...why my network is so flaky? Sometimes the computers see each other from Windows, sometimes they don't. They can all ping each other, but when I try to access files through Windows (loading a remote document into Word, or simply trying to view them with Windows Explorer) I sometimes, but not always, get "Network path not found." My desktop hasn't seen my laptop in weeks. After a reboot this morning, the desktop can no longer access my Redhat server running Samba, to which I saved a document from the desktop just last night.

What's going on here?

[Update a few minutes later]

And no, I've shut down Zone Alarm, and it didn't help, so don't ask about that...

Make sure that both the windows firewall and any norton, Mcaffe etc... firewalls are turned off
on the apropriate computers. (If this fixes we can go into what ports to open)

What OS's involved?

If it is XP try Control Panel -Network connections ->Local Area Connections ->Internet protocol ->
Advance4d (button) WINS tab...
Then change the NetBios Setting from Default to Enable and see if that helps.

From a dos box/command prompt what do you see if
you type net view? Can you see the other machines?

Paul

I'm running Windows 2000 on the desktop, and the computers that I want to see, and can't are a laptop also running W2K, and a linux box running Samba. I haven't seen the laptop in weeks, but I was writing files to the linux box last night.

"Net view" says that the network path isn't found, but all machines are pingable.

Then I'd double check that no IP firewalls are turned on on any of the machines.

You can even disconnect the Outside world router, DSL etc... while you turn these off to see if that
fixes things.

Also on win 2K you will have the equavlent to the
Enable,Defaule,Disable NetBios over TCP setting.
I just don't have a win2K machine infront of me to find the right tabs etc..

Paul

If an IP firewall were the problem, it seems to me that I wouldn't be able to ping. The problem seems to be on the desktop side, and the only firewall I've ever had on that is Zone Alarm, which I've disabled to no avail.

Something similar happened to me - machines suddenly unable to communicate. I didn't associate it with my router going bad, but that appears to be the cause. Now that I have a new router, problem's solved.

Rand,
Firewalls have ports to let things through, almost all firewalls are preconfigured to have
ICMP (ping) as an open port.

This is not true of NetBios over TCP.

This won't be a problem with the SAMBA server, so you should get the machines to see that first.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I just had exactly the same problem at work and it had to do with a Microsoft security update on an XP machine.
Turned on something called microsoft security center firewall.

Paul

OK, now let's get funky. I have a Win NT 4 network. The 3 XP computers run fine -- they see the other workstations, able to access ADSL Internet. 4 Win 98 [1st Ed.] workstations see the other computers, but cannot access the Internet. 1 Win 98 computer DOES see Internet and other workstations. MSIE Internet Connections settings are consistent from WS to WS. Internet firewall is a Netgear WGT624 hardware router device. This anomaly did not start until I started using the Netgear router. Any ideas as to the nature of the problem and how to fix?

Some friends of ours had loads of trouble with their wireless networks. The traced it to a 2.4GHz wireless phone set. If you or any of your neighbors have one, it can cause interference when in use.

I don't know what the solution is. If it's your phone you can get rid of it. Is it possible to change channels on your network?

It's not a wireless issue. The machines that I'm having problems with are both hardwired through the ethernet switch on the router.

Rand, your comment about machines being pingable but not net viewable reminds me of something similar that happened to me a while back. Check your DNS settings on both your router and on the PCs. Find out what the IP address is and make sure you set 'em manually everywhere, don't let Windows do the autodetect. I know it sounds like voodoo but I did that and once I did the problem went completely away.

If I hardwire the IPs, then I also need to specify a DNS, and I don't know the address for my ISP (Bellsouth).

"Sometimes the computers see each other from Windows, sometimes they don't."

Well, you've identified the problem right there. You're using Windows.... ;)