Home networking issue XP/2K

[glc]

I'm trying to help an old customer up in Chicago get a new laptop connected to his network over the phone. Here are the pertinent details:

1. Linksys router.
2. Computer 1: Windows 2000 Pro with a shared printer, CAT 5.
3. Computer 2: XP Home, wireless.
4. Computer 3: New laptop, XP Home, wireless.

Problem:

Computer 3 cannot see Computer 1 in My Network Places, therefore it can't connect to the shared printer.

Computer 3 has full Internet access. Computer 3 can only see itself and Computer 2 in MNP. Computer 2 sees Computer 1 and can print.

Same workgroup is verified. Username on Computer 3 has been added to the user manager on Computer 1. File and print sharing has been enabled in Computer 3's firewall exceptions. Computer 1 has no firewall. There are no passwords on anything.

Any ideas?

EDIT: There are 2 other computers on the network - a XP Pro box with CAT5 and another XP Home laptop, wireless. They can both print.

[edfair]

You might have them set the printer via "net use". That has on occasion forced the network traffic required to wake things up.

And sometimes you just need patience to allow this stuff to sort itself out.

You might have them power cycle the print server.

Or a continuous ping across the network to see where the traffic is not going.

[bucksfanjimj1]

Can you or the customer find out what the MAC address is for #3 and enable MAC filtering on the router?

[glc]

Printer is not on a print server. It's physically connected to computer #1 and shared - and it's accessible to the rest of the network computers. Both computer #1 and computer #3 have been rebooted several times.

MAC filtering is not enabled on the router - and shouldn't need to be, computer #3 has full Internet access as do all the rest of the computers on the network.

Computer #3 is talking to the router just fine, it just can't see computer #1.

[edfair]

How about implementing network stuff on the other 2 machines and see if #3 can see them, and vice versa?

I've seen issues where NICS plain wouldn't talk to each other but there were some indications that they tried.

And does your customer have a jumper block that they can bypass the router and connect directly? Or even do a crossover at the desk of one?

[glc]

Computer #3 can see computer #2 and access its shared documents folder.

Computer #3 is wireless, as is computer #2.

Router is a Linksys WRT54GX, computer #3 (Dell laptop) is using an Intel a/b/g internal wireless, computer #2 (Sony Vaio semi-desktop - one of those things where the computer and monitor is a single unit) is using a Linksys WPC54GS PCMCIA, and computer #1 (generic desktop) is using an onboard Intel Pro 100 VE.

[Spearball]

Can computer number 3 ping computer number 1? Try using the ping command on computer #3 and vise versa and see if it can communicate with it.

If ping works both ways, then try directly accessing the windows 2000 pc manually to see if that does anything. Open the network places windows and then type,

\\(ip address of computer #1)

Example:
\\0.0.0.0

If this succeeds once more and you can see the pcs shared folders and printers, if worst comes to worst and the network places just isn't working, install the network printer manually by clicking on it in the network folder(access manually by the example above) of the 2k machine. Also drag any shared folder you want on the desktop or wherever.