Wired network - lost Workgroup. How to re-establish i?

Hi Guys

I was wondering if anyone can help?

Recently the MS auto update on one of my Win2K PCs updated a number of
security patches. I think coincidentally, on rebooting, the local
network "Workgroup" seems to have gone AWOL.

Can anyone help remind me how I can re-establish the Workgroup PC, so it
can "see" the other local PCs. It is a long time since I did this in the
first place.

As a note, my system consists of 4 peer-to-peer machines ... 2 x Win2K
PCs, a single WinXP Pro machine and a company laptop on Win98SE. This is
the local front end to and Win2K Server system at work.

The Workgroup on each PC allows each to see the other, via my 100Mbps
wired ethernet. The latter is linked together through a Speedtouch 510
ADSL router/4 port ethernet system. The router acts as a DCHP server to
the local PCs connected to them, giving internet access individually and
local networking.

One PC lost the Workgroup in "My Network Places". So I cannot push files
between them from this PC. The other 2 can see the one with the lost
Workgroup, and happily transfer files. The laptop shows on the
Workgroup, but I do not allow access as this is used for a remote link
to the company network.
--
John Clark

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:25:56 +0100, John
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Can anyone help remind me how I can re-establish the Workgroup PC, so it
>can "see" the other local PCs. It is a long time since I did this in the
>first place.

putting \\computername in the Run box allows one to browse a specific
machine computername

the "network neighbourhood" thing updates based on broadcast messages
- there is a network browser service and usually one machine is the
master browser


a firewall setting may have been changed to block the MS file & print
sharing.

Also it may have disabled "NetBIOS over TCP/IP" in the advanced
properties of TCP/IP (WINS tab from memory).

Other thought is that "Guest access " or "Anonymous (no password)
access" may have been disabled, denying access.

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article04-102
http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/guidneth.htm

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

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Phil Thompson
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:25:56 +0100, John
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Can anyone help remind me how I can re-establish the Workgroup PC, so it
>>can "see" the other local PCs. It is a long time since I did this in the
>>first place.
>
>putting \\computername in the Run box allows one to browse a specific
>machine computername

I can do this with 2 of the 3 PCs. The other one gives the error window
"\\Norman\ - network path was not found".

>
Re-establishing connections with the PC with the problem, and the
others, I assume this would be done via the "Add Network Place" wizard?

I can find the 2 PCs using "search for computers", but not access them
via the search.

>the "network neighbourhood" thing updates based on broadcast messages
>- there is a network browser service and usually one machine is the
>master browser
>

Assuming I can establish connection to the other PCs, what do I need to
do to recreate the Workgroup? Or, will this auto establish once the PCs
in the group have been identified and connected to?

>
>a firewall setting may have been changed to block the MS file & print
>sharing.

I keep forgetting the firewall. I use ZA Pro (V 6.0.631.003) and this
has been the route of the problem many times. This is set to install on
boot up, so will disabling it, after booting, allow the re-recognition
of Workgroup companions, including the PC in question?

>
>Also it may have disabled "NetBIOS over TCP/IP" in the advanced
>properties of TCP/IP (WINS tab from memory).
>
>Other thought is that "Guest access " or "Anonymous (no password)
>access" may have been disabled, denying access.
>
>http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article04-102
>http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/guidneth.htm
>
>Phil

--
John Clark

In the "reply to", replace either "fredclark" or "Workgroup" with
"jonclark" for direct e-mail.

"Phil Thompson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:25:56 +0100, John
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >Can anyone help remind me how I can re-establish the Workgroup PC, so it
> >can "see" the other local PCs. It is a long time since I did this in the
> >first place.
>
If you just want ot change the Name/Workgroup use Settings/ Contol Panel/
Network, then look at the Identification tab.

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:45:16 +0100, John
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Assuming I can establish connection to the other PCs, what do I need to
>do to recreate the Workgroup? Or, will this auto establish once the PCs
>in the group have been identified and connected to?

my (limited) understanding of MS Networking is that each machine
shouts out its name etc periodically and one or more machines takes
notes, when you browse the "network neighbourhood" you read the notes
of the machine(s) concerned (as it were).

The frequency of shouting reduces if nobody listens and responds, to
the point where a machine that has been ignored for long enough loses
interest and becomes invisible.

The "taking notes" service sometimes gets disabled or machines fall
out over who is the Master Browser.
http://www.chicagotech.net/browser.htm may help explain further.

There is no way to "add a PC to a network" AFAIK as the machines are
supposed to sort it all out. If they each have a different computer
name and the same workgroup name and all have NetBIOS over TCP/IP
enabled with at least one folder shared and there is a master browser
machine at work then it usually works eventually :-)

manually accessing them with the \\computername or
\\computername\sharedresourcename syntax in the Run box can bring them
to the attention of the network browser faster than the broadcasting
does.

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

In article <de2ovs$der$(E-Mail Removed)>, DaveJ
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>
>>
>If you just want ot change the Name/Workgroup use Settings/ Contol Panel/
>Network, then look at the Identification tab.
>

Tried this, thanks, & have re-established sight of the "Workgroup" at -

/My Network Places / Entire Network / Entire Contents / Microsoft
Windows Network / Workgroup /

But double clicking Workgroup still gets the warning window "Workgroup
is not accessible, an internal error has occurred".

I will store up the other suggestions and try them when I make time.
--
John Clark

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Phil Thompson
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>manually accessing them with the \\computername or
>\\computername\sharedresourcename syntax in the Run box can bring them
>to the attention of the network browser faster than the broadcasting
>does.

Tried the manual process in /run/\\computername\return

I located the PC with the problem OK. The other 2 came back with
different warning windows.

First the WinXP one gave "\\Henry\ - an internal error occurred"

Second, the other Win2K one gave "\\Norman\ - Norman is not accessible,
an internal error has occurred". (I can accept the one on Norman as a
user name and password is needed in Workgroup).

I have yet to try shutting down the Firewall, then removing
zaclient.exe, via Task Manager, if the remove does not kill it.
--
John Clark

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, John <fredclark@cons
ltec.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>I will store up the other suggestions and try them when I make time.

My problem was the bloody ZA Pro firewall.

This was the latest installation and blocked LAN access. ZA also seemed
to block access to the MS updating web site, while the PC was being
interrogated causing a reported Error number 0x80090305. Googling and
looking at the MS Knowledge Base gave no clues on this error code.

Shutdown ZA, established the connections giving problems, restarted ZA
and all is OK.

I really should shut down the software firewall as the first action when
things go wrong. That is after the traditional reboot approach.

Thanks to all the suggestions, of which pointed out by Phil quite early
on.

--
John Clark