Wireless Network problem

[Geronimo]

I have a home network. I use a Linkys Router equipped with 802.11b technology. I recently added a laptop using 802. 11g technology. It can see all the machines on the network and they can see it but when I try to transfer files I get a message that the new machine does not have access to (name of my workgroup). All PCs are on XP Home with SP2. I am using the latest Zone Alarm firewall (though problem persists if firewall is turned off).


Any thoughts?

[invaliduser88]

Have you tried to access useing the IP address and checked to see if the problem continues to happen (Ex: \\192.168.1.5)?

[Geronimo]

I can see the machine but cannot open a file. Filesharing is enabled

[Steve Mehs]

Does it work with ZA disabled?

[BuckeyeChris]

I can see the machine but cannot open a file. Filesharing is enabled

I take it you can access the Internet wirelessly without issue from the new laptop, correct?

Did you run the Windows File Sharing Wizard on your laptop and other networked PCs?

Did you configure your router's setup pages to allow B and G (mixed) protocols? My understanding is that only G 802.11 devices are backwards compatible with B devices, not the other way around. Therefore, that may be the reason why your 802.11 b router won't transfer files with your laptop's G wireless access card. To fix this, either get a B card for your laptop or get a G router.

It also makes sense that if one element of your network is G protocol, to have all elements G protocol. G is five times faster than the B protocol (but as a general rule, you won't always get the top speed of 54 MBps with G in day to day use, and you will normally only see that speed during file transfers, unless your ISP provides 54MBps fiber broadband. :D If you have one B element in your network, then you must set your G card/router down several notches to the B standard.

Now B is just fine for most situations, but why would you want to use a G card in your B network?

[lastmanstanding]

Did you configure your router's setup pages to allow B and G (mixed) protocols? My understanding is that only G 802.11 devices are backwards compatible with B devices, not the other way around. Therefore, that may be the reason why your 802.11 b router won't transfer files with your laptop's G wireless access card. To fix this, either get a B card for your laptop or get a G router.


Bet that is the problem. With filesharing enabled, the network should see the drives and open the appropriate files. There might be a patch from Linksys. Worth a look.

Geronimo, is the inability to open files both ways? I presume you can open things between your non-g machines.

LMS

[Bogy]

I don't think that B/G compatibility is the problem. If it were I don't believe the machines would be seeing each other. That would make computers "invisible", not cause problems with sharing. Somewhere there is a box for sharing left unchecked, or checked, as the case may be.

[Steve Mehs]

Now B is just fine for most situations

Unless you transfer 5GB worth of MP3s or a 7GB DVD image :)

I just upgraded from Wireless G at 54MB to a Linksys Speedbooster set up at 125MB, the difference is night and day, it's like going from dial up to broadband. Granted for the net it makes no difference whatsoever but for large file transfers, it's a savior.

[TNGTony]

I had a similar problem with two of my 4 computers on the network. The problem was with Zone Alarm. Even with the program disabled, it did not allow the sharing or transfer of data between computers. On a lark I unistalled Zone Alarm on one of the computers and "shazam!" it works with the entire network no problem. I uninstalled a "no name" Zone Alarm clone from the other computer (part of the software bundle it came with)and "bang", it worked with the network imediately!

I am currently using the Windows firewall and the hardware firewall on the router when I am at home. When I reinstall ZA, no matter how low a setting, even "off", they do not work with the network. Only when ZA is completely uninstalled do they play well with the network so ZA is out.

See ya
Tony

[Ron Barry]

I had this problem a while back. It was related to the firewall issue and I had Zone Alarm installed. If you have zone alarm running on any of the machines it would could cause this problem. File sharing requires communication in both directions so a firewall could block half of the communication stream.

I would suggest the following.

1) Compare your share settings with a computer that is working. Make sure there are no differences. Make sure they are in the same workgroup. I think with home you don't get a choice.

2) Uninstall ZA from the laptop and see if that corrects the problem. If it does not, go to the machine you are trying to connect to and make sure the firewall is disabled also.

3) It is not a B/G problem. I would agree with Bogy. You should not be able to communicate if that was the case.

Good luck!

[Geronimo]

Sharing boxes are checked. Tony and Ron may be right. Oddly it is only afecting one of the G machines. I will try uninstalling though

[Bogy]

I have had the same problem with software firewalls. I spent most of a day (and night) trying to get my daughter's computer and her roommates computer to share. I finally uninstalled the firewalls ( I can't remember if they were ZA or Norton, or one of each) and then there was no problem. On those computers and on everything at home I just use the XP firewall and have no problems. Make sure the box is checked in the firewall setting for sharing.

[Ron Barry]

I believe XP also has some firewall stuff included and it might be in SP2. Look around in the control panel you might find something of interest in there also.

