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Unable to connect laptop to existing and working wireless Workgroup

Tags:
  • Laptops
  • Wireless
  • Connection
  • Wireless Network
  • Windows XP
Last response: in Wireless Networking
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September 27, 2014 11:54:05 AM

Briefly I am unable to connect a Toshiba laptop running 64 bit Windows 8.1 to an existing and working Workgroup with four 32 bit Windows XP computers in it: 3 wired and 1 wireless. The laptop will be linked through the wireless link.
All machines, laptop included, have very good net access: 30 Mbps down, 6 Mbps up. The local net is running with TCP/IP and all shared folders show in My Network Places.
All XP machines have at least one shared folder which can be accessed by any of the other XP machines. All four machines show in the Workgroup if I click on View Workgroup Computers on any of the XP machines. The laptop shows the correct name for the workgroup but does not show any of the XP machines in the workgroup nor any of the shared folders on them. None of the XP machines can "see" the laptop nor the shared folder I have set up on it. I have disabled the firewall on all machines, including the laptop, with no effect. Passwords are not used in the local network. I can ping the XP machines from the laptop so there is local net connectivity. So, I have a laptop with excellent wireless internet access whcih can ping the other machines in the workgroup, but none of the other machines can "see" the laptop nor a shared folder on it, nor can the laptop "see" any of the other machines or the shared folders on them.

In Windows 8.1 on the laptop some of the settings are:

In Advanced Sharing Settings
Turn on Sharing is checked
Enable File Sharing is checked and encryption is set to allow 40 or 56 bit encryption. Changing to 128 has no effect since the laptop is not communicating with any of the XP machines.
Turn off password protected sharing is checked

If I go to the LAN link and click on Properties
File and Printer Sharing is checked.

The Workgroup name is TROLLHAGEN and that shows on the SYSTEM page on the laptop as
Workgroup TROLLHAGEN

It appears everything is set correctly for the laptop to be able to join the Workgroup

On the laptop if I go to "network connections" all that is shown is gus, the WiFi name.

I have struggled with this problem for several days and posted to other forums -- but no headway at all.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated. The laptop will be worthless for the purpose it was purchased for unless I can share folders between it and the computers already in the Workgroup.

More about : unable connect laptop existing working wireless workgroup

a b D Laptop
September 27, 2014 12:05:58 PM

Hi

It may be you need common user names for the accounts on the windows 8 and XP laptops and common passwords for the accounts .

If that does not help I leave it to networking experts to help you

Regards
Mike Barnes
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September 27, 2014 12:48:24 PM

Thanks for the response.

The user name is the same on all five machines. The four XP machines do not use passwords. The laptop (Windows 8.1) insisted on a password. I can see how that might interfere with the XP machines seeing files on the laptop, but can't image how the lack of a password could interfere with the laptop seeing files on the XP machines.

mbarnes86 said:
Hi

It may be you need common user names for the accounts on the windows 8 and XP laptops and common passwords for the accounts .

If that does not help I leave it to networking experts to help you

Regards
Mike Barnes


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September 27, 2014 2:09:08 PM

Does it work if you try connecting the laptop using a wired connection?
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September 27, 2014 7:20:41 PM

Connecting the laptop to the router with a short ethernet cable makes no difference. Well, the only difference is that on the Network Connections page where it did show Wi-Fi connected to gus (the name of the local net) and Ethernet as Not Connected, it now reverses those to show Wi-Fi Not Connected and Ethernet connected to gus.
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September 28, 2014 7:13:40 AM

I think I would try deleting your workgroup and creating a new one using a new workgroup name. Then join the new workgroup with each of the PC's. Make your laptop be the second or third one to join the workgroup.
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September 28, 2014 8:25:10 AM

ktriebol,

Thanks for the reply. Sounded like an excellent idea.

On the main Windows XP machine I created a new Workgroup with the default name MSHOME. This was successful as shown by going to My Network Places and clicking on View Workgroup Computers which opens a panel MSHOME showing an icon with the name of the computer on which I had just created the workgroup.

I then created a workgroup MSHOME on the laptop. This was also successful since on the System page (in Windows 8.1) under Computer name, Domain, and Workgroup Settings it shows the computer name for the laptop and on the bottom line; "Workgroup MSHOME"

Reopening My Network Places on the Windows XP machine shows only the folders being shared on that machine. Clicking on View Workgroup Computers opens the panel MSHOME which only shows the XP computer -- and not the laptop.

Just to verify that Workgroup MSHOME is working, I changed the Workgroup on one of the other XP machines to MSHOME. The two XP machines now see each other in View Workgroup Computers and can share files in the shared folders. In other words, MSHOME is fully functional for the XP machines, but the laptop cannot be "seen" by the XP computers and is unable to "see" either of the XP machines in Workgroup MSHOME.
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September 28, 2014 8:41:34 AM

Note added:

Since I had done this before, I didn't expect it to make any difference. All machines are running the latest version of ESET System Security which allows the firewall to be turned off for 10 minutes. Windows firewall is disabled since I use the ESET firewall. Having the firewalls turned off made no difference -- the laptop still cannot "see" or be "seen".
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