Win XP no longer able to access LAN with win 98SE machines

To any LAN or Networking troubleshooters out the-

Recently (after allowing updates) my Win XP machine no longer is able to
access shares on my LAN.

The LAN has 5 other computers (4 Win 98SE and 1 Win NT 4.0) machines
connected to two Linksys routers (One acting as a Gateway for three PCs and
the other router which is wireless and acts as a router for the other two PC
and other wireless components, eg. wireless print server).
- All machines on the network can successfully 'ping each other'
- All of the Win 98SE machines and the Win NT 4.0 machine can accessess each
others shares (mapped drives, etc)
- The Win XP machine could originally access the other machines but it now
returns the message " 'Workgroup' is not accessible. You might not have
access to the Network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to
findout if you have access permissions"
- All machines, including the XP machine, are part of the same named workgroup
- ICF is disabled on the XP machine
- No other firewall software is installed on the XP machine. The firewall
software on the Win 98SE machines is set to allow the IP address of the XP
machine
- The XP machine has been assigned a Static IP address of the type
192.168.1.XXX (where xxx is a number within the range allowed by the routers)
- No network bridges are present on the XP machine. Although it has two
network adapters (wired and wireless) each has been assigned a separate
static ip address and one is disabled when the other is in use.
- The connections have "File and print sharing", "Client for Microsoft
Networks", Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and [Qos packet scheduler] installed;
TCP/IP being configured with static ip addresses and DNS entries.

Neither LINKSYS, COMPAQ or Microsoft have been successful in helping me
solve this issue so I would be most interested to hear if anyone else has
experienced the same problem, namely a machine which happily connected to a
LAN suddenly experiences the error mentioned above after installation of
windows xp updates including SP 2.

The error is #6118 when "net view" is typed in a command window. There is a
Microsoft "Q" sheet which suggest that if the XP machine was connected to a
Domain which has the same nam as the work group the error described at the
top of this post could occur. I tried changing the name of the workgroup for
all of the network components and rebooting the LAN and Broadband connection
but the problem still persists.

I hope someone has the time to read this (sorry about the length, tried to
be through) and make a wise suggestion.

Thanks,

Dave Robinson

ps - I tried booting up different machines in sequence to allow different
machines to hold the master browser list but that only caused a delay in how
long it took before all the machines could see each other. The XP machine
still wouldn't access the shares of the other machines or allow them to acces
its shares; sometimes the XP machine would not even see the other machines
but it could still ping them and they could ping it.

I cannot use my LAN either after updating XP Home and Pro
to Service Pack 2. If you find anything to remedy this
problem, please let me know. My LAN says it is not
connected or has no connectivity! But, Everything is
still connected. THANKS! ....Rick



-----Original Message-----
To any LAN or Networking troubleshooters out the-

Recently (after allowing updates) my Win XP machine no
longer is able to
access shares on my LAN.

The LAN has 5 other computers (4 Win 98SE and 1 Win NT
4.0) machines
connected to two Linksys routers (One acting as a
Gateway for three PCs and
the other router which is wireless and acts as a router
for the other two PC
and other wireless components, eg. wireless print
server).
- All machines on the network can successfully 'ping
each other'
- All of the Win 98SE machines and the Win NT 4.0
machine can accessess each
others shares (mapped drives, etc)
- The Win XP machine could originally access the other
machines but it now
returns the message " 'Workgroup' is not accessible. You
might not have
access to the Network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to
findout if you have access permissions"
- All machines, including the XP machine, are part of
the same named workgroup
- ICF is disabled on the XP machine
- No other firewall software is installed on the XP
machine. The firewall
software on the Win 98SE machines is set to allow the IP
address of the XP
machine
- The XP machine has been assigned a Static IP address
of the type
192.168.1.XXX (where xxx is a number within the range
allowed by the routers)
- No network bridges are present on the XP machine.
Although it has two
network adapters (wired and wireless) each has been
assigned a separate
static ip address and one is disabled when the other is
in use.
- The connections have "File and print sharing", "Client
for Microsoft
Networks", Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and [Qos packet
scheduler] installed;
TCP/IP being configured with static ip addresses and DNS
entries.

Neither LINKSYS, COMPAQ or Microsoft have been
successful in helping me
solve this issue so I would be most interested to hear
if anyone else has
experienced the same problem, namely a machine which
happily connected to a
LAN suddenly experiences the error mentioned above after
installation of
windows xp updates including SP 2.

