Network trouble

[SurlyPIG]

Networking is now my Hell.

Okay, here's the deal; I'm one computer of three that's accessing the net through a router. The internet works just great. I have this computer set up just like the other two (which work fine), but the network doesn't work anymore, and I have no idea what caused it, though it only happened after it was moved around the house and its name was changed. Running windows XP home, I go into "My Network Places" on the desktop. I can get into the "Entire Network" just fine. There are three options inside; Microsoft Terminal Services, Microsoft Windows Network, and Web Client Network. The Terminal Services and Web Client Network have not changed; they still do nothing since they are empty. But when I try to access the Microsoft Windows Network (which was what I'd done before), the computer freezes up for about 20 seconds, but it makes it through, and I can see the icon with our network name, Home412. I can't get past there. If I try, I get the hourglass for about thirty seconds, then an error message that says "Home412 is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions. The list of servers for this workgroup is currently not available."

I've gone through about a dozen guides step by step, careful to restart whenever indicated and whenever I thought it was necessary, scourged the help file for every possible mention of networking, gone through every tab of every properties menu of every possible option, service or protocol imaginable to see if something jumped out at me, and, nothing. I've gone absolutely nowhere.

Ok, relevant information:

The router is the D-Link DI-704

Running Windows XP Home (as are the other two computers)

I have three network protocols/services: Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Networks, and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). All are configured to established parameters.

I'm at a total loss. Any help would be appreciated beyond the expression of words. I've poured hours into this already, and if I don't can't get it fixed, I see a mailbomb in Microsoft's future.

[Gobalopper]

Can the other two computers see the network?

[Dunenewt]

Do you have a Firewall?

If so disable it and try it again.

[Nyarlathotep]

its name was changed.

I think this is where you need to search for your problem. Have you tried changing it back to the original name ?

I think Gryphon would be a much better help though, he's our network dude :)

[gryphon]

check for any firewalls, and the name of your network and computer. It should be a name without spaces and carracters. Just letters, numbers and maby a dot.

Does pinging each computer work from all 3 machines and trying to find both others from eacht of the machine using the Microsoft search for computer thnigy. Just enter the computer name of the other 2 computers with all 3 machines.

btw, what is the computer name in which you have changed it ?

[SurlyPIG]

Ack! I am an imbicile. :D

A few months ago (about the time this problem started) the administration recognization file of my firewall (Norton Int. Sec.) became corrupted when I changed the name of the user for this computer and would no longer recognize any user account as the legitimate admin, so I couldn't control any of Norton's options. I had to do a force uninstall with an outside exec I downloaded from Norton's website and reinstall the program.

I tried gryphon's suggestions of pinging the other computers, and as I expected the other comps couldn't ping me, but they could ping each other and they could ping the router. But, to my surprise, I could ping them normally (wha???), which lead me to think it was the firewall as NeWt and gryphon had suggested. I disabled the firewall, and the two other computers could ping me, but the problem was still there except for one minor difference. When I accessed the workgroup name, it was instantaneous (instead of the huge wait time there was before), but the workgroup was empty, instead of there being three computers. Even though I had disabled the firewall, I remembered that Norton still has some security features even when the outside internet firewall was disabled which I had to turn off manually.

Success! The network works as it did before.

The reason it hadn't been working was that, for some reason, network addresses were not added to the safe list of the firewall (which, if I remember right, should have been added during installation automatically). So I manually added the standard network string range and turned the firewall back on. :) And now when I think of networking, there is only a small amount of annoyance and a warm fuzzy feeling instead of an image of a firey inferno with Satan jabbing a pitchfork in my ass! Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[Dunenewt]

Yey I got something right for a change

[gryphon]

an image of a firey inferno with Satan jabbing a pitchfork in my ass!

You know he is on my network .. . poking at anyone who shouldn't be on it ;)

Well done Valandil Tinehtele with that firewall suggestion and good to know that it works again. :)