway and the IP address OK. The weirdest is that I used PING from computer B, to computer A (199.20.1.41) and returned OK, 4 packages sent, 4 packages received. PING from computer B to computer C (199.20.1.43) and returned OK too, 4 packages sent, 4 packages received, that means there’s communication between all computers, then why I can’t see computer B in the network? What’s wrong in computer B? Thanks for your help…
Try installing IPX/SPX protocol on all three systems. Right click My Network Places, Properties. Right click LAN connection, Properties. Click Install button. Select IPX/SPX.