The error is #6118 when "net view" is typed in a command
window. There is a
Microsoft "Q" sheet which suggest that if the XP machine
was connected to a
Domain which has the same nam as the work group the
error described at the
top of this post could occur. I tried changing the name
of the workgroup for
all of the network components and rebooting the LAN and
Broadband connection
but the problem still persists.

I hope someone has the time to read this (sorry about
the length, tried to
be through) and make a wise suggestion.

Thanks,

Dave Robinson

ps - I tried booting up different machines in sequence
to allow different
machines to hold the master browser list but that only
caused a delay in how
long it took before all the machines could see each
other. The XP machine
still wouldn't access the shares of the other machines
or allow them to acces
its shares; sometimes the XP machine would not even see
the other machines
but it could still ping them and they could ping it.
.

With an IP address of 192.168.0... I guess you have a
Broadband router? I'm in the same boat having downloaded
SP" on both machines. The laptop uses the wireless
connection to the router. I can't even ping one machine
from the other. The only thing I have noticed on the
laptop is that SP2 has replaced the local connection with
a wireless connection, and somehow think that this maybe
the cause of the problem.

It's nice in a way to find that I'm not alone that SP2
has caused such a major problem, but I'm concerned and
annoyed that even on these newsgroups - where there seem
to be a high number of incidents that after downloading
SP2, previously working networks no longer connect and
people are unable to restore themselves to the status quo.

The suggestions that I've received so far have all been
futile. They've ranged from disable the firewall
completely (weird since that was one of SP2's main
selling points), make changes to the TCP/IP settings -
none of which have worked. I've run and re-run the home
networking wizard until I'm blue in the face - and the
two computers obstinately refuse to connect.

The latest suggestion on this group from an MVP was to
restore the computer to the point BEFORE SP2
installation. That's fine - but then I also lose any
programmes which I have installed since then - and there
have been a couple which I don't want to lose.

It does seem from reading these newsgroups loss of
network is a major problem, and this should be mentioned
BEFORE you even attempt to download SP2. Meanwhile there
are dozens of people who are bereft of their home
networks and unable to restore them. It's not terribly
good Microsoft. Contacting my own hub support company
will elicit the response that they can't comment on home
networks - and in any case it's a Microsoft problem -
Microsoft support will no doubt come back with the
response that XP is provided through OEM and I should
contact my supplier - who will no doubt return the
message that I should contact the router support. There
is a great deal of buck passing - and very little support.
-----Original Message-----
I cannot use my LAN either after updating XP Home and
Pro
to Service Pack 2. If you find anything to remedy this
problem, please let me know. My LAN says it is not
connected or has no connectivity! But, Everything is
still connected. THANKS! ....Rick



-----Original Message-----
To any LAN or Networking troubleshooters out the-

Recently (after allowing updates) my Win XP machine no
longer is able to
access shares on my LAN.

The LAN has 5 other computers (4 Win 98SE and 1 Win NT
4.0) machines
connected to two Linksys routers (One acting as a
Gateway for three PCs and
the other router which is wireless and acts as a router
for the other two PC
and other wireless components, eg. wireless print
server).
- All machines on the network can successfully 'ping
each other'
- All of the Win 98SE machines and the Win NT 4.0
machine can accessess each
others shares (mapped drives, etc)
- The Win XP machine could originally access the other
machines but it now
returns the message " 'Workgroup' is not accessible.
You
might not have
access to the Network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to
findout if you have access permissions"
- All machines, including the XP machine, are part of
the same named workgroup
- ICF is disabled on the XP machine
- No other firewall software is installed on the XP
machine. The firewall
software on the Win 98SE machines is set to allow the
IP
address of the XP
machine
- The XP machine has been assigned a Static IP address
of the type
192.168.1.XXX (where xxx is a number within the range
allowed by the routers)
- No network bridges are present on the XP machine.
Although it has two
network adapters (wired and wireless) each has been
assigned a separate
static ip address and one is disabled when the other is
in use.
- The connections have "File and print
sharing", "Client
for Microsoft
Networks", Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and [Qos packet
scheduler] installed;
TCP/IP being configured with static ip addresses and
DNS
entries.

Neither LINKSYS, COMPAQ or Microsoft have been
successful in helping me
solve this issue so I would be most interested to hear
if anyone else has
experienced the same problem, namely a machine which
happily connected to a
LAN suddenly experiences the error mentioned above
after
installation of
windows xp updates including SP 2.

The error is #6118 when "net view" is typed in a
command
window. There is a
Microsoft "Q" sheet which suggest that if the XP
machine
was connected to a
Domain which has the same nam as the work group the
error described at the
top of this post could occur. I tried changing the name
of the workgroup for
all of the network components and rebooting the LAN and
Broadband connection
but the problem still persists.

