Problem viewing files over tcp/netbui

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain (More info?)

I hope someone here can give me start on correcting this NetworkPlaces
problem.

I've discussed this at length on
microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web. Under:

Subject: Home lan puzzler

But finally reached a sort of dead end. I've gone into the browser
setup (network browser) at some length and can't seem to find the
trouble.

But rather than trying to list everything thats been tried let me just
discribe the problem and start at the beginning again.

My setup:
5 home computers on a home network. All with ethernet plugged into a
dsl modem (Netgear FVS318)

3 desktops all running winxp pro sp/2
1 desktop running Linux (gentoo)
1 laptop running winxp home edition

With the exception of one problem machine all can communicate, browse
files etc. The problem machine (here will be Mach1) never appears in
any of the other machines Network Places. Not even in its own Network
places. But has full access to remote machines thru network places.

For simplicity I'll leave out the Linux box completely (however it is
running samba and can communicate browse etc with all Machines include
Mach1).

I can type an unc style address (\\mach\share\path\) into any of the
other (win) machines file explorer and get to the disks on Mach1 and
to most of the subdirectories and files. However at some seemingly
arbitray depth I cannot view some files in directories. Here is an
example.

\\mach1\share\subdir\file1 file2 file3 But file4 and file5 do not
show.

All the files have the same permission set at top level (disk level)
to make all subdir and files have same permissions.

The files in question when viewed from mach1 and under the
properties/security tab show that my user has full control. And that
this full control is inherited from Disk level.

So there doesn't seem to be any tricky permission issues involved.
Still its really a pain not to be able to see arbitrary files when you
need to access them from another machine.

I performed a little experiment just now like this:

On mach1, instead of accessing drive G and subdir in the normal way
with file explorer. I typed in the unc style address

\\mach1\mach1-g\photoshop.wk\Bobbie.wk\

And those same files that are not viewable from a remote machine are
not viewable even on the same machine when using network addressing.

I can make shortcuts in network places to anything I want but I'd have
to make one to dozens even hundreds of exact locations to see what I
need to see. And of course none of that is supposed to be necessary.

A few more words about mach1 history:
The OS is on an Athlon64 +3200 2.2Ghz 1.5GB ram
Asus KV8 mobo.

It began life as a winxp pro pre sp/2 disk install.
Has since been updated to sp/2.

I have conducted a repair install from Microsoft winxp pro disc
that has sp/2 natively, trying to get something better to happen.

I see no differnce in this browsing problem.