another xp vista sharing issue

So i had a home network of 4 machines, all plugged in via net cables. these are routed through a couple of switches through my house that all lead back to a single router controlling my cable connection sharing was spotty in XP, so i used IPX and all was well.
However,

Now i upgraded my primary box to vista, so i had some of the standard vista. So back to Tcp i go.

I had some of the standard newb vista -> xp issues and vice versa. spent a good couple hours between here and google and still cant seem to get resolved.

So heres the latest:
I scrapped one of the machines, who needs 4 machines constantly hooked up at thier house anyway.. (3 is fine ).

Heres the computers:
Server (xp sp3)
Home Theatre (xp sp3)
Primary (vista)

Server -> Primary = Success
Server -> HT = Success
Primary -> Server = Success
Primary -> HT = FAIL (Access denied or path does not exist)
HT -> Server = Success
HT -> Primary = FAIL (Access denied or path does not exist)

They are all on the same workgroup, i have shutdown and turned on firewalls etc. have everything now setup to allow access (obviously working because 2 of the machines talk just fine).

Now im at a total loss.
I brought up Server in a remote session in my primary box (within screens range of the HT). And made Every Single network setting identical on the HT machines as the Server machine. I figured the server machine worked this should do the trick, but no luck. I am still having the same results, the HT and my primary can't talk to each other..

Any ideas would be appreciated, all of my latest and greatest stuff and my projects are kept on my primary, even thought i have a seperate server, sharing on the primary is the most important of the three.

 

Earlier this year I had the similar issue with Vista on our school computers. We had tried to network them in a basic work group because we did not want to implement Vista into our mainframe network just yet. We had spent a few hundred dollars on the phone with a Microsoft technician to find out that the home and premium edition of vista would not work on a network with XP so we would have to purchase ultimate or business edition to do so. So in the end we figured since we spent so much on tech support why even bother with Vista so we ended up downgrading the newly purchased computers back to Windows XP SP3.

 

ok, so connecting through IP WORKS!
Thanks so much for the tip! i really did not have high hopes there..


so what do i do to make it work through netname now? that way i can use shortcuts and other such things without having to do advanced maps

 

Where Vista is involved in the mix with XP it turns out you have to deal as much with the Security tab as the Sharing tab (ask me how I know...no don't). You'll find a list of groups and user names there and pemissions that can be set. If you can see it easily but just can't connect that may be the problem. I finally had to allow Everyone full control of the Object name to get the sharing free flow I wanted. So something to try if it hasn't been yet and all else fails.

 

fairnooks, thanks for the info. but i already got all that stuff squared away. im pretty good with file sharing normally. i just got this bit of a hickup for some reason between these systems. and actually if you do advanced sharing on a windows 2003 server, you have to pull the same crap with the security like you said, its kinda of a pita, but it works.

just some more info, i went back and added that fourth computer to the mix, its just a laptop i keep under my bed with svideo and rcas going into the tv.

that laptop can access everything in the house, the server can access evertyhing in the house. and the primary can access everything Excepet the HT, and the HT can access everything Except the primary.

but as said above, they can access each other via IP, just not netname..
for now i have just been using the file sharing via ip. i set the primary box to use a static ip so its easy enough to remember. but its still a total PITA to not be able to use the netname

As for pasting both of my ipconfig /all, i dont think i want to do that. Im not really sure what you are looking for in there anyway.. not that its hard to track my ip, but my comcast dns,ip,hardware etc are all in there.

anyway, both machines ip with my router just fine, they are different ips, they both grab the subnet, gateways, and dns just fine. everything looks good in the ipconfig

as far as nbtstat (great cmd btw, never knew about it)

i have this - "PRIMARY"

UGZZVISTA <00> UNIQUE Registered
XP <00> GROUP Registered
UGZZVISTA <20> UNIQUE Registered
XP <1E> GROUP Registered

"HT"

UGZZHT <00> UNIQUE Registered
UGZZHT <20> UNIQUE Registered
XP <00> GROUP Registered
XP <1E> GROUP Registered

 

Have you checked NetBIOS over TCP/IP? Maybe you need to enable that instead of the default?

 

^ no need to be cocky terrynet, im just sayin theres a ton of info in there id rather not post all over the web. if you tell me WHAT you are looking for id be GLAD to post up that piece of info. lets not forget i have been working with computers for years, that doesnt mean jack online of course, maybe im lying, maybe i been doing it wrong for 8 years, who knows. but anyway...

. the ipconfig is grabbing everything just as it should, when i say this, i mean just like all of my other computers, and every other system ive had hooked into this router. the differance would be some ipv6 info becaue this is vista, but thats about it..
if you have something you might be able to help with let me know and id be glad to post some more info.

as for netbios, it is not installed by vista by default. can it be installed in vista?, should it be installed in vista? i noted that the client and service lists are blank in vista, but there is a "have disk" selection. it is not installed on my work system and it has no probs with xp boxes at work. and netbios is indeed installed in my xp system if that is what you were referring to.

 

I was just wondering if it was a "hangover" from IPX so I thought enabling NETBios in the advanced TCP/IP settings might stir something but I've lost my concentration as far as what might be effective here. You should have the setting for it in Vista though, under the WINS tab of advanced, at least it is on mine.