I hope someone has the time to read this (sorry about
the length, tried to
be through) and make a wise suggestion.

Thanks,

Dave Robinson

ps - I tried booting up different machines in sequence
to allow different
machines to hold the master browser list but that only
caused a delay in how
long it took before all the machines could see each
other. The XP machine
still wouldn't access the shares of the other machines
or allow them to acces
its shares; sometimes the XP machine would not even see
the other machines
but it could still ping them and they could ping it.
.

.

only fix I've found so far is to use restore to get rid of
SP2!

-----Original Message-----
I cannot use my LAN either after updating XP Home and Pro
to Service Pack 2. If you find anything to remedy this
problem, please let me know. My LAN says it is not
connected or has no connectivity! But, Everything is
still connected. THANKS! ....Rick



-----Original Message-----
To any LAN or Networking troubleshooters out the-

Recently (after allowing updates) my Win XP machine no
longer is able to
access shares on my LAN.

The LAN has 5 other computers (4 Win 98SE and 1 Win NT
4.0) machines
connected to two Linksys routers (One acting as a
Gateway for three PCs and
the other router which is wireless and acts as a router
for the other two PC
and other wireless components, eg. wireless print
server).
- All machines on the network can successfully 'ping
each other'
- All of the Win 98SE machines and the Win NT 4.0
machine can accessess each
others shares (mapped drives, etc)
- The Win XP machine could originally access the other
machines but it now
returns the message " 'Workgroup' is not accessible. You
might not have
access to the Network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to
findout if you have access permissions"
- All machines, including the XP machine, are part of
the same named workgroup
- ICF is disabled on the XP machine
- No other firewall software is installed on the XP
machine. The firewall
software on the Win 98SE machines is set to allow the IP
address of the XP
machine
- The XP machine has been assigned a Static IP address
of the type
192.168.1.XXX (where xxx is a number within the range
allowed by the routers)
- No network bridges are present on the XP machine.
Although it has two
network adapters (wired and wireless) each has been
assigned a separate
static ip address and one is disabled when the other is
in use.
- The connections have "File and print sharing", "Client
for Microsoft
Networks", Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and [Qos packet
scheduler] installed;
TCP/IP being configured with static ip addresses and DNS
entries.

Neither LINKSYS, COMPAQ or Microsoft have been
successful in helping me
solve this issue so I would be most interested to hear
if anyone else has
experienced the same problem, namely a machine which
happily connected to a
LAN suddenly experiences the error mentioned above after
installation of
windows xp updates including SP 2.

The error is #6118 when "net view" is typed in a command
window. There is a
Microsoft "Q" sheet which suggest that if the XP machine
was connected to a
Domain which has the same nam as the work group the
error described at the
top of this post could occur. I tried changing the name
of the workgroup for
all of the network components and rebooting the LAN and
Broadband connection
but the problem still persists.

I hope someone has the time to read this (sorry about
the length, tried to
be through) and make a wise suggestion.

Thanks,

Dave Robinson

ps - I tried booting up different machines in sequence
to allow different
machines to hold the master browser list but that only
caused a delay in how
long it took before all the machines could see each
other. The XP machine
still wouldn't access the shares of the other machines
or allow them to acces
its shares; sometimes the XP machine would not even see
the other machines
but it could still ping them and they could ping it.
.

.

It's quite amazing the number of people who have
downloaded SP2 and find their home network trashed.

There's VERY little comment from Microsoft about this.
Certainly if I realised it was going to mess things up
quite so much I wouldn't have installed SP2 in the first
place. Its hard to go back now, as I have installed other
programmes and programme updates since then


-----Original Message-----
only fix I've found so far is to use restore to get rid
of
SP2!

-----Original Message-----
I cannot use my LAN either after updating XP Home and
Pro
to Service Pack 2. If you find anything to remedy this
problem, please let me know. My LAN says it is not
connected or has no connectivity! But, Everything is
still connected. THANKS! ....Rick



-----Original Message-----
To any LAN or Networking troubleshooters out the-

Recently (after allowing updates) my Win XP machine no
longer is able to
access shares on my LAN.

