Unable to browse the network

[Eksistenz]

Can anyone offer any suggestions for the following:
Last weekend I relocated a small NT network from one building to another (1 NT server, 7 PCs, 2 printers).
When the power came back on (don't ask - I had to move the network into a building without power due to a power cut!), all of the PCs were able to connect, except one Windows 98 laptop.
This one laptop flatly refuses to access the network. It can ping all other network devices, but cannot browse the network or map directly to shares on the server. But it can access an Intel In-Business email station OK, and can browse the Web via a 3Com LAN-modem.
Nothing has actually been changed on the laptop or the server, which is why I'm somewhat bemused by this behaviour.

I've tried renaming the workgroup name, and disabling and re-enabling Client for Microsoft Networks, all to no avail. The only thing I can think to try next is to remove all networking compnonents and then let Win98 reinstall them when it reboots.

Any ideas?

Many thanks.

 

[ITschoolGuy]

Hi -

If you use the Find | Computers option from the Start menu and type in the name of one of the other computers, will it be found? If so, your problem is most likely with the Browser Service not updating the laptop's browse list. This can usually be corrected by adjusting a value in the registry. If not, then your NetBIOS interface is apparently fouled up. Do you have any other protocols on your network other than TCP/IP? If not, you might try installing NetBEUI, at least temporarily, so as to test the NetBIOS capability. Otherwise, you might as well follow through with your suggestion of removing/re-installing the networking components.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Eksistenz]

Thanks for your comments.
I tried removing and reinstalling all networking components, but exactly the same thing is happening.
I added an lmhosts entry with #PRE #DOM:domain, and after running nbtstat -R I was able to get the user logged in. But as soon as the machine was rebooted the PC again refused to see the domain controller. Reloading the lmhosts file made no difference this time either.

Anyway, the user can access a printer on the network (jet direct) and most of his files luckily are on the laptop, so he can work for now. And I'm off on holiday for two weeks!

I'll try again once I return. In the meantime, if anyone can offer any other ideas, they'll be appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[fathermurphy]

A couple of other things to check.

1. Rebuild the network stack, add TCP/IP,IPX/SPX,Netbui

2. Check the patch cable, and test the actual cat5 cable run from the recepticle to the server. (I.E. bad wiring)

3. Try re-installing the network drivers, and also look for an update to the drivers for the card.

4. Check the WORKGROUP and DOMAIN.

I have ran into that kind of problem before, and usually by adding the Network protocols from suggestion #1 usually works.

 

[ITschoolGuy]

This may sound odd but you might wish to try it anyway...

Go to Network Neighborhood on the laptop and right-click, then select Properties from the menu. If you have not already done so, load the file and printer sharing service for Microsoft networks. Now view the properties sheet for this service and set the value of the "Browse Master" parameter to "Enabled".

This should allow the machine to participate in the maintenance of the network browse list (just like an NT master browser).

If this doesn't help, then maybe the laptop is somehow having difficulty with NetBIOS name broadcasts. Perhaps you could load WINS Services on the NT server and configure the laptop as a WINS client. Then it could resolve the NetBIOS names of other PCs on the LAN by querying the server. This would theoretically eliminate the need for an LMHOSTS file (unless the WINS server goes down).

Good luck.

Chris