interesting network problem

[jes]

I have been out of the country for 2 months. Everything worked before I left and I don't know what happened since.
The problem occures on only one of the network clients. It connects to the Internet but not the rest of the network.
It is running Win 98 and I have checked it with the other network clients. The settings in "Network Neiborhood" are all the same, except for the computer name and the computer description of coarse.
I don't know what else to try! The cables are all securely plugged in...

[deddard]

could you clarify things a little?
Do the other hosts on the network recognise the pc in question?
How does the pc connect to the internet?
One of the first things with LAN/WAN problems is to check that all the correct protocols are installed and running - NetBios (NetBUI in 98) is required for a windows LAN.
The IP subnet needs to be the same on each machine in order for them to talk to one another.

[classicsoftware]

How are you getting on line?

Did anyone else have access to the computers while you are gone?

And by the way, you DO NOT need Netbeui as protocol on windows networks. You can get along just fine with TCP/IP.

Rt Click on netwrk neighborhood and choose properties.

Post contents here

[deddard]

Originally posted by classicsoftware


And by the way, you DO NOT need Netbeui as protocol on windows networks. You can get along just fine with TCP/IP.

Rt Click on netwrk neighborhood and choose properties.


Ooops- just going by the standard Windoze settings - making too many assumptions and posting late at night:D

[jes]

There were four people with access to these computer when I was gone, but they all swear that they have done nothing.
The other hosts see this computer in network neiborhood initially (it is w3) but when I click on w3 it searches and can't find a hard drive or a cd drive or anything.
Network properties:
Client for MS networks
D-link DFE-538TX 10/100 Adapter
Dial-up Adapter
TCP/IP - D-Link DFE-538TX 10/100 Adapter
TCP/IP - Dial-up Adapter
File and printer sharing for ms networks.

These are the same settings on the other hosts. They don't have the same problem.
The Internet connection is shared troughout the network so both the Iternet and the network go through the same NIC. This host accesses the Internet but not the rest of the network.

[classicsoftware]

How do you assign Ip address/ Are you using ICS? Is there abroadband connection? Is there a proxy server? Can you ping the IP of the computer in question? Please describe your network more fully. Hub/Switch/router???????

[jes]

It is just a peer-peer network. There is one Internet gateway (dial-up) with a 56K that shares the Internet to the network via ICS.
The problem computer is able to ping ALL the others.

[classicsoftware]

Can other computers ping the problem computer?

Can you map a drive on the problem cpmputer?

Can you search/find the problem computer with the serach function in network neighborhood?

[jes]

Noone else can ping my problem computer.
The network neiborhood of all compputers on the network except w3 (the problem computer) had a list of all the computers on the network as it should. W3 is in this list, but when I click on it, nothing can be found.

[classicsoftware]

Check the network card/cable/port on the hub first.

1) Remove & re-insert patch cable
2) Try a new patch cable
3) Re-install/update drivers for the NIC
4) Try a different port on the hub
Post back & lets see what happens

[Variable]

If you can ping out and no one can ping you and the machine has internet access through ICS it isn't likely to be a physical problem ie. cables,nic, hub.
It sounds like to me that either the computer is not shared out, or the machine is on the wrong subnet, or some piece of software is blocking the connection. Something is blocking incoming packets. Do you have a software firewall installed on the machine?
Check to see if any software has been installed since you left.Uninstall it.
If it was a windows 2k+ machine I would think it was a permissions issue. Im not totally familiar with 98 permissions other than they are very limited in scope.

Variable

[jes]

It is running Zone Alarm but that was working before I left. I'm not at the computer right now but when I am I'll check into the sharing thing. That had never occured to me before. Thanks.

[jes]

The hard drive is shared on the problem computer. And I realized that, even if nothing was shared, it doesn't explain why the computer with the problem can't see the rest of the network through network neiborhood. This problem completely baffles me. What else can I try?

[Variable]

Try exiting zone alarm. Right click the taskbar icon and exit or whatever you do to exit the program. It really sounds like a firewall could be it, or some other piece of software. Just because it was working doesn't mean it is now.

[jes]

Ok, that was spookey. I tried shutting down ZA when I found this problem and it didn't do squat. I did it this time and it worked fine. Do you think that I should download and reinstall ZA again?

[Variable]

I don't use ZA, but it likely has a setting or check box that allows other local computers to connect to it. If nothing else you could input the ip address of the other machines and allow traffic from them. Reinstalling it is probably not necessary. Just configure the firewall to allow the traffic between the machines. I assume your using static IP addressing? If so, then it is trivial to set up access list for those specific IP's.
It's likely that somone at the computer had a pop message asking if traffic from "X" should be allowed, the user probably thought this may be some attempted intrusion and said "NO." If this "rule" can be located you could simply delete it. But again, the specific steps to do that with ZA is not soemthing I know about. It's a fairly common free firewall, someone will come along with the steps. But, i'll bet you could figure it out in 5 minutes or so by messing with it.


Variable

[deddard]

In Zone alarm, click on the firewall tab (on the left) then click on the zones tab (top) it should tell you whether anything is configured.
If there is an entry there, see if it is trusted or not - usually stuff in the internet zone is not trusted.
You may have to do a re-installation of zone alarm if things appear to be ok but the problem persists. I had to do this myself a few days ago, after my system clock got reset. Zone alarm would not allow me any access to the net, and would not automatically detect my network; but after a reinstallation, it detected the network and everything worked fine.