Unable to view network

[MtnMike]

I am having a problem with a specific XP machine that cannot view or access any other systems on a TCP/IP based peer-to-peer network.

The PC is setup to use a Linksys router as a DHCP to optain its IP address, which is does. I can access the internet, I can ping other IP addresses within the network, I can use software such as RealVNC, Timbuktu, and PC Anywhere to access other PC's on the network, but this one cannot view anything but itself in the Network Neighborhood. Workgroup is correct, IP and Subnet are in the correct class and range, shares are in place. Two other PC's on the same network can view each other, but also cannot see this PC.

I have also tried placing this PC into a network with a domain controller, but it has the same problem as it cannot see anything else on the network. Any ideas out there? Is there a registry string that someone knows about that might restrict this access, by the way, Zone Alarm Plus is installed but the IP range is set within the trusted zone and the XP firewall is not enabled.

 

[bcastner]

Watch out for "hidden" firewalls in antivirus products. PC-Illan, for one, will do exactly this if you use its default installation choices.

The only reasonable first step is to uninstall Zone Alarm and retest. Unfortuantely disabling or turning off Zone Alarm is not sufficient, the virtual monitor will continue to run and block network Netbios traffic.

 

[MtnMike]

I have uninstalled ZoneAlarm, then put it back when the problem was not alleviated. There is also Ad Aware on this machine, I also removed it and then placed it back on for the same reason.

I am trying to save a reload because of the complexity of the software loads and configuration.

 

[bcastner]

AdAware should not be an issue, and a reinstallation of XP is not suggested by your issues.

There are at times intractible issues with Netbios name resolution. I suspect that the root source is a NIC driver issue, but in my own LAN practice I occasionally see a machine that just simply will not do Netbios name resolution properly. The solution is to use Netbui. If Netbui (installed on all computers in the workgroup) does not resolve the issue, replace the NIC.

A recent example of an intractible machine: thread779-736922

If you use Netbui with XP, my preference has been to use the Win2k version. Instructions and download sources can be found in Brian Finney's several columns about an issue almost exactly paralleling yours:

http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/38.htm#tipadaweek

 

[MtnMike]

That is good advice, as we were going back and forth my thought was that I had not tried a new nic to see if that narrows that problem. Thank you!