Whole week of troubleshooting (for free)

Greetings.

I read an older post by a poor soul who spent 12 hours...but I've been at this for a week now. Here's the scenario:

PC #1-Quad core desktop with win 7 Pro 64- clean install. 6 GB
PC #2 Acer laptop with Win 7 Pro 64...bought with Win 7 Home premium, paid MS $95 for the upgrade to Pro.
3GB

Without a mutual homegroup, neither computer can see each other at all, although they can still ping back and forth
With a Homegroup - I can ping in either direction; can even stream media in either direction

I can access the laptop's files from the desktop - via the Network feature.
BUT. The desktop cannot even see the laptop in Homegroup.

The laptop can see the desktop in Homegroup, but when you click the folders, nothing happens
The laptop can also see the desktop's files in the Network....
But cannot access them:

("* is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions. The specified network provider name invalid")

Have tried:

Both are in same workgroup. Both on Home networks.
Both admin accounts.
Have shared everything with full permissions -even granted ownership
Have disabled all security on both pc's - even AV at one point
Have left and rejoined Homegroup multiple times..from both directions
Have run every troubleshooter available
Have checked every service and dependencies
Have checked every GPO, Local policy, and security setting
Have created accounts for either machine on both machine, and given Full Permission to both.
Have granted ownership to both.
Have enabled and/or disabled IPv6.
Have enabled or disabled "password protected sharing". (Oddly this makes no change at all)
Have used both wired and wireless connection on laptop - same workgroup, same settings

I mapped a drive to the laptop from the desktop -no prlobem.
But when trying to map a drive to the desktop from the laptop, the laptop can't even connect to ITSELF.

Have disabled Dlink router's firewall.
(MS tells me that the router is possibly not supported, but they say the only issue is a potential problem with NAT. But mine is an internal issue)

I have set up plenty of networks before --even between Fat 32 and NTFS - never any trouble until now.

Anyone know what's going on?
Thanks!
---EDIT: It's definitely not the router. It just did all the exact same things with a crossover cable.

 

Nothing. The only security I'm running right now is MSE. (AKA "Little Green House") At the moment, the windows firewall is off, but it doesn't make any difference one way or the other.

 

I missed the second half of your post. I have set every advanced option to share everything - have tried it with or without password protection (both machines the same) and have tired it by using user accounts or letting Windows control it. Oddly, none of those options, when set either way, make any difference.

I have also completely disabled MSE, with no difference at all.

 

DESKTOP:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Lin7>nbtstat -n

Local Area Connection:
Node IpAddress: [192.168.0.102] Scope Id: []

NetBIOS Local Name Table

Name Type Status
---------------------------------------------
LALALAN <00> GROUP Registered
LIN77 <00> UNIQUE Registered
LIN77 <20> UNIQUE Registered
LALALAN <1E> GROUP Registered
LALALAN <1D> UNIQUE Registered
..__MSBROWSE__.<01> GROUP Registered

C:\Users\Lin7>


Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Lin7>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Lin77
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.me.comcast.net.
System Quarantine State . . . . . : Not Restricted


Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.me.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : E0-CB-4E-5B-30-66
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::9954:a373:b9fc:fe0a%11(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.102(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 12, 2011 9:24:17 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 19, 2011 9:24:17 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1eaf:f7ff:fecd:21eb%11
192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 9:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes



LAPTOP:


Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Linda>nbtstat -n

Local Area Connection:
Node IpAddress: [192.168.0.100] Scope Id: []

NetBIOS Local Name Table

Name Type Status
---------------------------------------------
ACER <20> UNIQUE Registered

Wireless Network Connection:
Node IpAddress: [192.168.0.103] Scope Id: []

NetBIOS Local Name Table

Name Type Status
---------------------------------------------
ACER <20> UNIQUE Registered

Wireless Network Connection 2:
Node IpAddress: [0.0.0.0] Scope Id: []

No names in cache

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Linda>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Acer
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.me.comcast.net.

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 76-F1-A1-47-8D-D7
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.me.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5B93 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 70-F1-A1-47-8D-D7
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::b1ae:d7e8:f9cf:d6da%12(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.103(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 12, 2011 11:08:07 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 19, 2011 11:08:06 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1eaf:f7ff:fecd:21eb%12
192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.me.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR8132 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Contro
ller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 88-AE-1D-0C-09-FE
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::54bc:7071:8485:203d%11(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.100(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 12, 2011 11:08:02 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 19, 2011 11:08:02 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1eaf:f7ff:fecd:21eb%11
192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter Reusable ISATAP Interface {0324E48A-FD66-46B4-817E-4E29B3FF662E}:


Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:403:2279:b4bb:9b9(Prefer
red)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::403:2279:b4bb:9b9%13(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.hsd1.me.comcast.net.:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.me.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #7
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes






Thank you TerryNet. "Lin77" is the Desktop. LaLaLan is the network. (The laptop is "Acer") I have interent access on both, just fine. But still just half a network.

I have tried it with streaming media turned on or off. I have tried it with firewall, on or off. I even just left the homegroup on both machines, and I still have the same half a network.

HOWEVER...I was wrong that I can stream media from the desktop to the laptop. Only in the other direction. I CAN ping the desktop, though.

I have 2 ways to enable Netbios over TCP/IP in my Adapter properties. One is to let the router do it, the other is to do it myself. Either way gives me the same NBTstat reading.

 

I forgot to mention, I can ping in either direction, via either name or IP. I thought that this had eliminated any name resolution problems in the network... (but I don't know enough to figure that out, yet)

And I don't know why the laptop's NBTstat -n doesn't see the network.

 

Alas, the laptop's "computer name" says I'm in LALALAN, and it's a home network--workgroup, not domain. The Network and Sharing Center says I'm in LALALAN, (Also Home), and the laptop's "full Network Map" sees the entire network, with the web on one side, the desktop and 2 laptops on the other (one wireless) and LALALAN in the middle.

I'm not too familiar with NetBios stuff (I thought that was for old 9x systems). The only LMHosts file I can find is only a sample, with everything commented out, the way the Hosts files used to be--Though I use apps that put bad sites in there, resolved to the loopback)

But I CAN ping the desktop by either name or IP. Funny that pinging by name only returns an IPv6 address --on either machine...

Did I say that the desktop won't see the Homegroup, even when I have one?

 

Actually, as I said, from the "Network" icon, the Acer can't even access ITSELF. (I can ping by name or ip, but when I try to connect through the network, i just get "The specified network provider name is invalid")

And as usual, I get the same results with IPv6 enabled or disabled: half a network. And I just started and joined a new homegroup, but this time, neither machine can see each other in the homegroup.

I don't know enough to understand what is controlling the pinging, etc, and what is controlling the GUI. But there does seem to be a disconnect between the 2.

 

(I'm sorry if I'm sounding difficult...!)

 

I''ve unplugged the cat 5 and/or disabled the wireless several times. No change. And those few services you mentioned were all started and set to Automatic. I also used just a crossover cable. No change.

I really have spent the entire week. I'm not all that knowledgeable yet, but I've googled my fingers to the bone. It doesn't make any sense. Everything is shared. Everyone, and every account has full control. The laptop sees the desktop.

I speculated to an MS geek that I know, that it might be a bug, and he went ballistic. He said no, it's just something that I'm missing. wish I knew <i>what</i>, though!