Printer/File Sharing Just Stopped, HELP

My network has been functioning almost flawlessly for over a year now and
all of a sudden I can't share printers or files anymore.



The network consists of a DSL modem feeding into a Linksys
WRT54GS router. My desktop is connected directly to the router. I have two
laptops that connect wirelessly. I have three printers (1 parallel, 2 USB)
on the desktop and one printer on each of the laptops (both USB). (Why so
many printers????, we travel a lot in a motorhome and have to have printing
capability). Operating system is XP.



As I say the whole network has been working great until last week. Internet
access is still functioning but printer and file sharing has stopped on me.
I have tried with and without the virus/firewall software running. I have
rechecked file and print sharing. When I check the printers in Control
Panel the network printer's icons first state "opening" and then "can not
connect". I have of coarse rebooted all computers and the router. I have
checked the settings on the router. No settings have changed. Obviously
something has changed because I have no printer or file sharing.



Sure could use some help here. I can add any pertinent info to help if
needed. Thanks in advance for ANY help.

Bob & Nan wrote:
> My network has been functioning almost flawlessly for over a year now
> and all of a sudden I can't share printers or files anymore.
>

>
> Sure could use some help here. I can add any pertinent info to help
> if needed. Thanks in advance for ANY help.

Check the windoze firewall (not the second one you have with your antivirus
stuff and already checked)... Once in a while (unpredictable when, happened
to me twice in 3 years), a download/windows update will change the security
settings and turn the windows firewall back on, and in my case, messed up my
file and printer sharing....

Thanks for the response. I had checked the Windows firewall before and it
is off on both computers. I have tried print/file sharing both with my
Security software turned off and the routers firewall turned off. Didn't
help. Your point is well taken about the Windows Update though. I suspect
that it is the root cause of the problem because updates have been occurring
very frequently of late and I haven't been the cause of any changes.

"Peter Pan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Bob & Nan wrote:
>> My network has been functioning almost flawlessly for over a year now
>> and all of a sudden I can't share printers or files anymore.
>>
>
>>
>> Sure could use some help here. I can add any pertinent info to help
>> if needed. Thanks in advance for ANY help.
>
> Check the windoze firewall (not the second one you have with your
> antivirus stuff and already checked)... Once in a while (unpredictable
> when, happened to me twice in 3 years), a download/windows update will
> change the security settings and turn the windows firewall back on, and in
> my case, messed up my file and printer sharing....
>

you might also mention what version of Windoze is running on each system.

I have one laptop that will not share....

I think it had something to do with my "sharing" the c:\ root at some point,
and then turning that off, and just going back to specific folders,
yet still using "simple file sharing".

"Bob & Nan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:WyfCi.15246$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Thanks for the response. I had checked the Windows firewall before and it
> is off on both computers. I have tried print/file sharing both with my
> Security software turned off and the routers firewall turned off. Didn't
> help. Your point is well taken about the Windows Update though. I suspect
> that it is the root cause of the problem because updates have been occurring
> very frequently of late and I haven't been the cause of any changes.
>
> "Peter Pan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Bob & Nan wrote:
> >> My network has been functioning almost flawlessly for over a year now
> >> and all of a sudden I can't share printers or files anymore.
> >>
> >
> >>
> >> Sure could use some help here. I can add any pertinent info to help
> >> if needed. Thanks in advance for ANY help.
> >
> > Check the windoze firewall (not the second one you have with your
> > antivirus stuff and already checked)... Once in a while (unpredictable
> > when, happened to me twice in 3 years), a download/windows update will
> > change the security settings and turn the windows firewall back on, and in
> > my case, messed up my file and printer sharing....
> >
>
>

As I stated in my original post, using Windows XP on all. Thing that has me
beat is that they (all of my networked computers) stopped print/file sharing
almost at the same time. I can usually trouble shoot problems on one
computer by seeing what the other two are doing. It helps. But this is a
common problem that happened all at once after literally months of trouble
free performance.

"P.Schuman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:c0oCi.7686$(E-Mail Removed) ...
> you might also mention what version of Windoze is running on each system.
>
> I have one laptop that will not share....
>
> I think it had something to do with my "sharing" the c:\ root at some
> point,
> and then turning that off, and just going back to specific folders,
> yet still using "simple file sharing".
>
> "Bob & Nan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:WyfCi.15246$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Thanks for the response. I had checked the Windows firewall before and
>> it
>> is off on both computers. I have tried print/file sharing both with my
>> Security software turned off and the routers firewall turned off. Didn't
>> help. Your point is well taken about the Windows Update though. I
>> suspect
>> that it is the root cause of the problem because updates have been
>> occurring
>> very frequently of late and I haven't been the cause of any changes.
>>
>> "Peter Pan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > Bob & Nan wrote:
>> >> My network has been functioning almost flawlessly for over a year now
>> >> and all of a sudden I can't share printers or files anymore.
>> >>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> Sure could use some help here. I can add any pertinent info to help
>> >> if needed. Thanks in advance for ANY help.
>> >
>> > Check the windoze firewall (not the second one you have with your
>> > antivirus stuff and already checked)... Once in a while (unpredictable
>> > when, happened to me twice in 3 years), a download/windows update will
>> > change the security settings and turn the windows firewall back on, and
>> > in
>> > my case, messed up my file and printer sharing....
>> >
>>
>>
>
>