Ranger12 46 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 A couple of weeks ago I lost my connection between my two computers on my home network. I can no longer access the files from each computer. I have tried several times to setup the network again and again and have tried different ways, but I could not get it to work. I have tried troubleshooting steps from about every troubleshooting article I could find on the internet and from Microsoft. My computers, router, and cables all check out just fine. I purchased a new laptop yesterday (not because of this problem) and I can't get it to connect to my desktop either. I have my folders that I want to be shared correctly identified for that on each computer. Why will my laptop and desktop show up on the network anymore? I am pretty dang good and resolving these issues myself, but this is kicking my butt. I have tried everything and nothing works. I have even tried to access the desktop through its IP address by using the command prompt, but it tells me it can't find that network path. I have the IP address correct and I am using the proper command. I think I have gotten so frustrated that I am probably overlooking something and it is probably real simple. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have a ton of music on the desktop I would like to share with my laptop, besides some other files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Try resetting the router and modem? Are both Local Area connections enabled? Are you using a WAN Network Driver? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 Of course I have reset the router and modem BF. That is the first thing one would do before the try any of the other more "complicated" things I did. You are talking to somebody who use to be in quality assurance for a technical troubleshooting call center. My setup is nothing fancy. I have a 3 Mbs broadband cable connection with two computers networked to a wired NETGEAR router. I have Cat5e running to the laptop in my bedroom and the router and cable modem are in the same room as the desktop where they are connected to it there. I will probably finally break down and finally get up to date and go wireless in a couple of months. I think there is something either going on with the desktop or maybe my Cat5 cable running to the laptop, even though I am connecting to the internet just fine. I am going to get my hand on a crossover cable and connect the laptop straight to the desktop and see if I can get them to network and transfer the necessary files that way. If it was just a few files, I would simply just e-mail them to the laptop, but since it is going to include about 3500 music files, I need to transfer them straight over to the laptop in a more efficient way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 How the heck am I supposed to know you're guru? I was just trying to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 How the heck am I supposed to know you're guru? I was just trying to help. You mean you couldn't tell by the original post? Like when I mentioned I tried to connect directly using the IP addresses of both computers through the command prompt. I am no computer guru, but I know a few tricks when it comes to computers and electronics, especially with cable and satelllite equipment. You are speaking to a man that knows how to program a switching central communications system using MS-DOS. Well, I use to know how to do it anyway...been about 12 years since I did it. Learned how to do that over where Captain Liger is learning some fun stuff right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Wow, that sounds like fun. So, you did check both cards, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCTAU 3,318 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Just because you think the router is working fine, does not mean it is. Sometimes parts of these things go bad. I had a wireless that worked great wired but continued to degrade in signal quality to the point that it was no longer working unless you were 3 feet from it. So if you have another router, try it. If not, I'm not sure what to tell you. Unless your computers themselves have somehow gotten set to not allow networking? Sounds like its time to get a wireless router. The wireless G Linksys is on sale now for about $50 at several places, including Wal-mart. I was told that Belkin is the best, but you would have to give up your first-born for one. I finally got the Linksys after having the cheaper D-Link go bad on me. It gives a good enough signal to reach anywhere in the house. My wife uses it exclusively. I still stay wired in my office. Sorry not to be of any more help. Tell the wife to work overtime so you can have a new router..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 He's hardwired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grider 1 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 2nd on the router slowly dieing. I'm going to throw a few other ideas out here. You might have already checked these, but I'm more brainstorming than anything else. I'm assuming that you can ping the ip address of the router, the desktops, and the laptop. Check the firewall settings on each pc? Do you use something like zonealarm on any of the computers? That might be blocking any communications from the local network stuff. (I loath zonealarm) Really it sounds like you have a relatively simple setup. But sometimes these thing are the worse things in the world to diagnose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 2nd on the router slowly dieing. I'm going to throw a few other ideas out here. You might have already checked these, but I'm more brainstorming than anything else. I'm assuming that you can ping the ip address of the router, the desktops, and the laptop. Check the firewall settings on each pc? Do you use something like zonealarm on any of the computers? That