The LAN has 5 other computers (4 Win 98SE and 1 Win NT
4.0) machines
connected to two Linksys routers (One acting as a
Gateway for three PCs and
the other router which is wireless and acts as a
router
for the other two PC
and other wireless components, eg. wireless print
server).
- All machines on the network can successfully 'ping
each other'
- All of the Win 98SE machines and the Win NT 4.0
machine can accessess each
others shares (mapped drives, etc)
- The Win XP machine could originally access the other
machines but it now
returns the message " 'Workgroup' is not accessible.
You
might not have
access to the Network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to
findout if you have access permissions"
- All machines, including the XP machine, are part of
the same named workgroup
- ICF is disabled on the XP machine
- No other firewall software is installed on the XP
machine. The firewall
software on the Win 98SE machines is set to allow the
IP
address of the XP
machine
- The XP machine has been assigned a Static IP address
of the type
192.168.1.XXX (where xxx is a number within the range
allowed by the routers)
- No network bridges are present on the XP machine.
Although it has two
network adapters (wired and wireless) each has been
assigned a separate
static ip address and one is disabled when the other
is
in use.
- The connections have "File and print
sharing", "Client
for Microsoft
Networks", Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and [Qos packet
scheduler] installed;
TCP/IP being configured with static ip addresses and
DNS
entries.

Neither LINKSYS, COMPAQ or Microsoft have been
successful in helping me
solve this issue so I would be most interested to hear
if anyone else has
experienced the same problem, namely a machine which
happily connected to a
LAN suddenly experiences the error mentioned above
after
installation of
windows xp updates including SP 2.

The error is #6118 when "net view" is typed in a
command
window. There is a
Microsoft "Q" sheet which suggest that if the XP
machine
was connected to a
Domain which has the same nam as the work group the
error described at the
top of this post could occur. I tried changing the
name
of the workgroup for
all of the network components and rebooting the LAN
and
Broadband connection
but the problem still persists.

I hope someone has the time to read this (sorry about
the length, tried to
be through) and make a wise suggestion.

Thanks,

Dave Robinson

ps - I tried booting up different machines in sequence
to allow different
machines to hold the master browser list but that only
caused a delay in how
long it took before all the machines could see each
other. The XP machine
still wouldn't access the shares of the other machines
or allow them to acces
its shares; sometimes the XP machine would not even
see
the other machines
but it could still ping them and they could ping it.
.

.

.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 21:03:02 -0700, "Tomorrows_Technology"
wrote:

To any LAN or Networking troubleshooters out the-

Recently (after allowing updates) my Win XP machine no longer is able to
access shares on my LAN.

The LAN has 5 other computers (4 Win 98SE and 1 Win NT 4.0) machines
connected to two Linksys routers (One acting as a Gateway for three PCs and
the other router which is wireless and acts as a router for the other two PC
and other wireless components, eg. wireless print server).
- All machines on the network can successfully 'ping each other'
- All of the Win 98SE machines and the Win NT 4.0 machine can accessess each
others shares (mapped drives, etc)
- The Win XP machine could originally access the other machines but it now
returns the message " 'Workgroup' is not accessible. You might not have
access to the Network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to
findout if you have access permissions"

Dave,

I don't have the solution, but check the following points, which
could perhaps cause this problem.

* Make sure you have only one transport protocol installed,
namely TCP/IP. Remove, disable, or at least unbind other
transport protocols like IPX (NWLink) and NetBEUI.

* If you had other networking clients installed, like certain
Netware clients, you may be in for a long, bumpy ride. Some do
damage that is almost impossible to repair. You may want to try
a repair installation of Windows XP, followed by applying
Service Pack 2 again, or, better, a repair installation with a
slipstream version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2 already
integrated.

* Repair the IP stack with the Repair command or, better, with
the command: netsh int ip reset

* If the loopback feature is enabled in a connected router,
disable it. You may even need a firmware upgrade.

* Change the workgroup name in all computers to a new, simple,
short, perhaps even all upper case one, to make sure there
aren't any problems there. You can later change it back.

* Check whether NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled. It should be.

* Check all NetBIOS names for possible duplicates. For example,
if the workgroup name coincides with a user or computer name,
this could cause the problem. Try opening a command line window
and issuing the command: net view

* Then issue the command: net view \\computername, where
computername should be replaced with one of the names displayed
with the simple net view command. Check all names for possible
duplication.

* Check your router's diagnostic and information pages for NAT
information, like which computer has which IP address. Any
duplication here could point to the problem.

* Disable, better uninstall or upgrade, all antivirus software
and third party firewalls.

* Rid the computer of adware and spyware. For example, run
Spybot Search & Destroy.

And, most importantly, if you find (or anyone finds) that one of
these points or any other procedure solved your problem, please
reply here or post a new message to let us all know.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

Hi Rick,

There appear to be quite a large number of reasons for Win XP not being able
to connect to LANs. Typically the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is one
of them. XP SP2 now gives greater control over which ports are protected and
which programs are allowed to communicate past the firewall. Right click on
your connection, select properties, select advanced, then click on settings.
The "Exceptions" and "Advanced" tabs give you control over the ports and
programs which you want to be able to communicate past the firewall.

