Can I speed up network detection?

  • Thread starter Thread starter anon
  • Start date Start date
A

anon

Apologies for cross-posting to three groups but I have several questions to
ask and not much time.

I often use a laptop standalone, but on occasion I need to connect it to the
other PC via a Cat5e crossover connection.
The laptop is running WxpPro and the PC Win98.
If the PC is booted up AFTER connecting the two together, then I do not
have any problems, but if the PC is already booted up and I then connect the
cable- it can take up to five minutes before I can detect it in "Search for
computers" from either PC.
I sometimes use the laptop when visiting other customers with network
problems so that I can analyse which computer is having the networking
problem - hence only fixing the dodgy one, so it's an irritating issue when
I have to wait so long before it starts to search.

I performed a Norton Ghost on the laptop immediately on purchase and I have
recently rebuilt the laptop from the ghost due to various performance
issues.
I am running Symantec Firewall ONLY WHEN CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, and it
is disabled by default so I do not think that is causing any problems, and
in any case I have configured it to recognise and accept the IP address of
the other PC.

When I search for other computers it sometimes does not appear to be
looking - instead it blinks as if to say "don't bother me now..." and I have
to press the search button several times before it goes "... oh go on
then... if I must!" and actually initiates a search. Surely If I tell it to
search it should do as it's told instead of being stubborn - who was it said
that the computer had no soul! - mine does!

I do not have any spyware thingies on the computers and I have checked this
recently.
What on earth can I do to get the computer to search and identify computers
on the network faster?

Thank you in advance for feedback - newsgroup only please.

Terry
 
anon said:
Apologies for cross-posting to three groups but I have several questions
to
ask and not much time.

I often use a laptop standalone, but on occasion I need to connect it to
the
other PC via a Cat5e crossover connection.
The laptop is running WxpPro and the PC Win98.
If the PC is booted up AFTER connecting the two together, then I do not
have any problems, but if the PC is already booted up and I then connect
the
cable- it can take up to five minutes before I can detect it in "Search
for
computers" from either PC.
I sometimes use the laptop when visiting other customers with network
problems so that I can analyse which computer is having the networking
problem - hence only fixing the dodgy one, so it's an irritating issue
when
I have to wait so long before it starts to search.

I performed a Norton Ghost on the laptop immediately on purchase and I
have
recently rebuilt the laptop from the ghost due to various performance
issues.
I am running Symantec Firewall ONLY WHEN CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, and it
is disabled by default so I do not think that is causing any problems, and
in any case I have configured it to recognise and accept the IP address of
the other PC.

When I search for other computers it sometimes does not appear to be
looking - instead it blinks as if to say "don't bother me now..." and I
have
to press the search button several times before it goes "... oh go on
then... if I must!" and actually initiates a search. Surely If I tell it
to
search it should do as it's told instead of being stubborn - who was it
said
that the computer had no soul! - mine does!

I do not have any spyware thingies on the computers and I have checked
this
recently.
What on earth can I do to get the computer to search and identify
computers
on the network faster?

Thank you in advance for feedback - newsgroup only please.

Terry
Click to expand...
 
If you do not use a network often then you may want to do a "classic"
Windows 98 fix here. In Windows 98, if the system does not detect a DHCP
server, network or boardband, there is a "delay" that an IP address will get
assigned to. In order to fix this, people were manually assigning an IP
address to the network adapter in "Network Connection".

I know that this also helps XP.
 
Also to help with speed, you might want to disable the explorer option
to Automatically search for network folders and printers. You're also
probably experiencing some issues with Workgroup membership &
Master Browser elections.
 
I often use a laptop standalone, but on occasion I need to connect it to
the
other PC via a Cat5e crossover connection.
The laptop is running WxpPro and the PC Win98.
If the PC is booted up AFTER connecting the two together, then I do not
have any problems, but if the PC is already booted up and I then connect
the
cable- it can take up to five minutes before I can detect it in "Search
for
computers" from either PC.
I sometimes use the laptop when visiting other customers with network
problems so that I can analyse which computer is having the networking
problem - hence only fixing the dodgy one, so it's an irritating issue
when
I have to wait so long before it starts to search.
Click to expand...

In Windows XP disable the network connection, then renable it. This will
force it to recognise the network. If you are using TC/IP automatic
addressing this may not work. Also make sure NETBIOS over TC/IP is enabled
on both computers. Another method would be to use IPX/SPX or NETBEUI on both
computers but the setup would be slower than your present wait and probably
wouldn't help with your diagnosis :-)

Kerry Brown
KDB Systems
 
"anon" said:
Apologies for cross-posting to three groups but I have several questions to
ask and not much time.

I often use a laptop standalone, but on occasion I need to connect it to the
other PC via a Cat5e crossover connection.
The laptop is running WxpPro and the PC Win98.
If the PC is booted up AFTER connecting the two together, then I do not
have any problems, but if the PC is already booted up and I then connect the
cable- it can take up to five minutes before I can detect it in "Search for
computers" from either PC.
I sometimes use the laptop when visiting other customers with network
problems so that I can analyse which computer is having the networking
problem - hence only fixing the dodgy one, so it's an irritating issue when
I have to wait so long before it starts to search.

I performed a Norton Ghost on the laptop immediately on purchase and I have
recently rebuilt the laptop from the ghost due to various performance
issues.
I am running Symantec Firewall ONLY WHEN CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, and it
is disabled by default so I do not think that is causing any problems, and
in any case I have configured it to recognise and accept the IP address of
the other PC.

When I search for other computers it sometimes does not appear to be
looking - instead it blinks as if to say "don't bother me now..." and I have
to press the search button several times before it goes "... oh go on
then... if I must!" and actually initiates a search. Surely If I tell it to
search it should do as it's told instead of being stubborn - who was it said
that the computer had no soul! - mine does!

I do not have any spyware thingies on the computers and I have checked this
recently.
What on earth can I do to get the computer to search and identify computers
on the network faster?

Thank you in advance for feedback - newsgroup only please.

Terry
Click to expand...

It can take 15 minutes or more after a computer joins a network before
network browsing works reliably. To access another computer sooner,
type the other computer's name in the Start | Run box in this format:

\\computer
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
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