Home Network Disappeared!

I had set up and was running for 2-3 months a home network between my HP
Pavillion notebook running Vista Home and my Gateway 400 notebook running XP
Home and accessing network via wireless. All was working well until Sunday.
Rebooted XP machine and on "My Network Places" couldn't see the HP/Vista
machine, where the files reside.

Double checked: workgroups are both named WORKGROUP, permissions are all set
to yes, and even went through the wizard on both machines to redo the setup,
rebooted both machines, and still doesn't show up on either machine.

Am connected to internet on BritePort DSL modem, which is connected to
LinkSys wireless router (the Gateway/XP is wireless; the HP/Vista is on
ethernet cable to the router but also can be wireless if needed). Also have
a wireless HP All-in-One Printer that shows up and is visible and accessible
on both computers.
The only thing I haven't tried is to connect my Gateway to router via
ethernet while I re-do the setup. I don't remember if I had to do that
originally.
I just can't figure out what happened or what I'm missing.

Hi
Make sure that the Software Firewall on each computer allows free local
traffic. If you use 3rd party Firewall On, Vista/XP Native Firewall should
be Off, and the active Firewall has to adjusted to your Network IP numbers
on what is some time called the Trusted Zone (consult your 3rd Party
Firewall instructions.
General example, http://www.ezlan.net/faq#trusted
Vista File and Printer Sharing-
<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx>
Windows XP File Sharing -
<http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304040>
Printer Sharing XP -
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/honeycutt_july2.mspx>
Windows Native Firewall setting for Sharing XP -
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357>
Windows XP patch for Sharing with Vista -
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922120>
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"Rich S" <RichS@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1E2C90AD-0FEE-452F-A7E7-77D440285278@microsoft.com...
>I had set up and was running for 2-3 months a home network between my HP
> Pavillion notebook running Vista Home and my Gateway 400 notebook running
> XP
> Home and accessing network via wireless. All was working well until
> Sunday.
> Rebooted XP machine and on "My Network Places" couldn't see the HP/Vista
> machine, where the files reside.
>
> Double checked: workgroups are both named WORKGROUP, permissions are all
> set
> to yes, and even went through the wizard on both machines to redo the
> setup,
> rebooted both machines, and still doesn't show up on either machine.
>
> Am connected to internet on BritePort DSL modem, which is connected to
> LinkSys wireless router (the Gateway/XP is wireless; the HP/Vista is on
> ethernet cable to the router but also can be wireless if needed). Also
> have
> a wireless HP All-in-One Printer that shows up and is visible and
> accessible
> on both computers.
> The only thing I haven't tried is to connect my Gateway to router via
> ethernet while I re-do the setup. I don't remember if I had to do that
> originally.
> I just can't figure out what happened or what I'm missing.
>

On Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:39:02 -0700, Rich S <RichS@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote:

>I had set up and was running for 2-3 months a home network between my HP
>Pavillion notebook running Vista Home and my Gateway 400 notebook running XP
>Home and accessing network via wireless. All was working well until Sunday.
>Rebooted XP machine and on "My Network Places" couldn't see the HP/Vista
>machine, where the files reside.
>
>Double checked: workgroups are both named WORKGROUP, permissions are all set
>to yes, and even went through the wizard on both machines to redo the setup,
>rebooted both machines, and still doesn't show up on either machine.
>
>Am connected to internet on BritePort DSL modem, which is connected to
>LinkSys wireless router (the Gateway/XP is wireless; the HP/Vista is on
>ethernet cable to the router but also can be wireless if needed). Also have
>a wireless HP All-in-One Printer that shows up and is visible and accessible
>on both computers.
>The only thing I haven't tried is to connect my Gateway to router via
>ethernet while I re-do the setup. I don't remember if I had to do that
>originally.
>I just can't figure out what happened or what I'm missing.

Look at logs from "browstat status", "ipconfig /all", "net config server", and
"net config workstation", from each computer, and diagnose the problem. Read
this article, and linked articles, and follow instructions precisely (download
browstat!):
<http://networking.nitecruzr.net/2005/05/troubleshooting-network-neighborhood.html#AskingForHelp>
http://networking.nitecruzr.net/2005...#AskingForHelp

--
Cheers,
Chuck, MS-MVP 2005-2008 [Windows - Desktop Experience]
http://networking.nitecruzr.net/

After going through Jack-MVP's suggestions, I have found that the two
computers are communicating, etc., etc.. Further, I can access the Shared
Files on the HP by running (on the Gateway XP computer), the Start/Run:
\\Richhp(computer's name) . This brings up the menu for all of the Shared
Files on the HP Vista machine, from which I can then operate normally,
opening any of them over the network as I need.

So, the problem seems to have simplified to: when I click "My Network Places
/ View Workgroup Computers" to see the icon for, and access, the HP machine,
the HP doesn't show, only the Gateway "workstation".

"Rich S" wrote:

> I had set up and was running for 2-3 months a home network between my HP
> Pavillion notebook running Vista Home and my Gateway 400 notebook running XP
> Home and accessing network via wireless. All was working well until Sunday.
> Rebooted XP machine and on "My Network Places" couldn't see the HP/Vista
> machine, where the files reside.
>
> Double checked: workgroups are both named WORKGROUP, permissions are all set
> to yes, and even went through the wizard on both machines to redo the setup,
> rebooted both machines, and still doesn't show up on either machine.
>
> Am connected to internet on BritePort DSL modem, which is connected to
> LinkSys wireless router (the Gateway/XP is wireless; the HP/Vista is on
> ethernet cable to the router but also can be wireless if needed). Also have
> a wireless HP All-in-One Printer that shows up and is visible and accessible
> on both computers.
> The only thing I haven't tried is to connect my Gateway to router via
> ethernet while I re-do the setup. I don't remember if I had to do that
> originally.
> I just can't figure out what happened or what I'm missing.
>