WARNING do not change any settings unless you are familiar with them.

If you're not too familiar with XP then I suggest taking a little more time
- as frustrating as it may be - to follow the setup info for your hardware
(adapter and router if you have one) I could make suggestions but without
knowing your setup I could send you on the wrong track and I don't want to do
that.

- I assume that you have properly set up your network adapters and router(s)
- I assume that you have identified all machines as being part of the same
workgroup
- I assume that you have run the network setup wizard and chosen the correct
settings for your LANs configuration.

If the above are all true and you cannot see the various machines when you
select Start/My network Places/view work group computers/... Then open a
command prompt window on each machine and type "ipconfig", Record the ip
addresses assigned to your various machines and try to "ping" each machine
from the other. If the machines cannot ping each other then the problem may
not necessarily be due to XP , it could be your adapter or router setup. I'm
no expert that's why I say "could be".

To be honest, without knowing more about your problem I cannot provide much
useful comment past suggesting that you check to see if your machines can
successfully ping each other and if "yes" to that, if the XP Firewall is
enabled.

I can make other suggestions if you post a little more info particularly the
answers to the above two questions.

Regards,

Dave Robinson

ps - I'm currently in contact with Microsoft's level 2 support and they are
quite helpful, I expect an answer to my original problem soon and I'll post
the solution when it is confirmed

"Rick W" wrote:

I cannot use my LAN either after updating XP Home and Pro
to Service Pack 2. If you find anything to remedy this
problem, please let me know. My LAN says it is not
connected or has no connectivity! But, Everything is
still connected. THANKS! ....Rick

STOP THE PRESS I found your problem. You may need to reenter your network key
for your wireless adapter. If that doesn't work the read the rest of this post


Hi Andrew,

Yeap, I tried all of the suggestions including the restore option. That one
caused me to have to call Linksys (Cisco) to get an application to clean the
registry so that I could uninstall my wireless adapter and reinstall it after
it stopped working altogether.

To get to the point, The new wireless connection icon shown when you view
your connections is not the problem, I have both a wireless adapter and a
wired adapter installed on one of my XP machines and the upgrade to XP SP2
just changed the graphic of the icon for the wireless connection (the
properties remained the same).

You're correct, I do have a broad band connection and one of the ports of
the wired router is connected to port one of a wireless router, the wired
router acts as a gateway to the internet.

if your wireless router is directly connected to the internet then you
should NOT disable the firewall of your router. Have a look at XP SP2's new
settings for the Windows firewall, you can now select the ports and programs
you want to allow to communicate - there was probably a way to do this before
but I was not aware of it. If you're familar with a firewall such as McAfee's
you probably now how to allow ports and programs to communicate past the
firewall, if not, I strongly recommend that you do a little bit of research
first.

At the end of my lengthy comments there is some good news. Like you I was
very upset over not being able to get help until I went to the Windows XP
support center and was able to start an online "Chat" with a level 1
Microsoft support person. He could not help but he gave me a case Id and a
level 2 support person has now taken on the problem.
I tried to paste the link to the online chat facility but it doesn't work so
you'll have to go to http://support.microsoft.com and select "Contact a
support professional by E-mail, Online or phone".
This should be done from a machine on which XP SP2 was downloaded otherwise
you won't get the "start chat" button automatically (presumably. I tried it
from a Win 98SE machine and I only got the email option). You should also
have a Microsoft Passport (if you don't have one, sign up for a free hotmail
account and you'' have the passport).

I'm begining to understand the problems a little better so if I come across
usefull info relating to your case I'll post another reply.

In the meantime I would suggest that your problem is related to your
adapter's settings or your router's settings because you cannot "ping" the
machines.

Assuming its the adapter's settings that are at fault, check whether it is
working by seeing if you can access your router using an internet explorer
window and typing in the router's ip address - you can turn off your
broadband modem while you do this if you're uneasy about such a procedure but
there really shouldn't be a security issue. Remember to delete the automatic
entry (if one normally pops in) in the internet explorer address line before
typing in the ip address. If you successfully see the router's logon window
(remember when you first set up the router) then your adapter is ok and your
router is ok.
Open a command window and type in "ipconfig" and note the ip address
assigned to the adapter on each of your machines. If your router is set up to
dynamically assign ip addresses (DHCP enabled) you should see an entry. If
everything is ok at this point and you cannot ping the machines from each
other, check to see if you have some other firewall software installed - at
one point McAfee Firewall was prohibiting some of my machines from
communicating on my LAN, I had to 'train' the firewall to allow communication
of that type.

