Member Avatar for rixter

I've just set up 4 XP running computers on a netgear wireless network, using a WGT624 v2 router and 3 WG111T wireless USB2 adapters.

There's no problem with internet connection sharing, but none of the computers can access each other. I've tried looking around for help on the subject, as netgear's instructions are next to useless, but with no such luck.

The computers can see each other in the router's list of attached devices, but that's it. Is there something I'm not doing? How can I set up the network so I can access any of the other computers from mine?

Any help would be great...

Cheers, Rixter.

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Quick summary and context: has four XP machines on a WGT624 v2 with WG111T adapters; the router’s attached‑devices list shows the clients (so association/DHCP looks OK), yet peers cannot see each other. and gave solid basic diagnostics (reachability and firewall/sharing checks). The next checks focus on two common, often‑overlooked causes: router‑side client isolation and Windows name/browse/SMB services. (manualslib.com)

Router side — client/AP isolation or guest settings can silently block peer‑to‑peer traffic. Many access points/routers offer “Wireless/Client/AP isolation” (sometimes exposed in the wireless or guest‑SSID settings); when enabled wireless clients can reach the Internet but not one another. On Netgear gear this appears as a wireless isolation option in the wireless settings; it’s intended for public/guest networks but prevents normal file‑sharing at home. Checking the WGT624 wireless/advanced pages and disabling any “isolation”/guest‑isolate option is a high‑leverage step. (support.denon.com)

Windows side — if routers aren’t isolating clients, the usual causes are name‑resolution/browsing or local services. Windows file browsing depends on NetBIOS/SMB and the Computer Browser/Server services; if NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled or those services aren’t running, shares won’t appear even though IP connectivity exists. Matching workgroup names, confirming NetBIOS is enabled, and ensuring the Server/Computer Browser services are running fixes many XP‑era problems documented by Microsoft. (betaarchive.com)

Firewalls and firmware — a machine‑level firewall (Windows or third‑party) will block browsing/sharing even when Internet works; Microsoft’s guidance explains how an enabled internet firewall can stop network browse and SMB ports. Also confirm the WGT624 firmware isn’t outdated (firmware updates and the router’s attached‑devices view are in the WGT624 manual) — firmware or AP mode changes can change how client traffic is handled. (learn.microsoft.com)

Taken together: if the router lists all clients but shares are invisible, first verify the router has no client/guest isolation enabled and update/reset firmware if the UI is unclear; then confirm NetBIOS/browse services on the XP machines and check for any third‑party firewall. These steps isolate whether the block is on the AP (isolated SSID/guest mode) or on the Windows/host side (services, NetBIOS, firewall).

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Member Avatar for JoetjeF

Can you ping the other systems? Can you access the other computers using '\\IP-Address\share'? If you're trying to access other systems' shares, have you enabled it on the system?

Member Avatar for rixter

I've set up folders to be shared on each computer, but as far as pinging the other systems and \\IP-Address\share goes, I haven't got a clue what that is or how to do it...

Bit of a beginner at this stuff...

Member Avatar for antioed

Click Start then Run and in the open prompt type cmd then click "OK". To find out the ip of the machine type ipconfig and then hit Enter. Write down the IP Address and go to the other machine and follow the same steps above to get into the Command prompt. Once in the command prompt type ping <ip address> (the ip address you wrote down with no < or >).

Example:

ping

Sample output:

C:\>ping
Pinging with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.1.101: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.101: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.101: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.101: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Ping statistics for 192.168.1.101:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

If you get replies saying "Request timed out" then check your firewall settings and ensure that:

1.) File and print sharing is enabled on both machines (right click any network connection and make sure "MS File and Print sharing" is an installed and enabled componnent.)
2.) Check your firewall to ensure File + Print sharing is allowed under the exceptions (right click any network connection and look at the firewall settings under "Advanced"). Test your pings again, try to view shares by the IP address.

The easiest way to ensure access from machine-to-machine is to create the exact same username and password on each machine so that you're not prompted to authenticate the resource - otherwise you may have to specify an administrator account with rights to use the resource when you try to access it. Good luck.

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