Windows Can't Find A Computer

Yes, I think I remember hearing that, Bill.  I think that is the solution.

Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Admin 

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Here I go again.  Twice I've tried to reply here and when I go to select a .jpg file to attach to this message, IE8 freezes and I have to close it down.  I'll forget the attachment this time.
 
I have tried the Work network, Bill, but it doesn't work.  I am now set up as a Home network, and it doesn't work either.  I discovered that when selecting Home network, if you ignore the dialog that pops up asking you what you want to share, you avoid getting into the problem of starting a Home Group.  I just closed the dialog without action and am now connected as a Home network.  This must be what David Vair was talking about yesterday. 
 
I now have ESET's firewall turned off, which worked yesterday once or twice, but I cannot see either of the other two computers in my workgroup, nor can they see this computer.  I'll keep working the problem.
Gerry
 

There has been some talk in some other forums of an issue with nvidia based network controllers and the Win7 drivers.  Is your NIC a nvidia based one?

David Vair
A+,N+,CNE,CNA,MCP

dvair


There has been some talk in some other forums of an issue with nvidia based network controllers and the Win7 drivers.  Is your NIC a nvidia based one?

I don't think so, David.  I have a Marvell Yukon 88E8056 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller; nothing in Properties indicates nvidia, but I do have an nvidia graphics card.

Hi all
just to let you know that you aren't alone in having this problem. I have a mioxed home network of Win7 and XP machines.
My Win7 machines can't see any XP machines: they don't show in Network or the network map and if I try to enter the address directly (http://computerhaven.info/forum/file://wilma/, for example) I just get a Windows cannot access http://computerhaven.info/forum/file://wilma/ warning. I can ping the other machines and RDP to them though.
From the XP machines I can see the Win7 ones in the network workgroup, but get a "file://fred/ is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. .. The network path was not found" error.
 
I can see network devices such as my printer from all machines.
I have tried disabling firewalls (I have a hardware firewall on the perimeter, so that's ok), with no effect.
Tried shifting from Home to Work network locations and back, with no effect
Tried both wired and wirless networks (I did wonder if having both  ruinning caused an issue, but there's no difference)
 
My main issue is that I can't access my Home Server from th Win7 machines - so no backups, media access etc. That's a problem.
 
Any more thoughts on approaches, options (solutions would be nice) or even other sources of a fix. My company is a MS Gold Partner - so I could maybe raise a ticket?
 
Cheers

The first thing to check is that all of the machines are in the same workgroup and that file and printer sharing is enabled.
Are you using a router that provides the TCP/IP settings to all machines or are you using Fixed IP addressing? Are the machines all on the same subnet?

Assuming that the machines are indeed on the same subnet and getting TCP/IP information from the router via DHCP, then the following article is a nice tutorial on getting it all working. http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-7/share-files-and-printers-between-windows-7-and-xp/

-steve

stephen boots
MVP-Windows Live
"Life's always an adventure with computers!" - anon.

I have never had a problem with my Windows Home Server seeing all of my computers, whatever OS they are running. In fact right now I am on a Vista laptop, remotely accessing my Windows 7 desktop and Outlook on it. All of the various computers are backed up each night.
 
I suggest you start a new thread on this subject in Advanced and we can look at it there.

I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
CH User Manager

Thanks folks.
 
OK, did some further checking:
Yes, the machine is in the same workgroup, on the same subnet etc. The Win XP machine can see the Win 7 machines in the workgroup, can access one of them, but not the other.
 
The Win7 machine that I mostly use can see and access the other Win 7 machine, but no XP machines. If I enter the path (file://wilma/) I still get a 'Windows cannot access file://wilma'/ message. The other Win7 machine can see and access everything. So it looks like it's this specific machine.
 
 
I checked and, in fact, my Home Server has backed the Win 7 machines up; but the Win 7 machines cannot access files on the Home Server nor log in to the Home Server console.
 
I'll do a compare and contrast on the Win 7 machines and let you know.

Hmmm... all looks the same on both Win7 machines so far, except one will play and the other won't.
Any insights into where else to look?

Did you follow the entire article I provided and walk through all of the settings? What security software are you running on these machines? You mention a perimeter hardware firewall - router or dedicated firewall appliance? If you are running software firewalls, disable, or better yet remove any software firewall and use the Windows firewall.
-steve

stephen boots
MVP-Windows Live
"Life's always an adventure with computers!" - anon.

Hi
I did, up to the point at which it says "Now if you go into Network in Windows 7 you should see your XP machine and the Windows 7 as well which in this case is Mysticgeek-PC." The XP machines did not appear, so I got no further.

I'm running MS Security Essentials on this machine.
I have a router with built in firewall (standard Netgear DG 834G)
I only use Windows Firewall - everything else has always seemed superfluous.

The only other thing that's odd is that the laptop is plugged into the router, but the Network Map shows that as an unknown device. Plugging it straight into the Switch still shows an unknown device between the laptop and the switch. Not sure what that could be. Something on the laptop intercepting network traffic?

Just noticed that in you last response you mentioned a switch as well as a router. Perhaps you could completely describe you set up and where this missing computer is in the scheme of things.

I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
CH User Manager

Interesting. At one point this morning I could see the Homer Server and access its files. I can't agin now. There have been some reboots in between, but no installations etc.

My network map looks like this:

 
With Cloud2-sh being the errant machine.
There is only 1 switch, which pretty much everything is hung from, so both Pebbles (the other Win 7 PC) and the Laser printer on the map.
The router/gateway connects to the switch and provides firewall and ADSL.
Elsewhere in the house there is a wireless hub, connected to the switch, but not shown here.
The Win XP machines are all connected to the hub, as is the Home Server and a Win 2008 server I use as a test server in my company and which is accessible over a route from the internet (suitably secured).
 
It's all pretty complex for a home network... I could unplug and replug things in a different order/topology to see if that helps.
 
Simon

I would not put too much stuck in the network map presented in Vista or Windows 7. It is far from accurate.
Let's try something simple.
Turn off or unplug *all* Windows 7 machines except one of them. What's the status of the rest of the machines as far as being able to see each other?
If that works, add another Windows 7 machine into the picture and see if access capabilities change.

Now, since it will be a while before I will see your response, assuming that it doesn't change anything in the first idea or if it does and problems return when you add another Win7 machine to the network, let's also do the following:
On every PC, open a command prompt from Start/All Programs/Accessories. (On Vista and 7 machines, right click the command.exe shortcut and select Run as Administrator.
In the command prompt Window, type ipconfig /all and press enter.

Ideally, pretty much everything should be similar with the exception of the IP address for each machine and the machine name. I'd like for you to get that data into a single file, which may be accomplished by using copy and paste on each PC to put it into a text file on a USB key you carry to each machine.

-steve

stephen boots
MVP-Windows Live
"Life's always an adventure with computers!" - anon.

Thanks - out of the office now until Sunday - will try some more things then