might be blocking any communications from the local network stuff. (I loath zonealarm) Really it sounds like you have a relatively simple setup. But sometimes these thing are the worse things in the world to diagnose. Thanks for the help. I had already tested the firewall issue and that was not the problem. I only have the Windows firewall and the firewall tha comes with my F-Secure security suite. As far as pinging goes, that actually failed, which is why I am thinking my router is screwed up and I am just going to have to connect a crossover cable to each computer to get the files I need. Fortunately, after I do that, I have no use for that computer and it will by my wife's sole possession, so I will not need to be networked to it anymore. However, I will need to eventually get another one, a wireless, so that I can print from the laptop without having to go connect the laptop to the printer in the other room. Plus, as I get better and out of this bed more, it will be handy to be able to take my laptop anywhere in the house while I am on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonan 0 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Something that may be worth a try is updating the firmware on the router. Twice over the last year and a half, my router has acted screwy in a similar manner, and refreshing the firmware fixed it. It's worth a try anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 Something that may be worth a try is updating the firmware on the router. Twice over the last year and a half, my router has acted screwy in a similar manner, and refreshing the firmware fixed it. It's worth a try anyway. How do yo do that? I have a NETGEAR RP614v2, which is an older model. It was actually a refurbished model I purchased online from CompUSA. I did not install any software with the router because it automatically detected everything when it was connected. I am now thinking it may be my desktop's network adapter not working correctly. I just now connected a Cat5e crossover cable and the two computers still will not read each other. I know that it can't be my laptop because it was not working with my old laptop and the brand new one I just purchased also. I guess if I can't figure this out, I'll just have to go get a USB data transfer cable. That way I don't have to worry about the network issue. I can just transfer the files straight over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonan 0 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 You should be able to find it on Netgear's site somewhere, and this is assuming your router has some kind of web interface or something to interact with it. Here's a link to the downloads page for your model and version of the router with the download and upgrade instructions, if you want to give it a try. The NIC thing is quite plausible as well. You might want to try reloading the driver for it. I had to do that on my laptop a couple of days ago when it didn't want to talk to anything properly either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 You should be able to find it on Netgear's site somewhere, and this is assuming your router has some kind of web interface or something to interact with it. Here's a link to the downloads page for your model and version of the router with the download and upgrade instructions, if you want to give it a try. The NIC thing is quite plausible as well. You might want to try reloading the driver for it. I had to do that on my laptop a couple of days ago when it didn't want to talk to anything properly either. Thanks, I'll have to try all of that...tomorrow. I have had enough network troubleshooting for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Ranger, if both computers can access the internet, but you cant connect/see each others files... make sure they are both on the same network workgroup: right click my computer, go to properties, and click the computer name tab. youll see it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 Thanks BG3, but that is one of the first things I checked also. I even tried to set them up under a different workgroup name then I had established originally. I also tried different settings. I am pretty familiar with home networking, which is why this is baffling me, espcecially after connected a crossover cable to both of them and still not being able to network them together. Boonan, I updated the firmware and that did not fix the problem. I reinstalled the NIC driver and that did not work either. I can't think of anything else to try, so I am just going to assume for now that my 3 1/2 year old desktop has decided that it just wants to be a bachelor. So, I am about to head out and go by a USB file transfer cable and just do some drag and dropping with the files. Not my preferred method, but a very simple method nonetheless. Good thing I keep all 3500 music files under one folder, so all I have to do is drag and drop that one folder for all my music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonan 0 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I'm definitely out of other ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger12 46 Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Thanks for all the advice guys. I finally got the files transferred with a USB file transfer cable I bought at Wal-Mart for $20. Worked pretty well. Maybe a lightbulb will go off in my head and I will figure out a way to fix the problem. I may take the router and laptop over to my dads house and see if I can get them to network, if that works, I will know for sure it is an issue with the NIC on the desktop. If it fails, then I know it will be a router issue. I need to find that out before I get a wirless router, because if it is the desktop, I will need to take out the defective card and put in a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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