I'm only familiar with Linksys and Belkin routers but I was told by Belkin
support that using static ip addresses for Win XP machines on lANs with
machines with other OS is a good idea - make sure that you don't have ip
assignment conflicts.

Now if the adapter works, there is no third party firewall and Windows
Firewall is set to allow your networking components to communicate and you
still cannot ping one machine from the other I suggest you power cycle off
all the components in you lan (turn off computers, router, etc. and turn on
again after several seconds) - this has mysteriously worked for me in the
past, apparently the various components reset some parameters when they have
been power cycled.

I apologize if you've tried all of this already but without knowing more
about your setup I can't make any more usefull comments. The fact that you
cannot ping the various machines on your LAN would lead me to focus on
solving that particular issue. I am not a professional so its only a
suggestion.

Regards,

Dave Robinson

ps - I assumed that your wireless router and adapter are set for infructure
mode and that if you have WEP enabled that the correct key is entered for
both the adapter's utility and the router. If there is more than one wireless
network in your area, you may find that the adapter is prohibited from
connecting unless the correct key is entered

"Andrew Ward" wrote:

With an IP address of 192.168.0... I guess you have a
Broadband router? I'm in the same boat having downloaded
SP" on both machines. The laptop uses the wireless
connection to the router. I can't even ping one machine
from the other. The only thing I have noticed on the
laptop is that SP2 has replaced the local connection with
a wireless connection, and somehow think that this maybe
the cause of the problem.

It's nice in a way to find that I'm not alone that SP2
has caused such a major problem, but I'm concerned and
annoyed that even on these newsgroups - where there seem
to be a high number of incidents that after downloading
SP2, previously working networks no longer connect and
people are unable to restore themselves to the status quo.

The suggestions that I've received so far have all been
futile. They've ranged from disable the firewall
completely (weird since that was one of SP2's main
selling points), make changes to the TCP/IP settings -
none of which have worked. I've run and re-run the home
networking wizard until I'm blue in the face - and the
two computers obstinately refuse to connect.

The latest suggestion on this group from an MVP was to
restore the computer to the point BEFORE SP2
installation. That's fine - but then I also lose any
programmes which I have installed since then - and there
have been a couple which I don't want to lose.

It does seem from reading these newsgroups loss of
network is a major problem, and this should be mentioned
BEFORE you even attempt to download SP2. Meanwhile there
are dozens of people who are bereft of their home
networks and unable to restore them. It's not terribly
good Microsoft. Contacting my own hub support company
will elicit the response that they can't comment on home
networks - and in any case it's a Microsoft problem -
Microsoft support will no doubt come back with the
response that XP is provided through OEM and I should
contact my supplier - who will no doubt return the
message that I should contact the router support. There
is a great deal of buck passing - and very little support.
-----Original Message-----
I cannot use my LAN either after updating XP Home and
Pro
to Service Pack 2. If you find anything to remedy this
problem, please let me know. My LAN says it is not
connected or has no connectivity! But, Everything is
still connected. THANKS! ....Rick

Hi Hans-Georg,

Thanks for the info. I have tried most of your
suggestions in the past but the problem persist. You obviously know more
about networking than I do so I'm hoping you can provide me with a comment to
my observation. The XP error I get suggest that XP thinks its connecting to a
Domain. For Win 98SE machines and Win NT 4.0 machines I can set a parameter
to indicate that they are connecting to a workgroup (through "Client for
Microsoft Networks" properties - Win 98 SE or Through Network Identification
properties - Win NT 4.0) Can the same be done for XP and if so, How ?

Thanks,

Regards,
Dave Robinson


"Hans-Georg Michna" wrote:

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 21:03:02 -0700, "Tomorrows_Technology"
wrote:


Dave,

I don't have the solution, but check the following points, which
could perhaps cause this problem.

* Make sure you have only one transport protocol installed,
namely TCP/IP. Remove, disable, or at least unbind other
transport protocols like IPX (NWLink) and NetBEUI.

* If you had other networking clients installed, like certain
Netware clients, you may be in for a long, bumpy ride. Some do
damage that is almost impossible to repair. You may want to try
a repair installation of Windows XP, followed by applying
Service Pack 2 again, or, better, a repair installation with a
slipstream version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2 already
integrated.

* Repair the IP stack with the Repair command or, better, with
the command: netsh int ip reset

* If the loopback feature is enabled in a connected router,
disable it. You may even need a firmware upgrade.

