Network Switch question

Internet access is perfect on the two PCs and the Sky box. I'm very happy about that. But although the two PCs can see each other, they can't access each other. Grrr !! "Windows cannot access \\PCNAME" is the message I get from each.

In the past pre Windows 7 (Vista and XP) I've never had issues accessing shared folders on PCs on my network, but this is the first time I've tried in Windows 7 and 8, and so far I've failed.
 
KIA said:
Temporarily disable the firewall.

Can the machines ping each other?
Can you access the other machine using \\IP_HERE?
Click to expand...

I changed some settings but now the computers can't see each other at all. What is confusing me is that they both seem to have the same ip address behind the switch, which I thought was impossible. Or perhaps that is how the switch works, the router only sees and manages one IP, and the switch handles the rest. I'm going to revert to having the 2 boxes connected wirelessly to the router (i.e. take the switch out of the equation temporarily) and see if that makes a difference. If I can get it working like that, then I can bring the switch back into the picture. Do HomeGroups need to be set up ? They aren't at the moment but I can easily do that if it makes things easier.

EDIT: yes I disabled the firewall on the W7 box, that didn't help the W8 box to access the files.
 
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Right, I put one machine back onto the wireless network, leaving the other connected to the switch. File sharing works perfectly !! With both connected to the switch, it doesn't. And furthermore with the switch I can no longer use Teamviewer to log onto one machine from the other, it takes forever to make a connection and then fails straight away, or doesn't connect at all. Over wireless it was fine.

ipconfig on both machines shows the same IP address when they are connected to the switch. On the DLink router, only one connected device is shown not two (ignoring the phones etc which are also connected). So I don't know where to go from here. Internet sharing is working perfectly but file sharing isn't and neither is Teamviewer. Could it be a faulty switch ? The router is a DIR-615 and DHCP is enabled, all wireless devices or devices connected directly to it are fine, it is just the switch that is the problem.
 
I manually set one IP address, but still only one machine shows as connected in the router, and file sharing still doesn't work :-( But internet does work still.

EDIT: and the machines can't ping each other.
 
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I have now assigned manually to both PCs - 192.168.0.140 and 192.168.0.150
And yes I'm 100% sure they aren't already being used. The phones are getting the low addresses.

In the DLINK page, neither machine shows as being connected. Only the phones are showing. But yet they the PCs are are using the internet connection.

This is really bizarre. I'll try what you suggest, but I doubt it will make any difference.
I've got an old Netgear router, perhaps I'll connect that up instead of the DLink and see if I get any joy there. Otherwise, it could be a faulty switch.
 
Well, I think I've found the issue. Both PCs have the same motherboard, and when I look in the properties for the realtek adaptors, both display the same MAC address. I thought that was impossible as well. I thought MAC addresses were unique.
 
Sorted !! :D:D

Modified the MAC address on one machine in the registry, as per a youtube video that I found. Now both machines show as connected in the router screens with separate IP addresses, and file sharing works perfectly.

Thanks for everyone's help with this. A really bizarre problem, and duplicate MAC addresses was the last thing I would have expected :eek:

I've never messed with MAC settings before. The only way I can think that this may have happened is that at one point in the past I swapped hard drives between machines, so the W7 machine became the W8 machine and vice-versa.
 
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