Netwonk

[kingandy]

Am currently trying to configure windows home network. Cock shit god-damn motherfucker.

Have plugged Mum's PC into the cable TV box directly by way of lemony goodness a big fuck-off wire. Internet connection thence works fine (obviously). Whether it's possible to share this internet connection is up to debate, as Telewest have this one-MAC-address-at-a-time prejudice going, but I've not actually got to that stage yet. The stage I am at is one of trying to get my computer and hers to talk to one another via wireless witchery.

It will not happen.

I have set up the same network on both PCs, and there would appear to be connectivity - the helpful Windows connection properties thing says transmissions are being received (though the signal strength is medium-low, a consequence of being physically two floors away). I've set both computers to the same workgroup and such. But the one computer will not acknowledge the presence of the other. Browsing to "nearby computers" or whatever shows only the one from which one is browsing, which is at least a step up from refusing to accept that there were any computers in existence, anywhere, including itself.

I suspect it is some arcane secret involving turning them off and on in the correct order. That's what it usually is.

Comments

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I'm stuck at exactly the same stage; gsw suggested it might be a firewall issue, so sometime I'm going to disconnect the internet connection, turn off ZoneAlarm on my PC (shouldn't need it anyhow cos the Router is firewalled also) and see if that helps.

If it does, I'll let you know.

[kneeshooter]

Telewest no longer insist on a single MAC address.

Make sure you have something to share on the network - look at http://asia.cnet.com/enterprise/netadmin/0,39035505,39049730-39000223c-1,00.htm and as to firewalls/internet sharing - buy a hardware router/switch - it's the simplest way and not too expensive.

[kingandy]

I am reasonably sure both computers are sharing - going to \\[computername] - that is to say, navigating to the computer by way of the network connection - shows that computer's Shared Documents and such.

Mum is toying with the idea of a router, but we thought if there was a way to do without, it might be better...

[kingandy]

Hmmm, firewall ... good thinking that man.

Have gone into ZoneAlarm / Firewall / Zones and set wireless zone to "trusted". Let's see if that makes any odds.

[kneeshooter]

You can run one of the boxes as a software router using Windows "Internet Connection Sharing" (or other 3rd party) but to be honest it's a bit of software rather than a nice little cute hardware box that blinks at you. Plus you need to have the gateway PC on all the time of course.

I've run a 486-33 as a dedicated router running a Linux distro, but that was a bit flakey tbh, and for the cost of a hardware device...

[kingandy]

Internet connection sharing is active on Mum's box (the one physically connected to Telewest) ... it's getting my PC to see this one that's the stumbling block.

Bah, maybe I'll tell her to just buy one and be done with it.

[kneeshooter]

Right - I've gotcha. Not used it myself. Fortunately.

Does it need a gateway setting under TCP/IP properties or stuff like that?

[kingandy]

I have no clue. It's doing that horrible thing where it's really easy to use as long as you're trying to do exactly what they think you want to do, but really difficult to find the actual settings if you want to do something interesting and new.

[kingandy]

It does not.

[kneeshooter]

It's much easier to do this interactively. Can you get MSN/etc. running on one and I'll talk at you (ideally when you can also change things on the other PC obviously)?

[kingandy]

Yes. Yes I can. :)

[r-dragonsbain.livejournal.com]

mmm is there a Lynix in the house?

[samharber.livejournal.com]

set the dns and gateway to the ip address of the pc with the connection.

[kingandy]

Have done Gateway .. will try DNS. Though as far as I know Mum's PC is not operating a DNS.

But as I say, the internet connectivity is a side issue - I want to get the two PCs talking first. Looks like it may be a ZoneAlarm issue ... what's your opinion on Windows Firewall?

[kingandy]

Not in my home.

Checklist

[stsquad.livejournal.com]

You are doing this in order right? The order you should do things starts at the bottom of the stack. Skip a step and suddenly odd things hapen if you assume the level bellow is ok.

1. Physical - Lights, Strength Indicators, whatever
2. Logical - ipconfig /all good?
3. Network
3.a Internal - ping neighbour by ip address?
3.b External - ping 'net by ip address, check routing
4 Applications
4.a DNS - ping google by name
4.b web
4.c the rest

I can not recommend starting from the top and moving down. I have spent many a day tinkering with networks ;-)

Zonealarm

[chrisdavitt.livejournal.com]

My father had this problem. You need the paid version of Zonealarm to use internet connection sharing, the free one won't work. The Firewall that comes with XP doesn't keep any track of which apps are accessing the internet but does work with ICS. There are other firewall apps out there but most will charge for this sort of 'Feature'.

[arwel.livejournal.com]

What OS are both running? We had similar problems networking XP with a box running 2000.

[kingandy]

Both on XP, though my box is running SP1 while Mum has SP2.

Tomorrow night I am going to try unplugging Mum's internet connection and disabling everything but the respective wireless cards, then just trying to get them to talk to each other. Then I can worry about sharing internet connections.