File sharing not working, just installed router

[Hingie]

Hi,

I have just installed a combined DSL & Wireless router (Asus AAM6020VI-T4), and the internet is working fine on all three computers I'm using - two desktops connected to the LAN1 & LAN2 ethernet ports on the router and one laptop connecting wirelessly. Previously, our network was simply one ethernet cable between the two desktops, and file sharing was a bit unreliable then, a common error being PC1 not being able to access the Shared Documents on PC2 but PC2 being able to access the documents on PC1. However, now, file sharing and printer sharing is not working at all. I've run Network Setup Wizard on all three computers, and they're all in the same workgroup. On PC1 and the Laptop, if I click 'View Workgroup Computers', the error message:

'[Workgroup] is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The network path was not found'

However, on PC2, if I click 'View Workgroup Computers', I can see all the PCs on the network. Though if I double click them, I get the same error message as above.

My Network Places on PC1 and the Laptop are bare. On PC2 I have the Shared Documents for all three, but if I attempt to access them, I get the same error message.

ICS is working fine.

The IP address of the router is 192.168.1.1

PC1 is on Windows XP Pro, no SP2 (last time we installed it, internet fubared requiring a format :(). Its IP is 192.168.1.2, assigned manually.
PC2 is on Windows XP Pro SP2. Its IP is 192.168.1.3, assigned automatically.
Laptop is on Windows XP Home SP2. Its IP is 192.168.1.4, assigned automatically.

The default gateway, DHCP server & DNS server are all the same IP as the router. I can ping this gateway. However, I cannot ping the other PCs on the network as of now, though last night, when I had just ran Network Setup Wizard on the Laptop and PC2, I could ping them from each other.


Thank you

[z1p]

First, you should not be needing ICS with the router, but that shouldn't be causing any problems.

Next, Do you have any software firewalls running?

[Hingie]

Yes, Sygate Personal, on PC1 and 2.

[z1p]

for testing purposes try disabling sygate and see what works or doesn't work. If it works without sygate enabled, then we know its a sygate problem and we can fix that. If it still doesn't work, then we'll have to do some more troubleshooting.

[Hingie]

I set it to 'Allow All Traffic' on both PCs, with no difference.

[z1p]

Ok with the firewall off, can you ping the various machines from each other?

[Hingie]

Okay with both firewalls off, PC1 can ping PC2, but not itself. PC2 can also ping itself, but not PC1. With firewalls on, they cannot ping each other. (I'm afraid my father's taken the laptop away with him on business, so if this gets solved but pops up again later, please forgive me :) ).

[z1p]

PC1 can't ping itself, but it has internet access!!! Make sure that the XP firewall is disabled. Did you ping by IP or name?

[Hingie]

OK, I disabled the XP firewalls, and now PC1 can ping itself fine. With Sygate enabled however, the computers cannot ping each other, either by name or IP. When they are both set to Allow All traffic though, the computers can ping each other, and filesharing works.

[z1p]

Ok. First only ever run one software firewall on a single PC. Running more than one software firewall can cause strange problems.

I haven't done much with sygate in a while, but I'm pretty sure you can allow traffic based on subnet and/or ip address. You can most likely just get away with allowing traffic to/from port 445 between the machines on your LAN.

Does this make sense? Let me know if you have questions or need help with confugring sygate...

[Hingie]

Ah! I think I know what was wrong... this was a problem that happened even when just PC1 and PC2 were networked together, with no router - PC2 could access PC1's files, but not the other way round. Anyway, in Sygate > Tools > Options > Network Neighborhood, there is a checkbox: Allow others to share my files and printers. This was checked on PC1, but not on PC2. I think that solves it, though as I said, the Laptop is currently away with my father. It was the fact that the Windows Firewall was re-enabled when the router was set up that caused the initial problems. Thank you very much for your guidance! Though curiously, whether or not the computers can ping each other is rather random, working on some occasions but not on others... is this much of a problem?