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Can No Longer Browse the Network

garys_2k

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G
Joined
Jan 9, 2003
Messages
756
All of a sudden I can't browse my LAN from any of the computers on it. Three XP-home and one WIN 2K machines, none of 'em can browse. Network disk drives that were previously mapped still work fine, we can use the other computers' printers and access files on shares that were already set up.

All computers have the Computer Browsing service on and running, the only protocol we use is TCP/IP and Netbios is active on all of them (we're behind a hardware router, so I'm not worried about an intrusion on those ports). All the computers are set to use the same group name.

Anyone have some suggestions? I can't access non-previously mapped drives or map new ones on the LAN.
 
If you are correct in that all the computers have NetBios running and the Computer Browsing service running as well, then...

By having one W2K computer networked with 3 WinXP computers, depending on peripherals and previously set file shares, sometimes the W2K machine acts as the networks master browser. When one of your WinXP machines attempts to connect to the W2K machine, either to use its shared printer or a file, it may use TCP port 445 to connect with. When W2K browser master service tries to connect, it uses NETBios over TCPIP port 139 and a conflict occurs.

This is usually caused by one or more of the XP systems not at the latest service pack level. Check each XP machine to see what level they are at.

If not, then your router/firewall has probably closed port 139 , blocking any new NetBios/TCPIP traffic, while allowing previously shared files and printers to still work amongst the machines. Check your hardware router's documentation if you need to. You may also check to make sure that the WINXP firewall is not turned on on any of the machines.
 
Thanks, I'll check the Windows update levels on the machines.

Is there any way to tell which machine is acting as the master on the network, or to select it manually?
 
The Win2K computer, if it is the only Win2K amongst a workgroup containing WinXP computers, will be the master browser.
 
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