* Change the workgroup name in all computers to a new, simple,
short, perhaps even all upper case one, to make sure there
aren't any problems there. You can later change it back.

* Check whether NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled. It should be.

* Check all NetBIOS names for possible duplicates. For example,
if the workgroup name coincides with a user or computer name,
this could cause the problem. Try opening a command line window
and issuing the command: net view

* Then issue the command: net view \\computername, where
computername should be replaced with one of the names displayed
with the simple net view command. Check all names for possible
duplication.

* Check your router's diagnostic and information pages for NAT
information, like which computer has which IP address. Any
duplication here could point to the problem.

* Disable, better uninstall or upgrade, all antivirus software
and third party firewalls.

* Rid the computer of adware and spyware. For example, run
Spybot Search & Destroy.

And, most importantly, if you find (or anyone finds) that one of
these points or any other procedure solved your problem, please
reply here or post a new message to let us all know.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

Hi all,
I'm really new to this but since the last update I am having a really hard
time with my network connection too. Do you suppose it is a safe assumption
that since the service pack caused this problem that Microsoft will fix the
problem? What are the advantages of waiting for them to send out a patch?
How long do you suppose it will take?

"Tomorrows_Technology" wrote:

Hi Hans-Georg,

Thanks for the info. I have tried most of your
suggestions in the past but the problem persist. You obviously know more
about networking than I do so I'm hoping you can provide me with a comment to
my observation. The XP error I get suggest that XP thinks its connecting to a
Domain. For Win 98SE machines and Win NT 4.0 machines I can set a parameter
to indicate that they are connecting to a workgroup (through "Client for
Microsoft Networks" properties - Win 98 SE or Through Network Identification
properties - Win NT 4.0) Can the same be done for XP and if so, How ?

Thanks,

Regards,
Dave Robinson


"Hans-Georg Michna" wrote:

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 21:03:02 -0700, "Tomorrows_Technology"
wrote:


Dave,

I don't have the solution, but check the following points, which
could perhaps cause this problem.

* Make sure you have only one transport protocol installed,
namely TCP/IP. Remove, disable, or at least unbind other
transport protocols like IPX (NWLink) and NetBEUI.

* If you had other networking clients installed, like certain
Netware clients, you may be in for a long, bumpy ride. Some do
damage that is almost impossible to repair. You may want to try
a repair installation of Windows XP, followed by applying
Service Pack 2 again, or, better, a repair installation with a
slipstream version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2 already
integrated.

* Repair the IP stack with the Repair command or, better, with
the command: netsh int ip reset

* If the loopback feature is enabled in a connected router,
disable it. You may even need a firmware upgrade.

* Change the workgroup name in all computers to a new, simple,
short, perhaps even all upper case one, to make sure there
aren't any problems there. You can later change it back.

* Check whether NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled. It should be.

* Check all NetBIOS names for possible duplicates. For example,
if the workgroup name coincides with a user or computer name,
this could cause the problem. Try opening a command line window
and issuing the command: net view

* Then issue the command: net view \\computername, where
computername should be replaced with one of the names displayed
with the simple net view command. Check all names for possible
duplication.

* Check your router's diagnostic and information pages for NAT
information, like which computer has which IP address. Any
duplication here could point to the problem.

* Disable, better uninstall or upgrade, all antivirus software
and third party firewalls.

* Rid the computer of adware and spyware. For example, run
Spybot Search & Destroy.

And, most importantly, if you find (or anyone finds) that one of
these points or any other procedure solved your problem, please
reply here or post a new message to let us all know.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

On Wed, 1 Sep 2004 17:45:02 -0700, Reallystupidsometimes
wrote:

I'm really new to this but since the last update I am having a really hard
time with my network connection too. Do you suppose it is a safe assumption
that since the service pack caused this problem that Microsoft will fix the
problem? What are the advantages of waiting for them to send out a patch?
How long do you suppose it will take?

What problem? I've seen dozens of different problems, most of
which were brought to the surface, but not caused by Service
Pack 2.

Microsoft will certainly fix problems that are severe and
widespread, provided they are brought to their attention.
Meanwhile we should try to help ourselves, and as I see it, the
majority of problems is being solved right here. I think this
newsgroup is doing fairly well.

You could look through http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm for a
list of solvable problems with SP2. If your particular problem
doesn't respond to any of these solutions, describe it here, and
there's still a fair chance that somebody comes up with a
solution.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

Thanks to Herry Han of Microsoft this problem has now been resolved. The
solution is described below:-

(1) On the XP Machine two files were added. These files enable installation
of the NetBEUI protocol. You only need to use this protocol if you have
disabled DHCP on the router you connect through. The files can be found on
the Windows XP Cd-ROM, in the Valueadd\MSFT\Net\NetBEUI folder.

