i need some help please

JBuk · 23 Jul 2006 at 21:56

i have been asked by a colleague to fix his laptop
i want to back up some of his stuff onto my pc, so i have set up his wireless and i can connect to my network ok, and i have a pretty good signal
but...... i cannot for the life of me get his lappy to find any other pc on the network, or vice versa , so i`m now getting very frustrated and ive exhausted everything i can think of

so far i have tried re-installing clients/services etc, assigning it an IP, reinstalling drivers.....the list goes on...to be honest i`m not 100% sure if i`m going about things the right way, i`m no expert

this is the setup i have

adsl goes into dg814 router, then i have a wireless access point attached -with my dads laptop connecting via this with XPhome (all fine & dandy) , i also have 2 wired connections into the router with mine & my dads main pcs running XPpro (wether any of this makes a difference i dont know)

my colleagues laptop is running XPhome

please can somebdy help?.... (preferably before my head explodes)

tolien · 23 Jul 2006 at 22:50

Define "find any other PC on the network" - appear in My Network Places or View Workgroup Computers or whatever?
Does it work if you use start, run, \\[machine's ip]?

JBuk · 23 Jul 2006 at 22:59

tolien said:
Define "find any other PC on the network" - appear in My Network Places or View Workgroup Computers or whatever?

none of the networked pcs show in `my network`it doesnt have the usual icons for mshome - although i have assigned it as part of that group,entire network, etc, its just blank. , if i try to add a network place i still cannot find any networked pcs

i was able to get the internet at the start, but still had all of the above problems, now i cannot even get on the net with it

tolien said:
Does it work if you use start, run, \\[machine's ip]?

i will have to try that tommorrow evening, need to sleep now, up at 5:00am

JBuk · 24 Jul 2006 at 20:35

tolien said:
Define "find any other PC on the network" - appear in My Network Places or View Workgroup Computers or whatever?
Does it work if you use start, run, \\[machine's ip]?

ok, i tried the \\[machines ip], it comes up an error - path not found

tolien · 24 Jul 2006 at 20:36

You did plug in the machine's IP in place of [machine's IP]?

JBuk · 28 Jul 2006 at 21:10

tolien said:
You did plug in the machine's IP in place of [machine's IP]?

bit late to reply (been working long hours

)

yeah, the machines ip was 192.168.0.6 and i typed in \\192.168.0.6
doing the same on the other machines (with their ip) opens up the shared folders on them systems

i cant even log into the router using this laptop, i think i may have to just ask my workmate if i can go ahead and format, and start again

Brighton Ed · 28 Jul 2006 at 22:41

Sounds pretty simple, but it always best to revisit the basics. Have you checked its firewall (both the MS one and any add ons)?

Can you ping it?

Gandalf501 · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:11

Your going to need a bridge.

That is, a computer with both wired and wireless capabilities acting as a relay between the wired and wireless network. Oh, your router probably will not be a bridge. It may be a switch, and it may be a router, but it most likely will not be all three.

You cannot create a mixed media LAN (wired and wireless) without a bridge

Sorry about that

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/networking/mmr_intro.htm

Celestial Caravan · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:22

Gandalf501 said:
Your going to need a bridge.

That is, a computer with both wired and wireless capabilities acting as a relay between the wired and wireless network. Oh, your router probably will not be a bridge. It may be a switch, and it may be a router, but it most likely will not be all three.

You cannot create a mixed media LAN (wired and wireless) without a bridge

Sorry about that

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/networking/mmr_intro.htm

nope! Sorry - you're wrong. A wireless access point is, in effect, a bridge. He already has this and his dad's laptop is using this arrangement succesfully.

Celestial Caravan · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:27

JBuk - check you father's laptop settings and replicate them. Check for Workgroup Name and whether it has a fixed IP or not. If fixed, note the DHCP address that it's using and use that on your friend's lappy. Does your fiend's laptop have a firewall in place? And how does your friend normally use his laptop's wireless capabilities?

Gandalf501 · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:36

Celestial Caravan, are you totally sure I am wrong. I mean are you 100% sure that I am wrong? Do you, by any chance work in a data centre? Do you have a CCNA or CCNP?

A wireless access point is not actually a bridge. Although some vendors do provide this functionality, hence this is possibly the reason why you think I am wrong.

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1563991

Also, I clearly stated that he needs a bridge to be able to connect the wireless lan to the wired. You said I was wrong, because his access point is a bridge. Hence, yes, he needs a bridge...

