Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

Hi:

I have 2 computers, one with XPHome and the other with XPPro. Both are connected to a hub which is connected to the internet. No router.
Computers cannot ping each other. They both access the internet fine.

They used to communicate before I got the new computer with XP Pro.

Any ideas?

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

So let me get this right. Your new computer used to communicate with your old computer that is until you got the new computer? Did you ping it while it was a display model? lol

No sorry seriously though.
How do you connect your Hub to the internet.
I.E. I have a home network with the gateway machine connected to a usb cable modem. The gateway machine is in turn connected to a hub which connects all thse other machines together. If I did however connect my modem directly to the hub then none of the machines would be able to access the internet but they would still be able to ping each other.

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

Hi, thanks for responding:
Computers are set up as follows:

Both are connected to a 4 port hub which connects directly to the cable modem.
The 2 computers each have different IP addresses because the cable modem will release up to 3 IP addresses (I pay for the extra IP addresses) for my home. IP addresses are dynamic.
No router is involved.
This worked fine until I upgraded one computer to XP Pro. It is not a hardware issue.
Neither computer can ping the other.
The XP firewalls are up on both computers.

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

It is working now, but as usual, I am not exacly sure what the problem was. It involved the XP firewall. I turned one computer's XP firewall off and was able to ping it.
Then I turned its firewall back on and opened ports TCP 139, 445 and UDP 137, 138, and 445 on that computer only for the first computers IP address.
Problem is my IP addresses change once and a while so I will have to edit the ICF settings each time that happens.
Is there a better way to do this?

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

is the modem a router?

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

No, the modem is not a router. No router is involved here.

This is even more confusing:

Instead of typing the IP address for the exceptions under the ICF of the other computer, I typed the computer name of the computer needing access, ie. \\Computer Name .
This works as well as typing the IP address of the XP Pro computer.

BUT, the workgroups of the two computers are not the same name.

Still a puzzle, although it is working. I hate mysteries like this.

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

When I change the workgroups to the same name, the XP Pro computer says the network
is not accessible.

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

When I click "View Workgroup Computers" on the XP Pro computer, it says the domain is not accessible. When I click "View Workgroup Computers" on the other computer, it shows itself, but not the XP Pro computer.

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

I am about to give up. The file and printer sharing only works intermittently.
I dont understand this.
And I thought putting XP Pro on my second computer would make networking easier.HA!

Re: Cannot Ping other computers in "edgeless network" configuration
 

Seems to be working now.