Home Network - XP

Why do networks just suddenly stop working?

I have wasted too many dozens of hours trying to simply set up 4pc's with a
router .

I give up!!

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 21:12:21 +0100, "Trevor Appleton"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Why do networks just suddenly stop working?

TCP/IP networks don't - they are very resilient.

Microsofts file and printer sharing stuff OTOH only works when it can
be bothered. I seem to have a stable setup here, but I couldn't
explain why.

Phil
--
Remember - Global Warming is only a weather forecast :-)

Phil Thompson wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 21:12:21 +0100, "Trevor Appleton"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
>>Why do networks just suddenly stop working?
>
>
> TCP/IP networks don't - they are very resilient.
>
> Microsofts file and printer sharing stuff OTOH only works when it can
> be bothered. I seem to have a stable setup here, but I couldn't
> explain why.
>

My breakthrough came when I talked to a next door neighbour network guru
who said " That's XP for you. Enable NetBios over TCP/IP". I did and
suddenly all the problems seemed to clear up. (WINS tab in Advanced on
TCP/IP Properties). I can only assume that the default was switching
between different methods and thereby producing variable outcomes
although what I know about networking could be written on the back of a
stamp with space to spare.


--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

"Tony Raven" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Phil Thompson wrote:
>> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 21:12:21 +0100, "Trevor Appleton"
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Why do networks just suddenly stop working?
>>
>>
>> TCP/IP networks don't - they are very resilient.
>>
>> Microsofts file and printer sharing stuff OTOH only works when it can
>> be bothered. I seem to have a stable setup here, but I couldn't
>> explain why.
>>
>
> My breakthrough came when I talked to a next door neighbour network guru
> who said " That's XP for you. Enable NetBios over TCP/IP". I did and
> suddenly all the problems seemed to clear up. (WINS tab in Advanced on



....is there a second opinion on the above idea?

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 07:36:52 +0100, "Trevor Appleton"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>...is there a second opinion on the above idea?

I've suggested it on several occasions. Given that I don't know how to
"see" if netBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled on a given connection I would
rather force it to be so than leave it to chance.

I haven't seen any settings in routers to tell DHCP clients to enable
it, for example, so I think that it makes sense to enable something
you plan on using.

Phil
--
Remember - Global Warming is only a weather forecast :-)

In article <8ef17$43155005$50e5af86$(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
>
> "Tony Raven" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Phil Thompson wrote:
> >> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 21:12:21 +0100, "Trevor Appleton"
> >> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>Why do networks just suddenly stop working?
> >>
> >>
> >> TCP/IP networks don't - they are very resilient.
> >>
> >> Microsofts file and printer sharing stuff OTOH only works when it can
> >> be bothered. I seem to have a stable setup here, but I couldn't
> >> explain why.
> >>
> >
> > My breakthrough came when I talked to a next door neighbour network guru
> > who said " That's XP for you. Enable NetBios over TCP/IP". I did and
> > suddenly all the problems seemed to clear up. (WINS tab in Advanced on
>
>
>
> ...is there a second opinion on the above idea?
>
>
NetBEUI is supposed to be better than TCP/IP for NetBIOS, but these days
we use TCP/IP for just about everything, and as it's installed you might
as well use it for NetBIOS too rather than installing another protocol
alongside to complicate matters. In fact I thought it was the XP
default, but you have to tell Win9X to use it.

Rob Morley wrote:
> In fact I thought it was the XP
> default, but you have to tell Win9X to use it.

No, in WinXP the default is "Use NetBIOS setting from the DHCP server.
If static IP address is used or the DHCP server does not provide NetBIOS
setting, enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"

I don't know whether this leaves any room for ambiguity but switching
from this IF THEN option to the enabled option did solve the problem I
was having of variable system behaviour. YMMV

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
> Rob Morley wrote:
> > In fact I thought it was the XP
> > default, but you have to tell Win9X to use it.
>
> No, in WinXP the default is "Use NetBIOS setting from the DHCP server.
> If static IP address is used or the DHCP server does not provide NetBIOS
> setting, enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"
>
OK - I usually use static addresses, so it's never been a problem.