Wired/Wireless network: cannot delete connections on laptop

On 14 Nov 2006 15:25:37 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in :

The former is an icon for your wireless router. It can be turned off, but won't hurt.

The latter is your wired connection, and won't hurt either.

When the laptop is on wireless, can the two machines ping either other?

The laptop can ping the desktop. [I can also access the desktop using Remote Desktop]. The desktop pings all time out. The subnet masks and default gateways are the same on both [I can ping the gateway successfully from both as well.]

John Navas wrote:

Check firewall settings of both computers, or simply turn off the firewalls while troubleshooting.

p.s. Please don't switch posting styles (top vs bottom) in mid-thread

-- it's confusing. Thanks.

On 14 Nov 2006 16:30:41 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in :

Sorry about the post style, I'll stick with top from now on. Anyway, turning off both firewalls doesn't change the ping results. It works when wired, doesn't work when wireless. If you've got any other ideas, I'd appreciate it.

John Navas wrote:

Control Panel -> Windoze Firewall -> Advanced -> ICMP Make sure the box "Allow incoming echo requests" is chequed.

For networking to work, make sure that the: Control Panel -> Windoze Firewall -> Exceptions box "File and Print Sharing" is checked.

What I find odd is that there would be a difference between wired and wireless connections. Under the Exceptions double click the "file and print sharing" and select "change scope". The correct selection is "my computer subnet only".

When you test the wired and wireless connections, do you disable the wireless while testing the wired, and disable the wired while testing the wireless? Two simulaneous paths between the clients and the router will work, but only if Windoze has properly switched the routeing table metrics (cost of each path). Check the routeing table with: route print to see where the packets are going. Lowest number under "metric" wins.

I do disable one when I test the other, although for some reason I have to disable the ethernet card, I can't disable the LAN connection by itself I've limited it to my subnet on the firewall, and the laptop's own IP address has the lowest metric. [I've dedicated that IP to this physical address.] Anyway, File and Print Sharing isn't even listed under exceptions, let alone checked. I'm not really sure where it's located on the drive for me to enable it, since it's not listed under other programs, either. If you can let me know how to add it, I will, but the filesharing works when they're wired. I can't explain the difference, either. But I have faith in this group.

That's odd. Try going into: Control Panel -> Network and right click on the ethernet LAN icon. Select "disable". It shouldn't be necessary to do this but the inability to disable the ethernet connection strikes me as odd (or broken).

How have you limited the subnet? What did you use for IP addresses and the subnet mask? I don't want to assume that you've done this correctly. I suggest you temporarily reset the subnet mask on the LAN side of the router to 255.255.255.0. That should work and may be the problem. You can reduce the size of the subnets later after it's functional.

Huh? It has to be listed for both the firewall and file sharing to work. Try just turning off the firewall for now to demonstrate if that's the problem. If it does nothing, we'll go hunting elsewhere. If it fixes the problem, then it's in the setting somewhere.

The easiest way to enable file sharing is to just pick any obscure folder, right click, and select "Sharing and Security". If you get a dialog warning you about the risks of sharing and to continue at your own risk, then you have sharing disabled and need to turn it on. At one point, you have a choice that says something like "Just turn on sharing and don't bug me". That's what I usually select. Hopefully, that will also add the "File and Print Sharing" exception to the Windoze firewall.

Also check that you do *NOT* have a "network bridge" setup under: Control Panel -> Network Connections This will interfere with disabling the interfaces and is un-necessary unless you have a cell phone, USB, serial port, homePNA, or homePlug, network connection that requires bridging in the PC. If you have such a bridge setup (usually by accident), and you don't have one of these odd network types, then delete it.

Subnet is set to 255.255.255.0 and shows up as such in ipconfig. Anyway, turning off the firewall doesn't change anything. I can still ping the desktop and access it by Remote Desktop, but the desktop can't find the laptop in the work group. Also, File Sharing works when it's wired without it being listed in the exceptions. If you want me to add it to exceptions, you can let me know what executable it is 'cause I'll have to browse for it. But anyway, I have a couple of shared folders that I can unshare and share without any such prompts. I have simple file sharing disable, tho.