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wireless network stopped allowing file sharing

Hello,

I have a home network with two desktops connected by ethernet to a wireless router. Two laptops connect wirelessly to the some router. All was working well: all computers could connect to the internet, any computer could ping anyother computer, any computer could share files with anyother computer, and any computer could VNC anyother computer.

After installing a wireless print server (to which any of the four computers can now print), I can no longer share files with the two wireless laptops; however, I can still ping to and from them, VNC to and from them, and access the internet from them.

What has me baffled is this: if I connect the two wireless laptops to the wireless router by ethernet, all works as before, i.e., any and all of the four computers connect to the internet, ping successfully, VNC successfully, and share files successfully. Then when I go back to wireless, the two laptops lose their ability to share files, but the other abilities remain.

The only change I made to the wireless router was to add the MAC address of the print server to the MAC list in the router (Belkin f5d7230-4)

If I type the UNC in the address bar of windows explorer (Win XP Pro), I get this message: ...."ShareDocs is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator"... "The network path was not found."

Any suggestions or solutions??? Thanks, Rich

Reply to
Rich Duplain
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Why would you get a wireless print server? You could have gotten a wire print server and plugged it into the LAN port on the router with wire and wireless machine being able to print to the printer attached to the print server with no problems? That's the setup I have used on Win 2K and XP pro machines wire or wireless with no problems with resource sharing between machines or any machine accessing the Internet. As a matter of fact, the wireless router was converted into a wire/WAP switch and connected to a FW appliance. The FW appliance had the printer server and printer plugged into one of its LAN ports and machines connected to both devices could share the printer on the network and share resources.

You may have to get on the phone with router manufacture and print server manufacture to reslove the issues.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

Thanks for your response.

The problem I am having is not the ability to print. I can do that from all computers. I don't understand how I can share files when the two laptops are connected to the router by ethernet, but cannot when they are connected wirelessly.

By the way, the wireless print server is my wife's toy, so she doesn't need to come upstairs to the wired printer when she is using the laptop downstairs.

Thanks again fro your comments, Rich

Reply to
Rich Duplain

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 20:26:59 -0400, Rich Duplain spoketh

The addition of the print server is probably inconsequential, and the fact that you experienced the problem after it was installed was most likely a coincidence.

Many people are experiencing issues with finding other computers on a wireless network. It almost appears like the broadcasts that windows uses to announce/find other computers doesn't work properly in some wireless networks.

Try sharing via IP address. click start, select run and type in \\\\192.168.1.x (or whatever the IP address of the other laptop is, and the shares should come up. Once you have established a connection via IP address, you may be able to re-connect using the computers' name.

Lars M. Hansen

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Reply to
Lars M. Hansen

What services and protocols do you have on the NIC's?

This is what I have on the NIC's.

1) Client for MS Networks 2) MS File and Print Sharing 3) TCP/IP Internet protocol

That's my current setup on all NIC's and nothing else is on them.

I too had a similar situation where I couldn't share resources with Win 2K machines wire or wireless with WEP enabled because Netbeui was not a routable protocol with the Linksys BEFW11S4 v1 router. With WEP disabled, it was no problem but that was not a good situation. Nor did I have the problem of resource sharing when the machines were using all wire connections to the router.

However, I came around the problem at the time by using the MS NWlink IPX/SPX Netbios compatible protocol on all NIC's removing Netbeui first before installing MS NWlink protocol and was able to enable WEP and share resources with machines wired or wireless.

Then I discovered I didn't need MS NWlink and just went with the above setup on the NIC's when the machines were Win 2K and I have kept that setup on the NIC(s) when I converted the machines to XP Pro.

Maybe, doing something with the NIC protocols on all machines may allow them to do resource sharing with the wireless computers.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

I have the same setup as you using Linksys wireless router. The way I solved the problem was to assign IP address to the wired computers and the printer server. I started at 192.168.1.150, then .160 then .170 and so on. Let the laptop get their own address (.100, .101). If you assign them a address you will have problems with other networks. Have a good one.

Reply to
kristydogREMOVE

I let all computers use DHCP and gave the printer server a static IP.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

To all,

Thanks for you responses and suggestions. I have tried your suggestions and always end up with the same result. The laptops, when connected to the router by ETHERNET, perform flawlessly. The laptops, when connected to the router WIRELESSLY, will not share files with any other computer; however, they will sill successfully ping all other PCs and all other PCs can still ping them; they can still print; they can still access the internet; and they can still VNC. They can just not share files at all. I am absolutely confounded by this.

Thanks again for your help, Rich

Reply to
Rich Duplain

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