Help me with my home network please!

[Deaks]

I have a faily simple setup at home that's just started really mucking me about the last couple of days. I have a 10/100 Netgear Wireless Router doing the DHCP then a number of stations using either cat5 or wifi. There's a mixture of Vista and XP, no servers, and it's two of the XP machines giving me grief.

The basic problem is that two of the XP stations will not talk to each other or other stations on the network. One is a new build, the other has been in place for a year or more. To fault-find I've switched everything off but the two stations (XP1 & XP2), an XP file server (SERVER), and the router.

All three stations can ping the router, open the router config page, and access the internet. All have the same ipconfig /all settings (bar their own unique IP address). XP1 & XP2 can ping the SERVER by IP address, but SERVER can not ping them.

XP1 can see it's own shares, and those on SERVER, while XP2 can also see it's own shares and those on SERVER. SERVER can see it's own shares, but neither XP1s or XP2s. In all cases that's either by host name or IP address.

I hope that all makes some kind of sense? Any suggestions anyone?

[kmount]

When you say "can't see" what happens when you visit \\192.168.x.x for the IP of the box?

I'm wondering whether its Workgroup related or Windows Firewall doing its bit for the world.

[Deaks]

It eventually times out with "Windows cannot find \\192.168.0.5 check the spelling and try again.....".

[SYNACK]

I would be looking at the local firewalls on the XP machines as this sounds like a firewall program getting overzelous to me.

[metalmonkey]

Perhaps rule out the Netgear Switch/Router by using a crossover cable between the server and 1 PC and then the server and the 2nd PC.

[DMcCoy]

all have the default 1500 mtu?

[FN-GM]

Sounds like a firewall to me, i would double check them

[maniac]

Some routers do silly things with routing traffic between the wireless and wired networks, so it's worth cabling all the workstations to test them (if one of the ones you're having problems with is wireless that is.)

[Deaks]

Cheers everyone, was firewalls but Nortons rather than Windows.

You're life savers!

[EduTech]

Yeh sounded like the firewall :P glad you fixed it..

and thats why i never use norton

Sorry

[tarquel]

Firewall settings in Norton 360 are nicely hidden away... no wonder people have trouble with that and the other new ones that come out lol

Glad i was on track myself when reading the first post... guess my ol' brain aint mush after all

Nath.