[Geronimo]

Anything is possible. i know I ahve disabled the Windows firewall butt ehre still might be some odd setting. I suspect thatt his occurred when ZA did the latest upgrade----which was at the time I bought the laptop.


BTW thank to everyone for their help.

[DonLandis]

I use a mix match of network stuff here and the b/g issue isn't relevant to your symptoms. G will see a b and vice versa. The mix of b and g is that the g will only transfer as fast as b when it is working with the b machine. when it transfers with another g machine it will work at G speed. G will work at g speed when it connects to a 100Mbs hard wire computer as well but when connected to a thinnet (coax) or 11 Mbs computer the G will throttle back to the thinnet speed of 11. (Yes, I also have several machines on a thinnet trunk in my house. )

My guess is you have another problem, most likely look at your work group designators. Your symptoms happened here a couple of times and it was due to machines getting moved to Microsoft workgroups rather than my own workgroup name. The symptom was that I could not transfer files between workgroups but could access the internet. The two that I get conflicts here are MSHOME default and my own internal group name.

[Geronimo]

I did not have time to uninstall ZA last night. I will by the weekend. I may try changing the workgroup name on all machines though. It cant hurt.

[SimpleSimon]

I did not have time to uninstall ZA last night. I will by the weekend. I may try changing the workgroup name on all machines though. It cant hurt.
That's the FIRST thing to do - all machines must be in the same workgroup.

802.11 B vs. G is NOT relevant as long as a connection is made.

[Geronimo]

They have the same workgroup name. Alwyas did. I just changed it because it seemed like an easy thing to chevk.

[Redster]

You may have done this but I dont see it in the posts. Make sure the ip of the problem child is added to the trusted group of each pc/laptop on the network.

[Geronimo]

You may have done this but I dont see it in the posts. Make sure the ip of the problem child is added to the trusted group of each pc/laptop on the network.


The problem exists whether I use static or dynamic addresses and the dynamic addresses aree within th erange listed as trusted.

[Redster]

It may be within the range of ip's trusted by the router,, that is what allows you to access the internet. Is it manually entered into the trusted zone under ZAP firewall settings ?

[Geronimo]

No I will try that though redster. Sadly last weekend there were all kinds of distractions at my place. But I ddi notice that evenwith ZA turned off I could not get access

[Shellback X 23]

No I will try that though redster. Sadly last weekend there were all kinds of distractions at my place. But I ddi notice that evenwith ZA turned off I could not get access

Remember what a couple of folks said above, just turning ZA off won't do the trick, you have to UNinstall it.

Good Luck

[Geronimo]

Understood that is why it has taken awhile to look at this. But I would think that the whole concept of a trusted zone does not apply with the firewall turned off.

[Redster]

Well ZAP can be shutdown but the services are still running. I suppose if you really had the time,, you could try uninstalling ZAP and then see if you could connect .

[Geronimo]

That is what I intend to do. My only comment is that with ZAP deactivated there really is no "trusted zone" as there is no firewall to do the trusting. But maybe I will find out that I am all wet on this.

Not really sure how I would add the machine to the trusted zone with dynamic IP addresses. But I did add it when I tried static IPs. Also the range for the trusted zone should cover and IP address the router gives out.

I am unclear why I can access ANY machines with ZA installed if it is the culprit but Ia gree that uninstalling is a good test.

[Redster]

the router should always assign one of the range of ip's specified by your router. Lets say you have a range starting at 192.168.15.100 and have specified 4 for number of machines. Even if you have the pc set for dynamic ip,, it will only get a number in the routers range,, say 192.168.15.102 . That number will stay the same,, even if your isp refreshes your ip number,, the router will always assign a number in its range to the pc's. That is the number that I plug into the trusted zone.

[Geronimo]

I realize this redster. That is why I said that the trusted zone in my firewall is adequate to cover any IP address that the router hands out.

But i think we are discussing two different types of dynamic addresses. I am referrng to the assignment of addresses from the router to each device on the network That is dynamic (it changes each time the PC is turned on) unless I force it to be static. Therfore I don't specify a particular address, I specify a range of addresses that corresponds to what the router assigns.

I also don't have to specify the number of devices on the network. But your router may work differently from mine.

You are referring to the IP address assigned by my ISP. That too can be either dynamic or static but it is unrealated to this.


It is clear that the real culprit is me. We keep coming back to the fact that ZA may be the culprit so i need to uninstall it and then see what happens.

[Bogy]

Chief, it may not make sense, and it MIGHT not solve the problem, but some of us have already dealt with this, and have found that having ZA in any way, shape or form on your computer can cause problems. It is NOT network friendly.

[Geronimo]

It is now solved. I uninstalled and then reinstalled and the problem went away. I like ZA. It integrates with my router nicely. I have no problems with it. I suspect I did something odd at configuration time.

But I will consider what yoiu all have said.


Thanks again for all the help.