XP Home PC hardwired to router and XP Pro Laptop wireless through 2Wire router...

Also, the router has a built in software firewall which it says is an internet only firewall. It will allow me to add applications to the allowed list, but these seem to be various games only.

Even so, if it were blocking the laptop, would this not still happen if the laptop were hardwired? When physically connected the network is fine and dandy.

It has got to be a wireless issue hasn't it?

Makes me wish I hadn't started. :)

Reply to
phelyer
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OK. DHCP is working.

The IP stack is working.

Network sharing is enabled.

You really should install all the XP updates. If you've been using it like this for a while, it's possible that you've picked up a worm or spyware. The symptoms don't make sense but it is possible. Do you have a virus scanner and spyware scanner? Have you run scans? If the machine has been checked and is clean, I would try to run Windows Update, especially XP SP2.

OK, that largely eliminates Windoze networking as the problem and leaves only the wireless part. Please double check that the computer can both ping each other with a wired connection.

OK. You have wireless connectivity. Are you getting reliable and fast internet preformance with the Sony using wireless? I'm trying to determine if the wireless is just limping along or properly functioning. A high error rate on the wireless connection might cause a similar problem.

XP SP1 *DOES* have a firewall of sorts. I don't have virgin XP SP1 installation handy to find the exact location of the configuration page. It moved in XP SP2. I vaguely recall that it was located under the advanced properties for the ethernet or wireless device and listed as a checkbox with something like "Protect my machine...". However, that's probably not the problem as it would have messed up the wired LAN connection in addition to wireless.

I hate to give up, but I'm out of ideas. It's not the router because there's no "client isolation" feature on the 2wire 1800HG router. That would't be it because it works in one direction. Look around the

1800HG wireless config pages and see if there's some setting that resembles "client isolation" or "AP isolation". It's probably not there but worth a try.

The inability to ping in one direction only is the only remaining clue. That exactly resembles the symptoms I saw with a wired LAN connection that had miswired cables. I suspect the wireless equivalent would be a broken wireless driver on the Sony client computer. Unfortunately, I don't have any positive proof that this is the problem. Everything else seems to be working so that leaves the wireless hardware and wireless software (drivers). Methinks checking for wireless driver updates might be a good idea.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

So, is the wireless router using WEP or WPA? If so for the time being, disable the wireless encryption on the router and card and see if the machines can share resources with each other.

You should apply the SP 2 along with some other possible security like using Authenticated User Group on Shares and disabling the Everyone Group.

formatting link
Duane from Reno :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

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