My Network Places completely blank

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jon Coolidge
  • Start date Start date
J

Jon Coolidge

I'm having a strange problem with my networking. Here's
a run-down.

My laptop and desktop cannot share files between each
other, but they're both connecting to my router just
fine. I'm confident that the problem lies with my laptop
for reasons explained below.

Both computers are running Windows XP Home edition with
updated service packs, and there are no other computers
in the network. The network is through a wireless
router, and both computers share a working Internet
connection just fine.

In my laptop, when I open the My Network Places folder,
the window is completely blank; it does not even display
shared folders on the laptop itself. Shared folders on
the laptop display on the Desktop's My Network Places
folder, but when I try to open one, I get an error
message saying to contact a Network Administrator for
privilages.

This problem was not always there; the computers were
sharing folders appropriately for awhile, and then this
problem spontaneously happened. It self-corrected when I
used the System Restore feature, but then it happened
spontaneously again without my making any additional
configuration changes.

I ran through the Network Troubleshooter, but none of the
easy or obvious problems (same name, different
Workgroups, hardware or driver problems, etc.) are the
culprit. I've redone the Setup Home Network wizard ad
nauseum, and I can assure you that rebooting doesn't fix
the problem. Is there some diddling in the registry that
I need to do?

One more thing: in my Laptop, when I click on "View
Network Computers" in the Network Tasks sidebar, Windows
Explorer freezes, crashes, and reloads. It's being part
of the problem, not the solution...
 
Well, I managed to get the My Network Places up and
running, but the desktop system and Laptop can only see
each other; they refuse to give each other permission to
share files. (No filesharing--at least the RIAA will be
buttercup happy.)

I get the feeling that the same problem exists, just with
a new face. I made the progress I did under the advice
of a seperate BBS, to go to my wireless network card's
WINS setting and set NetBIOS to configure TCP/IP
automatically. (I even think I sort-of understood what
that meant.) Then I re-ran the home network setup
wizard. I had to delete the network bridge created by
the wizard to get my Internet connection to reappear on
the laptop, however. (And, even before burning bridges,
so to speak, the two computers still weren't exchanging
files.)

So, anybody got any ideas?
 
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