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/networking/multilan.htm

I dont wish to start a flame war with you. Your entitled to your opinion.

JBuk · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:49

Celestial Caravan said:
JBuk - check you father's laptop settings and replicate them. Check for Workgroup Name and whether it has a fixed IP or not. If fixed, note the DHCP address that it's using and use that on your friend's lappy. Does your fiend's laptop have a firewall in place? And how does your friend normally use his laptop's wireless capabilities?

i have tried to replicate my dads laptop settings but have had no luck, there is no firewall in place but there was norton internet security installed, so i got rid, but i still cannot get it going

my workmate doesnt use the wireless anymore as his router kept playing up, also someone else had a play about with the laptop a while ago and re-installed win xp, but only done half a job and installed loads of carp that is no use to my workmate, hence why i have it

i have a few more things to try before i see how far i can hurl it

Gandalf501 · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:50

Jbuck, if you follow the guidlines on the links this should explain what you need to do to get the laptop on the LAN.

Gandalf501 · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:52

Also check your router configuration as well. Can the new laptop access the internet? Do you have any wireless encryption enabled? (Hope so)

tolien · 30 Jul 2006 at 00:53

Gandalf501 said:
Celestial Caravan, are you totally sure I am wrong. I mean are you 100% sure that I am wrong?

Whether he is or isn't, you are wrong, in that you implied that more hardware was needed. Waving qualifications around is pointless too.

A wireless access point is not actually a bridge. Although some vendors do provide this functionality

I've yet to see one which doesn't have the wireless and wired interfaces bridged. You're thinking of the gaming adapter "bridges", which are basically a wireless client with an ethernet port.

The two links are completely extraneous.

Getting back to the point, does it work if you eliminate the wireless altogether and use ethernet?

Celestial Caravan · 30 Jul 2006 at 01:02

Gandalf501 said:
I clearly stated that he needs a bridge to be able to connect the wireless lan to the wired.

Yes you did. And yes, you are wrong.

I've been connecting Mac and XP, wired and wireless machines together for years without the need for a 'bridge' other than an Access Point be it a single function access point or a multi function modem/router/wireless access point device such as a Netgear DG834G for example.

And stop with the willy waving. If 'qualifications' tell you that a 'bridge' is needed then I'm glad that I haven't got any. Just 20+ years working in the industry.

Gandalf501 · 30 Jul 2006 at 01:03

Oh dear. What I have started.

Have you actually read the links I provided? So I am wrong, as are both of those websites (MS as well, come to think of it).

Remember this laptop may have an access point that ISNT a bridge, as being a bridge was NEVER sepecified in the original wirless protocol.

You CANT mix a wired and wireless network without a bridge. PERIOD. And this laptop cant see the network. Therefore he MAY need new hardware, and that hardware will be a BRIDGE. Now that bridge can be in the wireless access point if it needs be, but it will need a bridge FFS!!!

Phemo · 30 Jul 2006 at 01:05

Gandalf501 said:
You CANT mix a wired and wireless network without a bridge. PERIOD. And this laptop cant see the network. Therefore he MAY need new hardware, and that hardware will be a BRIDGE. Now that bridge can be in the wireless access point if it needs be, but it will need a bridge FFS!!!

The first post clearly states that another wireless laptop works fine via the AP so he quite clearly does not need any new hardware.

tolien · 30 Jul 2006 at 01:07

Gandalf501 said:
You CANT mix a wired and wireless network without a bridge.

Quite.

And this laptop cant see the network. Therefore he MAY need new hardware, and that hardware will be a BRIDGE. Now that bridge can be in the wireless access point if it needs be, but it will need a bridge FFS!!!

Except that the other machine works fine, so you are wrong...

Have you actually read the links I provided? So I am wrong, as are both of those websites

Yes, and you are, and those websites aren't necessarily wrong, just not relevant.

Another question for the OP. If the machine's set to get an IP via DHCP (ie automatically), does it get one, or does it just bomb out with "limited or no connectivity"?

Gandalf501 · 30 Jul 2006 at 01:09

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...s/en-us/hnw_component_overvieww.mspx?mfr=true

Scroll down and read the section

"using a mixed network environment"

"Without network bridging, the computers connected using Ethernet can only talk to each other, and the same for computers using HPNA or wireless. Network bridging makes each of these network segments transparent and appear as one continuous network."

but, im flogging a dead horse.

Of course, you dont really need a bridge. Im making it all up for the fun of it.