Home network - can connect via IP but not machine name

Hi,

Running a simple wired / wireless network at home, and was all running fine
until had a power cut and machines had to be re-booted.
Had set up file / printer sharing from main pc. From other pc I can only
access the main pc via IP address and file sharing. I cannot access the
main pc via its name or connect to the shared printer - and all this worked
fine before the power cut.

Any idea what provides the access via name as opposed to IP address, and
would this stop sharing the printer as well?

Thanks,
M.

"M" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:n%7Og.18762$(E-Mail Removed). uk...
> Hi,
>
> Running a simple wired / wireless network at home, and was all running
> fine until had a power cut and machines had to be re-booted.
> Had set up file / printer sharing from main pc. From other pc I can only
> access the main pc via IP address and file sharing. I cannot access the
> main pc via its name or connect to the shared printer - and all this
> worked fine before the power cut.
>
> Any idea what provides the access via name as opposed to IP address, and
> would this stop sharing the printer as well?
>

If you haven't got a local DNS server or you never edited your Hostfile,
then you'll need to wait a while until broadcasts mean it sorts itself
out... but basically add an entry in the hostfile on the second PC for the
first, and it'll perhaps all come back to life.

james wrote in message
450921ab$0$1384$(E-Mail Removed):

> "M" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:n%7Og.18762$(E-Mail Removed). uk...
>> Hi,
>>
>> Running a simple wired / wireless network at home, and was all
>> running fine until had a power cut and machines had to be re-booted.
>> Had set up file / printer sharing from main pc. From other pc I can
>> only access the main pc via IP address and file sharing. I cannot
>> access the main pc via its name or connect to the shared printer -
>> and all this worked fine before the power cut.
>>
>> Any idea what provides the access via name as opposed to IP address,
>> and would this stop sharing the printer as well?
>>
>
> If you haven't got a local DNS server or you never edited your
> Hostfile, then you'll need to wait a while until broadcasts mean it
> sorts itself out... but basically add an entry in the hostfile on the
> second PC for the first, and it'll perhaps all come back to life.

Putting entries in your hosts file assumes that you've configured all your
PCs with static IP addresses rather than using DHCP so you can guarantee
that a given PC will always have the same IP address.

I've found that my three PCs (two XP Home, one W98) can access each others'
shares by computer name \\computername\sharename as soon as one has booted,
without needing to wait for PCs to broadcast their presence on the network,
and I haven't got static IPS and HOSTS or LMHOSTS entries. TCP on each PC is
set to use NetBIOS setting from router (as opposed to "Enable" or
"Disable") - I wondered whether things worked because I'd enabled NetBIOS
until I checked this setting just now.

"Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
news:45094f33$0$3611$(E-Mail Removed)...
> james wrote in message
> 450921ab$0$1384$(E-Mail Removed):
>
>> "M" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:n%7Og.18762$(E-Mail Removed). uk...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Running a simple wired / wireless network at home, and was all
>>> running fine until had a power cut and machines had to be re-booted.
>>> Had set up file / printer sharing from main pc. From other pc I can
>>> only access the main pc via IP address and file sharing. I cannot
>>> access the main pc via its name or connect to the shared printer -
>>> and all this worked fine before the power cut.
>>>
>>> Any idea what provides the access via name as opposed to IP address,
>>> and would this stop sharing the printer as well?
>>>
>>
>> If you haven't got a local DNS server or you never edited your
>> Hostfile, then you'll need to wait a while until broadcasts mean it
>> sorts itself out... but basically add an entry in the hostfile on the
>> second PC for the first, and it'll perhaps all come back to life.
>
> Putting entries in your hosts file assumes that you've configured all your
> PCs with static IP addresses rather than using DHCP so you can guarantee
> that a given PC will always have the same IP address.
>
> I've found that my three PCs (two XP Home, one W98) can access each
> others' shares by computer name \\computername\sharename as soon as one
> has booted, without needing to wait for PCs to broadcast their presence on
> the network, and I haven't got static IPS and HOSTS or LMHOSTS entries.
> TCP on each PC is set to use NetBIOS setting from router (as opposed to
> "Enable" or "Disable") - I wondered whether things worked because I'd
> enabled NetBIOS until I checked this setting just now.
>
Thanks for the comments guys - found the culprit. I have a feeling that one
of MS wonderful Windows updates had removed the "File and Printer Sharing"
exception in the Windows Firewall (yes, I know that it's not a great
product, but can't use a proper firewall on this second pc).
M.

"M" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:MJcOg.18943$(E-Mail Removed). uk...

> Thanks for the comments guys - found the culprit. I have a feeling that
> one of MS wonderful Windows updates had removed the "File and Printer
> Sharing" exception in the Windows Firewall (yes, I know that it's not a
> great product, but can't use a proper firewall on this second pc).

Why?

I'd check out the Comodo firewall, personally.