Windows Help and Support???

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the Windows help and support centre is a load of Ballix? I'm running XP Home and I'm trying to network me new lappy into the PC and the help centre continually gives me instructions which it would seem are absolutely NOTHING like my options. Things like select this tab and that option (none of which ever appear!!).

What a load of horse**** this is!

Rant mode deselected...... Grrr!:*

[TR4A]

Are you using the Network Wizard to set it up?

[Wing Commander Fowler]

yeah.... Grrrr Grrrr!! :* :*

[goates]

That's why we have forums like this one. :D

If you post the system info about your computers and exactly how you are trying to connect the computers, someone here should be able to provide some help.

goates

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Well I shall try Goates but some things would just take too long to fully explain and remembering ALL of the error messages you recieve along the way can be difficult..... I'm sure there's something fundamentally wrong and it's probably VERY obvious to someone but here's a little.....

Have 2 machines PC and Laptop both XPhome and both got network cards. Linked them together with crossover cable and ran the Wizard of Oz......

On the host (PC) keep getting System subspool error at the end of the wizard and error report sent to MS who claim to know about it but offer no comfort according to the error report. Occasionally I can run the wizard and I don't get this error but anyhow the results remain the same. It's irregular, sometimes although both are named differently and are on MSHOME as a workgroup sometimes one will not see the other and the warning comes up that I don't have administrative rights to access MSHOME or on the odd occasion that both computer's appear in "view workgroup computers" if I try to access info from the other computer I get the message "you do not have administrative rights to access this computer" etc etc etc.... I have the root of each computer shared and my hair falling out.....

The host PC can be commanded to connect to the internet by the laptop (and often connects without me asking it to) BUT I keep getting the message "The page cannot be displayed" in internet explorer....

If I click on "status" on the LAN connection it shows both are connected and packets are being sent and received (though I know not where...)

Have tried setting user defined IP addresses for the TCP/IP in the range - 192.168.0.* and allowing windows to obtain the address automatically.

And to think I bought this laptop to experience the enjoyment of "managing a network"....

Grrr again hehe!

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

Lets get you down to basics first.

Lets use TCP/IP for both machines.

Do you have a Broadband connection to the net or are you using Dialup?

If you are using Broadband, you should just go out and buy a Broadband Router.

If you are using Dialup with the Notebook's internal modem, lets just see if we can get the two computers to talk to each other first.

On the first notebook, open View Network Connections then right click on your Local Area Connection and go to Properties. In there double click on TCP/IP. In there, set the IP Address to 192.168.1.2 and the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0 and click on OK.

Now do the same to the second Notebook and set it to IP Address to 192.168.1.3 with Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 and click on OK.

Now open Windows Explorer on both machines. Pick Drive C and right click on it and click on Sharing. Turn on sharing and close. Then from each computer, try to access the shared directory on the other computer.

Let us know if you can see each computer from the other computer.

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi Richard,

Firstly in order to avoid confusion later on the host is my PC the newbie is the notebook. My internet connection is via the PC on a dialup.

Have already tried the basic TCP/IP thingy but using IP addresses 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2 - so there are slight differences to yr suggestion so have just re-tried with your settings just in case and still no Joy. When I open explorer in each computer all I can see are the internal drives on the respective computer and within My NetworkPlaces\Entire network\Microsoft windows network\MSHome I can only see the computer's own entry....... :{

Oh and BTW when I shut down either one of the units the other sees that a network cable has been unplugged so there's obviously "some" form of recognition there......

Furthermore - neither one will accept a ping: The laptop times out and the Host PC "Transmit failed error code 65"

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

One thing I forgot to mention. Are all the computers on the same Workgroup. I usually use the name Workgroup for all the computers.

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Yes Richard - they are on MSHOME.

Just tried interogation with net view. The host completes successfully but the laptop comes up with the reply as follows:

The syntax of this command is:

NET ACCOUNTS COMPUTER CONFUIG etc etc

Is that what I should expect OR should I expect a net view search to provide me with the same as that on the host - ie the names of the computers on the net?

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

If you cannot ping the other computer, there is a problem with the network. Even though the network cards show a connection when both comps are plugged in, there might be something wrong with the crossover cable itself. Do you have a second one to try? Also do you have a friend that could loan you a hub or a switch to test out your connection?

It sounds like you are doing everything correctly.

Take Care,

Richard

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Thanx Richard - I try......

I bladdy well hope it doesn't turn out to be the cable since I wasted the first night (about 4 hrs) cos I mistakenly used a patch cable not a crossover one (the dummy that I am) so I bought a new one the following day....

Have just had another thought - I hadn't connected the new Lappy up to windows update yet so will go there now in the hope that it's got Bills original offering in it's bag of bits and the new offerings MAY help.