(a) Copy the Nbf.sys file to your ...\Windows\System32\Drivers directory
(b) Copy the Netnbf.inf file to your ...\Windows\Inf hidden directory
(c) Right click on the adapter connection you wish to add the protocol and
select the Properties option. Click on the Install button and select
Protocol. Select the NetBEUI protocol to install it. Install the Protocol on
the other Windows machines (Win 98 SE machines) as well.

(2) Ensure that the Computer Browser service is started automatically
(3) Ensure that the Routing and Remote Access service is started automatically
(4) Ensure that the RPC services are set to local system logon

(1) and (2) are essential whereas (3) and (4) were added prior to resolving
the problem but have not been reversed to determine if they are essential to
solving the problem

NOTE:

(4) was recommended by Microsoft but did not reslove the problem, (3) was a
test which led to successful connection with the Windows NT 4.0 machine but
not with the Windows 98 SE machines.

NetBEUI is a non routable protocol therefore computers which are not located
on the same network segment or subnet cannot communicate. NetBEUI is an
enhanced version of the NetBios protocol.

On my LAN, the computers on the different LAN segments all have static IP
addresses assigned and the TCP/IP protocol installed therefore the computers
connected to the wireless router can communicate with the computers connected
to the wired router acting as a Gateway. The wireless router is directly
connected to one of the ports of the wired router and the wireless router has
been assigned a static IP address. All the computers on the LAN have Internet
access at the speed of the Broadband connection (no internet connection
sharing is required).

I hope the solution to my problem sheds some light which will enable others
to solve theirs.

Regards,

Dave Robinson
(Tomorrow's Technology)

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 19:33:01 -0700, "Tomorrows_Technology"
wrote:

I hope the solution to my problem sheds some light which will enable others
to solve theirs.

Dave,

one should perhaps remark that this is not actually a solution.
The problem itself remains unsolved. It is merely patched over,
and in a clumsy way, if you ask me.

Normally I do not recommend to install NetBEUI in addition to
TCP/IP.

The real solution to the problem is in
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm. Probably NetBIOS over TCP/IP
or the File and Printer Sharing Exception in the firewall needs
to be enabled or the browser service needs to be started. But I
wrote that already in an earlier message in this thread.

Funny that nobody mentioned the actual text of the error
message.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

"Tomorrows_Technology" wrote in message
...
Thanks to Herry Han of Microsoft this problem has now been resolved. The
solution is described below:-

(1) On the XP Machine two files were added. These files enable
installation
of the NetBEUI protocol. You only need to use this protocol if you have
disabled DHCP on the router you connect through. The files can be found on
the Windows XP Cd-ROM, in the Valueadd\MSFT\Net\NetBEUI folder.

(a) Copy the Nbf.sys file to your ...\Windows\System32\Drivers directory
(b) Copy the Netnbf.inf file to your ...\Windows\Inf hidden directory
(c) Right click on the adapter connection you wish to add the protocol and
select the Properties option. Click on the Install button and select
Protocol. Select the NetBEUI protocol to install it. Install the Protocol
on
the other Windows machines (Win 98 SE machines) as well.

(2) Ensure that the Computer Browser service is started automatically
(3) Ensure that the Routing and Remote Access service is started
automatically
(4) Ensure that the RPC services are set to local system logon

(1) and (2) are essential whereas (3) and (4) were added prior to
resolving
the problem but have not been reversed to determine if they are essential
to
solving the problem

NOTE:

(4) was recommended by Microsoft but did not reslove the problem, (3) was
a
test which led to successful connection with the Windows NT 4.0 machine
but
not with the Windows 98 SE machines.

NetBEUI is a non routable protocol therefore computers which are not
located
on the same network segment or subnet cannot communicate. NetBEUI is an
enhanced version of the NetBios protocol.

On my LAN, the computers on the different LAN segments all have static IP
addresses assigned and the TCP/IP protocol installed therefore the
computers
connected to the wireless router can communicate with the computers
connected
to the wired router acting as a Gateway. The wireless router is directly
connected to one of the ports of the wired router and the wireless router
has
been assigned a static IP address. All the computers on the LAN have
Internet
access at the speed of the Broadband connection (no internet connection
sharing is required).

I hope the solution to my problem sheds some light which will enable
others
to solve theirs.

Regards,

Dave Robinson
(Tomorrow's Technology)