Workgroup PCs won't talk throu a router

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stephen Ford
  • Start date Start date
S

Stephen Ford

A new router stopped workgroup networking. My 4-port wired Dynamode is fine
and uses 10.0.0... addresses. I fitted a Netgear with 192.168.0... addresses
and although the teo PCs see the internet and the workgroup printer they
don't see each other, so workgroup comms doesn't work. The router admin tool
sees the PCs and reports the IP adresses and workgroup names but its ping
tool cant find the PCs (Wierd!?)

Everyone says Firewall! but as it's all on DNS I think that's daft. The
firewall stops internet intrusions doesn't it? I've looked at every tab and
setting on the firewall and nothing mentions it'll communicate with a 10.0.0
network and not a 192.168.0 network.

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 in both cases. The NICs on both PCs report
sensible IPs with both routers.

I can swap the Dynamode back in and up it all comes no probs. Netgear don't
have much to say.
 
A new router stopped workgroup networking. My 4-port wired Dynamode is fine
and uses 10.0.0... addresses. I fitted a Netgear with 192.168.0... addresses
and although the teo PCs see the internet and the workgroup printer they
don't see each other, so workgroup comms doesn't work. The router admin tool
sees the PCs and reports the IP adresses and workgroup names but its ping
tool cant find the PCs (Wierd!?)

Everyone says Firewall! but as it's all on DNS I think that's daft. The
firewall stops internet intrusions doesn't it? I've looked at every tab and
setting on the firewall and nothing mentions it'll communicate with a 10.0.0
network and not a 192.168.0 network.

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 in both cases. The NICs on both PCs report
sensible IPs with both routers.

I can swap the Dynamode back in and up it all comes no probs. Netgear don't
have much to say.
Click to expand...

That is the problem! You are using two different routers with two
different IP subnet but with the same subnet masks. You need to give
more details on what you are trying to do!
 
Stephen said:
A new router stopped workgroup networking. My 4-port wired Dynamode is fine
and uses 10.0.0... addresses. I fitted a Netgear with 192.168.0... addresses
and although the teo PCs see the internet and the workgroup printer they
don't see each other, so workgroup comms doesn't work. The router admin tool
sees the PCs and reports the IP adresses and workgroup names but its ping
tool cant find the PCs (Wierd!?)

Everyone says Firewall! but as it's all on DNS I think that's daft. The
firewall stops internet intrusions doesn't it? I've looked at every tab and
setting on the firewall and nothing mentions it'll communicate with a 10.0.0
network and not a 192.168.0 network.

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 in both cases. The NICs on both PCs report
sensible IPs with both routers.

I can swap the Dynamode back in and up it all comes no probs. Netgear don't
have much to say.
Click to expand...

It's not weird at all. That's how it's supposed to work.

How did you connect the new router? That is, did you connect a cable
from one of the 4 ports on the Dynamode to the Netgear Internet/WAN
port? If what you intended to do was to create a wireless portion of
your network, that's not how you should have connected things.
 
Sorry I wasn't clear. One router which was enabling Windows workgroups to
work was removed and replaced by another router which has wireless. PCs were
connected wired just to save chaning two things at once.

The second router distributed all the expected IP addresses but workgroups
would not work. The workgroup name is the same on all PCs.

S.
 
You're still not clear.

Let me attempt to summarize:

- You have *one* router (a Netgear with wireless capability; model?).
- You have several PCs connected to the router with Ethernet cables.
- You have gone to *each* PC, run ipconfig in a Command Prompt Window,
and have confirmed that the IP address of *each* PC is of the form
192.168.1.x
- You have confirmed that the Workgroup name on each PC is the same
- Each PC can access the Internet
- Each PC can print through a "workgroup printer." How is the printer
connected, and to what is it connected? What is the printer's IP address?

On any one of the computers, open a Command Prompt window, type
ipconfig /all [press Enter]

and post the results (click the icon in the Command Prompt window to
access the Edit menu in order to copy)

What *else* did you do besides changing routers?

What do you mean by the "workgroup doesn't work"?

Where are you looking when you say that the PCs "don't see each other"?

If one of your computers is named Potato and you created a shared folder
on that computer with share name Chips, what happens when you go to
another of the computers, go to Start > Run and type

\\Potato\Chips [click OK]

Obviously, substitute your own computer name and share name.
 
- You have *one* router (a Netgear with wireless capability; model?).
Now trying a Zoom 5590e.
- You have several PCs connected to the router with Ethernet cables. Yes

- You have gone to *each* PC, run ipconfig in a Command Prompt Window, and
have confirmed that the IP address of *each* PC is of the form 192.168.1.x
Click to expand...
It's now 10.0.0.x
- You have confirmed that the Workgroup name on each PC is the same Yes - MSHOME
- Each PC can access the Internet Yes

- Each PC can print through a "workgroup printer." How is the printer
connected, and to what is it connected? What is the printer's IP address?
Click to expand...
Ethernet cable. 10.0.0.13 (which is within the address range set in the
router's address range)
On any one of the computers, open a Command Prompt window, type
ipconfig /all [press Enter]
Click to expand...

Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : acquirepc03
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet
Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-13-D3-66-25-94
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.12
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.2
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.2
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.2
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 21 September 2009 23:05:46
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 22 September 2009 23:05:46
What *else* did you do besides changing routers?
Click to expand...
I've done lots of things like registry cleans and backups and defrags... but
no of this affects the old Dynamode 4-port adsl non-wireless router. When it
is plugged in all the PCs pick up its settings and up comes network places
in Windows Explorer and file sharing works. If I replace it with the Netgear
or the Zoom, all the IP addresses and other settings look as though they are
configured correctly.
What do you mean by the "workgroup doesn't work"?
Click to expand...
Workgroup file sharing. The PCs don't appear in network places.
Where are you looking when you say that the PCs "don't see each other"?
Click to expand...
Windows Explorer > My Network places > Entire network > Windows network
what happens when you go to another of the computers, go to Start > Run
and type
\\Potato\Chips [click OK]
Click to expand...

On the actual computer or on any other computer: "The network path was not
found"
 
Stephen said:
- You have *one* router (a Netgear with wireless capability; model?).
Click to expand...
Now trying a Zoom 5590e.
- You have several PCs connected to the router with Ethernet cables. Yes

- You have gone to *each* PC, run ipconfig in a Command Prompt Window, and
have confirmed that the IP address of *each* PC is of the form 192.168.1.x
Click to expand...
It's now 10.0.0.x
- You have confirmed that the Workgroup name on each PC is the same Yes - MSHOME
- Each PC can access the Internet Yes

- Each PC can print through a "workgroup printer." How is the printer
connected, and to what is it connected? What is the printer's IP address?
Click to expand...
Ethernet cable. 10.0.0.13 (which is within the address range set in the
router's address range)
On any one of the computers, open a Command Prompt window, type
ipconfig /all [press Enter]
Click to expand...

Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : acquirepc03
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet
Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-13-D3-66-25-94
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.12
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.2
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.2
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.2
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 21 September 2009 23:05:46
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 22 September 2009 23:05:46
What *else* did you do besides changing routers?
Click to expand...
I've done lots of things like registry cleans and backups and defrags... but
no of this affects the old Dynamode 4-port adsl non-wireless router. When it
is plugged in all the PCs pick up its settings and up comes network places
in Windows Explorer and file sharing works. If I replace it with the Netgear
or the Zoom, all the IP addresses and other settings look as though they are
configured correctly.
What do you mean by the "workgroup doesn't work"?
Click to expand...
Workgroup file sharing. The PCs don't appear in network places.
Where are you looking when you say that the PCs "don't see each other"?
Click to expand...
Windows Explorer > My Network places > Entire network > Windows network
what happens when you go to another of the computers, go to Start > Run
and type
\\Potato\Chips [click OK]
Click to expand...

On the actual computer or on any other computer: "The network path was not
found"
Click to expand...

The easy response would be to blame your troubles on your use of
registry cleaners, but assuming that you have done the router swapping
*after* you used the registry cleaners, that's probably not really the
answer.

Can you ping one computer from another using IP addresses?

My Network Places is not always reliable. However, if ping by IP
address works but you can't access shares using the UNC name, try the
following on each computer:

1. Go to Network Connections, right click on the icon for your LAN
connection and select Properties.
2. On the General tab, select Internet Connection (TCP/IP) and click the
Properties button.
3. On the General tab of Internet Connection (TCP/IP) Properties, click
the Advanced button.
4. Click the WINS tab, and under the heading "NetBIOS setting" select
the radio button to "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"
5. OK your way out. Reboot, just to be sure.

Now try to access one computer from another using the
\\computername\sharename method.

If that works, My Network Places may also work. If not, see
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/903267/en-us
 
No luck. Can't ping the other computers but can ping the printer... see
later
The easy response ...but assuming that you have done the router swapping
*after* you used the registry cleaners, that's probably not really the
answer.
Click to expand...
Yes, *after*. Thankfully the Dynamode plugs in and up comes the workgroup
file sharing whatever else has gone on.
Can you ping one computer from another using IP addresses?
Click to expand...
No. I have turned over every setting on both routers. And to reitterate-
only one router in the system at a time. The other not connected. The router
knows about the pcs and printer (shown in status display). The pcs know
about the router (ping 10.0.0.2) but not each other. I bet if ping would
work then whatever makes it work will bring up the LAN.
My Network Places ...
1. Go to Network Connections, right click on the icon for your LAN
connection and select Properties.
2. On the General tab, select Internet Connection (TCP/IP) and click the
Properties button.
3. On the General tab of Internet Connection (TCP/IP) Properties, click
the Advanced button.
4. Click the WINS tab, and under the heading "NetBIOS setting" select the
radio button to "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"
5. OK your way out. Reboot, just to be sure.
Click to expand...
Done but no luck
Now try to access one computer from another using the
\\computername\sharename method.
Click to expand...
If ping won't work then I think this can't?
If that works, My Network Places may also work. If not, see
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/903267/en-us
Click to expand...
Can't use this because ping does not work

I disconnected the phone cable, disabled Windows firewall on both PCs and
still no PC-PC comms.

It's almost as if the MAC address the the router has been burnt into each PC
in a file-sharing configuration section (which probably doesn't exist but
I'm trying to imagine a mechanism that would make PC-PC comms fail but allow
them to find the router, printer and internet...)
 
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