Windows Networking and Firewalls

All:

We've had signficant issues recently regarding the capability of
connecting computers on a Windows Network to allow file
shareing and shared printers. So our results were as follows
( YMMV).

Best Regards
John A Hansen
(E-Mail Removed)

The issue is a combo of the Windows XP update no 2 ( SP2)
and the Norton Firewalls. Microsoft installed their own firewall
in their latest update and then turned it on by default ( ie automatically)
and that combined with the latest update from Norton Internet Security
made it almost impossible for any incoming direct traffic ( ala LCP)
to make it through. It also stopped the network connection for the computers
to link up with a shared printer ( same basic issue).

So the answer was in the details:

a: Turned off Windows XP SP2 Firewall. ( control panel)

b: Turned on the Norton Networking firewall and updated
the IP address in the Networking Options. Since that traffic
was coming from the Comcast Router ( SMC) that IP
address also needed to be specifically entered into
the Router table in the Norton Internet Security (Network
configuration). I had set up the standard IP address
( 192.168.2.1) vs the Comcast SMC router ( 10.1.10.1)

c: Installed the correct IP address in the Norton Networking.
( remember I had played around with the Routers
so there was a couple of different IP addresses
and it needed the correct one from the Comcast
Router).

d: Voila ......the network shared printers now work and the
computers now see all the shared folders.