Calling Networking Experts!

[acestu]

Hi

I have 2 x pcs running xp , one of them with 2 Nic cards in and one with just one, the pc with 2 x nic cards is connected to my NTL set top box, then the other nic is connected to the second pc, some time ago i set them up so that windows ics alowed me to use the net on both computers this worked fine aswell as file sharing, however i have not used it for a while and when i tried it the other day the internet wouldnt work on the second pc also on doing a search on my network places the other pc had gone. I have tried to set up the network again on both machines but they cant seem to see each other, ive done a bit of messing about for instance the workgroup names were different ie one was mshome and the other workgroup, so i set them to the same, computer names are different, ive checked the ipconfig/all on both machines and the ip range seems to be different also the subnet mask, does anybody know why this might be?, i would be grateful for any info

thanks in advance
Acestu

[MovedGoalPosts]

to Cable Forum

I'd suspect something has come along in one of the various patches M$ insists you download that messed up Internet Connection Sharing.

Have you rerun the ICS wizard. That may well reset the connection?

[acestu]

Thanks for the reply..

I have run the wizard loads of times on both computers but still they cant see each other, do you know how to set them up manualy if its possible...

cheers
Acestu

sorry, i know it is a pain when people do this, but honestly I have to say you should think about getting a router, it really does cut out many of the problems of sharing a connection - and usually gives you a hardware firewall, too..

[authortitle]

Yea, just get a router. P2P networking with Windows (or any platform I've tried) is a pain in the ass, I'm not sure why but I've never got it working reliably.

That said, there are a few things you can try. You've already got the workgroup names in sync and have run the network connection wizard on both, which is a good start. Try resetting your TCP/IP stack, I've seen this cause issues, instructions are at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357

If that doesn't work, can you ping one machine from the other? Try setting manual IP addresses on both (the one with the internet connection shared should already be manually on 192.168.0.1/255.255.255.0, so set the other to like 192.168.0.2/255.255.255.0 with 192.168.0.1 as the DNS server) - this doesn't always work but worth a try. If you can't even ping the other machine, check firewall settings (i.e. disable firewalls temporarily), and then consider checking your cabling, it _can_ go wrong.

But when a wireless + 4 port router is only £30, it's hardly worth the hassle