Member Avatar for The Geeky Kid

And I'm gonna tell you how I'm setup! Modem to Router, Router to Computer, Router to Laptop, the workgroup name is MSHOME, I cannot see anything right now because it says "Limited or No Activity" however, I have gotten it to half-work before, on my computer I could see both computers, while my laptop could only see it's own, please help!

Well, as I try to fix it, I lose access to internet with my computer, I'm not sure why either, I still have access here...so it's nothing to do with the router, maybe with how I setup the Local Area Connection?

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Brief troubleshooting summary for the Modem → Belkin54g → PC/Laptop setup reported by . The symptoms — one PC could see both machines while the laptop only saw itself, Windows showing limited connectivity, ZoneAlarm on the laptop, and occasional loss of internet when LAN settings were changed — point to three common causes: a third‑party firewall blocking local file/print discovery, incorrect IP/DHCP settings or address conflicts, and Windows share/NTFS permission or wireless isolation on the router. ’s suggestion to start with basic connectivity checks is on the right track.

Concrete steps to isolate the problem:

  • Confirm the Belkin is issuing addresses (DHCP) and that each device has a unique private IP on the same subnet. If static addresses are used, make sure the gateway matches the router and that no two machines share the same address.
  • Verify the laptop is actually authenticating to the wireless network (correct SSID and key). The “limited” status often means authentication completed but DHCP failed or the client is on an isolated guest SSID.
  • Temporarily disable ZoneAlarm and the Windows firewall on the laptop to test visibility. If visibility returns, create explicit firewall rules that allow Windows file/printer sharing or mark the home network as trusted rather than leaving the firewall off.
  • Create a simple, temporary share with liberal permissions (Everyone: Read) to rule out NTFS/share‑level permission problems. If “access denied” appears, confirm the credentials being used for the connection.
  • Check the Belkin for AP/client isolation, MAC filtering, or firmware oddities. Also confirm the SpeedStream 4100 is in modem/bridge mode (if the Belkin is the router) to avoid DHCP/NAT conflicts.

Cautions: avoid leaving broad permissions or a disabled firewall in place. Work in this order — confirm IPs, test reachability with firewalls off, open a test share, then restore firewall and tighten permissions — to quickly pinpoint whether the issue is firewall, addressing, or sharing rights.

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Member Avatar for John A

Can you ping the other computers? You might also want DNS enabled, although this won't fix the problem.

Member Avatar for The Geeky Kid

Ehhh...they both are using the same IP as they are both connected to the same router, both has internet, and when I was able to see the laptop, and I tried to open it, it would say that I didn't have the correct rights! And I am using ZoneAlarm FREE so I think that might have something to do with it, 'cause when I did see hers, it said the firewall had blocked. And right now I'm on a different PC so I don't know my IP, oh wow, I just typed all that like I was possesed :S

Member Avatar for John A

they both are using the same IP as they are both connected to the same router

If 2 computers have the same IP address, there's no way it's going to work! Did you type in "ipconfig" in the MS-DOS prompt of both computers, and see what came up? Post that here.

Oh and you should also try (temporarily) disabling the firewall.

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