OT: Home network help

[Rizon]

Last week I set up a home network of 3 computers: 2 PCs and 1 laptop. I plugged in the laptop (XP) and the 2nd PC (XP) to my router, and the internet worked immediatly. I set up the laptop and host PC (ME) to file share ... everything worked fine.

until ... my wife turned on the host computer yesterday (laptop was off) and it said "Could not connect to laptop, do you wish to establish this connection in the future? etc etc". She clicked NO ... guh!!!!

So today, I fired up the laptop and host PC, and I couldnt file share. I tried to re-establish the connection and it wouldnt work. In the process I somehow killed the internet connection through the laptop. So now not only can I not file share between the host PC and laptop, I can't even get on the internet through the laptop (host PC and 2nd PC can access the internet still).

I went through all the steps to map network drives and fileshare at least 30 times ... nothing has worked.

I think the problem first needs to be solved on the laptop in regards to the internet connection. Since it cant access the internet, Im guessing it cant access the network either. The weird thing is ... when I open Network Connections through the laptop it shows "Local Area Connection" as "Enabled". How the frig can it be both enabled and not working?? For the hell of it I double checked the settings for the laptop and the 2nd PC and they're identical, but one works and the other doesn't.

So I have NO idea what to do next. Some setting is off somewhere I can't find it.

PS: Yeah, everything is plugged in fine.

[DanGarion]

Are you pulling an IP address from your router? If you are not then you can't connect to the internet. If you can't connect to the internet there is a good chance you can't file share since it's probably a networking issue.

What I suggest. Make sure you have drivers for the laptops network card (probably will self install anyway since it's XP). Go to device manager and uninstall the card. Restart the computer and let the card reinstall. See if that gives you an IP address and brings back the internet connection. Then attempt to get the file sharing back.

[Rizon]

Are you pulling an IP address from your router? If you are not then you can't connect to the internet. If you can't connect to the internet there is a good chance you can't file share since it's probably a networking issue.

What I suggest. Make sure you have drivers for the laptops network card (probably will self install anyway since it's XP). Go to device manager and uninstall the card. Restart the computer and let the card reinstall. See if that gives you an IP address and brings back the internet connection. Then attempt to get the file sharing back.

Uninstalled network card, reinstalled it. Same problem.

[DanGarion]

Are you getting an IP address from your router?

Easy way to check right click on the Local Area Connection that is listed under Network Connections and then hit Status and then click on the Support tab.

If you aren't pulling an IP then maybe the network cable isn't seated correctly?

Also do you have firewall software enabled or installed on this computer?

[Rizon]

Are you getting an IP address from your router?

Easy way to check right click on the Local Area Connection that is listed under Network Connections and then hit Status and then click on the Support tab.

If you aren't pulling an IP then maybe the network cable isn't seated correctly?

Also do you have firewall software enabled or installed on this computer?

Yup. The internet was working fine this morning, although file sharing wasnt. I goofed up the internet somewhere.

The status is "Connected" and also gives me an IP address, subnet and gateway. These numbers all match the other client computer whose internet is working (except of course the IP address; one ends in 103 the other ends in 101).

There is no firewall software, just the router.

[Rizon]

Just to update this in case someone else has the same problem ...


It ended up being Norton Internet Security. I ran a Live Update for Norton Antivirus, and in the process it added some components to Internet Security that blocked my access to the internet. Wow, makes total fucking sense!

Anyways, this threw me off because every option in NIS was DISABLED. So despite it being disabled, it was enabled, which disabled me from using the internet, and enabled a heap of frustration.

So .. uninstalling Norton Internet Security allowed me to use the internet again.

[DanGarion]

...

You said you had no firewall! First thing I would have suggested was uninstall your firewall!

*shakes fist*

[Rizon]

...

You said you had no firewall! First thing I would have suggested was uninstall your firewall!

*shakes fist*

Haha, I guess I meant "I have a firewall, but it was turned off and no components are in startup in msconfig, it's never been turned on even once, etc etc" :p

Kinda pisses me off that it got activated through Live Update, and despite EVERY feature being "disabled" and it not loading through startup, it was actually running the whole damn time.

[DanGarion]

Firewalls can be very annoying. They can provide decent protection, but they can cause problems, case in point :).