Repost: XP Machine invisible on network unless explicitly ..

Archived from groups: alt.internet.wireless (More info?)

I am posting this again because I never got a complete answer after
providing IPCONFIG and static route information as requested.

I am running a peer-to-peer network with five XP Home machines and one
Windows Me machine. One of the XP machines is the ICS host, sharing the DSL
connection with the others, which I shall call ICS clients. The broadband
connection is shared between the ICS host (running XP) and three of the ICS
client machines (2 on XP, one on ME) using an old HPNA (phoneline) network
(the machines have Phoneline cards and are connected over the telephone
wiring in the house). One of those ICS client machines is also connected via
Ethernet card to an Ethernet switch which in turn is connected to a wireless
AP. This enables the remaining two ICS client machines in the house to
access the AP using wireless adapters.

All of the machines can access each other's shared folders and shared
printers. All can ping each other fine. All can see each other's desktops
using VNC. All can access the shared Internet connection.

BUT -- remember, there are two machines that have wireless adapters and are
not connected to the Phoneline network. WELL, ONE of them cannot be seen on
the network (neither via NET VIEW nor by browsing the workgroup), and the
other one can. Let's call them the "invisible" wireless machine and the
"visible" wireless machine.

The invisible machine cannot even see ITSELF when it performs a NET VIEW or
browses the workgroup. BUT, all of the machines can see it in Explorer if
they specify its name (but not if they browse the workgroup or run a NET
VIEW).

As far as I can see, the settings on the two wireless machines are exactly
the same: same protocols, same firewall settings (disabled). The invisible
wireless machine is running a Microsoft USB adapter and the visible machine
is an Acer Travelmate 290 with built-in wifi adapter.

Here are the IPCONFIG and static route information for the
phoneline-to-ethernet bridge machine, the visible (laptop) wireless computer
and the invisible (desktop) wireless computer:

INVISIBLE WIRELESS COMPUTER:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : [Computer Name Deleted for

Privacy]

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810X Family PCI

Fast Ethernet NIC

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-40-2B-76-8C-B5

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : mshome.net

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Broadband Networking

Wireless USB Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0D-3A-23-BE-34

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.156

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 14, 2004

9:25:11 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 21, 2004

9:25:11 PM

---Route Begins Here---

===========================================================================

Interface List

0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface

0x2 ...00 40 2b 76 8c b5 ...... Realtek RTL8139/810X Family PCI Fast

Ethernet NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport

0x10004 ...00 0d 3a 23 be 34 ...... Microsoft Broadband Networking Wireless

USB Adapter - Packet Scheduler Miniport

===========================================================================

===========================================================================

Active Routes:

Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric

0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.156 40

127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1

192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.156 192.168.0.156 40

192.168.0.156 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 40

192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.156 192.168.0.156 40

224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 192.168.0.156 192.168.0.156 40

255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.156 2 1

255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.156 192.168.0.156 1

Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1

===========================================================================

Persistent Routes:

None

VISIBLE WIRELESS COMPUTER:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : AVI_LAPTOP

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Linksys HomeLink Phoneline +

10/100 Network PC Card (PCM100H1)

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-04-5A-94-7F-8D

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast

Ethernet NIC

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-02-3F-BB-B7-85

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : mshome.net

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless LAN 2100

3B Mini PCI Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-04-23-6F-C3-C0

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.122

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 14, 2004

9:25:11 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 21, 2004

9:25:11 PM

---Route starts here---

===========================================================================

Interface List

0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface

0x2 ...00 04 5a 94 7f 8d ...... Linksys HomeLink Phoneline + 10/100 Network

PC Card (PCM100H1) - Packet Scheduler Miniport

0x3 ...00 02 3f bb b7 85 ...... Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet

NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport

0x10005 ...00 04 23 6f c3 c0 ...... Intel(R) PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini

PCI Adapter - Packet Scheduler Miniport

===========================================================================

===========================================================================

Active Routes:

Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric

0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.122 30

127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1

192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.122 192.168.0.122 30

192.168.0.122 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 30

192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.122 192.168.0.122 30

224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 192.168.0.122 192.168.0.122 30

255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.122 192.168.0.122 1

255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.122 3 1

255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.122 2 1

Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1

===========================================================================

Persistent Routes:

None

PHONELINE+WIRELESS AP BRIDGED MACHINE:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : [Machine name deleted for

privacy]

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Network Bridge:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : mshome.net

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : MAC Bridge Miniport

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 02-09-5B-60-B4-D4

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.213

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 14, 2004

10:28:08 AM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, April 21, 2004

10:28:08 AM

---Route starts here---

===========================================================================

Interface List

0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface

0x2 ...02 09 5b 60 b4 d4 ...... MAC Bridge Miniport - Packet Scheduler

Miniport

===========================================================================

===========================================================================

Active Routes:

Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric

0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.213 20

127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1

192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.213 192.168.0.213 20

192.168.0.213 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 20

192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.213 192.168.0.213 20

224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 192.168.0.213 192.168.0.213 20

255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.213 192.168.0.213 1

Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1

===========================================================================

Persistent Routes:

None

All XP computers on the network have the standard XP firewall, of course,
but the wireless and phoneline connections are not firewalled; only the DSL
host computer has the Internet connection firewalled.

How do I make the invisible wireless machine visible?

Thanks!

PS I have a hunch this has nothing to do with networking settings, because
in any case, the "invisible" machine should be able to see itself on a NET
VIEW but it cannot. Ideas?