Will keep you posted (and yes that's a threat hehe!) :p

Anyhow - surely if it's the cable I wouldn't have got a successful ping from the host would I?

[Saab Dastard]

WCF,

To confirm that TCP/IP is installed and working on each PC, do the following:

ping 127.0.0.1

ping loopback

ping localhost

ping (machine name)

ping (own IP address)

If any or all of these fail, then IP is not set up or configured correctly on the PC and you may have to investigate one or both PC's network card & IP stack further.

If all the above are OK it may be that one card is trying to communicate at a different speed (10 / 100) to the other, or is configured to work at a different duplex setting (full / half). Settings should be the same on both PCs - note that autodetect doesn't always work with a crossover cable.

The optimum connection would be 100 Full Duplex if both cards support it.

SD

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Hi SD - thanx for that.

I've swapped their roles now so that the laptop became the host and nothing improved. Then I read yr post and tried the different pings. As the host the lappy pings all ok BUT the PC fails on the last 2.

Where now?

Furthermore - The PC keeps creating a network adaptor and a bridge for some reason. I keep uninstalling them.

Both occasionally give me the warning "workgroup is not accessible you might not have permissions etc" when I try to "view workgroup computers".

Could this Spooler subsystem application error I keep getting on the PC be the cause of this and if so how do I work around that one?

Jeez - how fed up am I now.....??? Been sat at this Bstard now for two whole nights! :* :* :*

[Saab Dastard]

WCF,

The laptop seems to be configured fine.

Interesting that the PC fails the last 2. That means that the IP stack works, but name resolution and IP address configuration is up the spout.

Are you sure that you are configuring the LAN adapter with the 192.168.x.x address - rather than the PPP/SLIP dial-up adapter?

The bridge is interesting - with Internet Connection Sharing, the PC has to have one network (via dial-up modem) connecting to the internet and another talking to your laptop, so that is definitely the area to concentrate your efforts. If you can get the PC to ping its name and address, you should be able to get the 2 systems to talk to each other.

I don't use ICS, so I can't help much more on that, I'm afraid

I would be inclined to remove all networking components from the PC and re-install them, as it seems that the wizard may have screwed up some IP stuff.

Can you get to a stable point where the PC can connect to the internet on dial-up, then add the local network, then set up ICS?

Good luck.

SD

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Well guys,

have deleted all the LAN connections and let windows re-install. Have the internet connected and the wizard lets me select my freeserve dial up from three options - one the ethernet card, one the 1394 net adaptor and finally the Realtek ethernet NIC. I choose the dial up and the wizard tells me it needs to create a bridge to deal with the fact that there are more than one "connection" on this computer. The next stages are fine up until I select next after choosing the workgroup name and then when the wizard is doing it's "wiz" I get this damned spooler subsystem application error every time. Then I get the option to create disc etc as the final offering say No thanks and restart the PC.

Now - all the options for TCP/IP settings are with the bridge now - the other two (Realtek and 1394 adaptor just have configuration options.

So, I set the TCP/IP on the bridge and try the pinging and all ok except the ones as mentioned before (pinging itself by name or IP). Get error 65.

All other problems vis a vis seeing eachother on the workgroup remain.....

Ugh???

Can I get rid of this darned spooler subsystem error somehow - platform re-install maybe?

[Mac the Knife]

Although you can't uninstall TCP/IP in XP, you can reinstall all it's components and reset Reistry keys to a clean state.

Type

netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt <enter> at a command prompt

This isn't as drastic as it sounds and will not tamper with your current network settings.

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Well chaps - I'm sure you'll all be delighted to know it's sorted now......

Took the old "chicken plucker" up to see my old "chicken plucker guru" and we spent about another four hours fumbling about with it again trying to make some sense out of it all. Overlaying the OS has cured the Spooler Subsystem application error which didn't rectify the original problem.

Seems like the reason XP kept installing a bridge was because it was seeing my dialup as a potential network connection and as it was checked as my default connection 'twould appear my network was trying to communicate to the laptop via my dialup connection - hence maybe the failed pinging attempts???

We stumbled over this as the problem by uninstalling ALL of my comms hardware and lo and behold the laptop started clucking away to the chicken plucker. Installed the modem - system ok. Set it as the default - feathers everywhere!!

Hehe!

Bobs yer diddly!

Thanks for all of your help again guys - whatever else I now consider myself MUCH more edified in the field of communications!

JEEZ! Now the question is would Gates's henchmen be interested in this little software cul-de-sac and if so how much will he reward US for this little bit of problem solving???:ugh:

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Wing Commander Fowler,

Glad to hear your Chicken Plucker Guru could sort the problem out for you. :ok:

Take Care,

Richard