Routing Problem Win7 and XP

I am connecting several Windows 7 laptops via wireless to a wired network of XP machines. After several frustrating days trying to figure out why I couldn't see shares on the network I think I've finally caught the culprit: the netbios master browser. Can anyone shed some insight into what's going on below.

The wired network is a group of XP machines attached to a NAT router which provides DHCP addresses to the network. They are part of a workgroup and so there is no Domain Name Server attached. So long as this was just an XP network everthing worked fine, but it all went south when trying to attach the Windows 7 laptops.

I read that I would need to install the LLTD Responder onto the XP machines so I downloaded it from Microsoft and performed the installation which seemed to go smoothly. Except that it didn't seem to help anything get discovered. Then I read that I'd have to enable NetBios on all of the machines (not the Default option on the Wins tab, but the actual Enable option just to be sure). Still no connections. I checked system services: Computer Browser is running and so is TCPIP NetBios Helper. I made sure that Network Discovery is on under the advanced sharing tab on the Win7 machines. I switched off the firewalls. Still no connections. I can ping all of the devices on the network, and I can even do so using host names, which seems to suggest that name resolution is working.

The Win7 system event log provides what may be a big clue to the problem: NetBT throws EventID 4321: The name "WORKGROUP :1d" could not be registered on the interface with IP address 192.168.0.104. The computer with the IP address 192.168.0.100 did not allow the name to be claimed by this computer.

I ran NBTSTAT -A 192.168.0.100 to read the routing table and discovered what looks like the source of the problem:

Wireless Network Connection:
Node IpAddress: [192.168.0.104] Scope Id: []

BB1 <00> UNIQUE Registered
WORKGROUP <00> GROUP Registered
BB1 <20> UNIQUE Registered
SNTL_BB1 <20> UNIQUE Registered
WORKGROUP <1E> GROUP Registered
WORKGROUP <1D> UNIQUE Registered
..__MSBROWSE__.<01> GROUP Registered

This is an XP computer, which is acting as the master browser, and it already has an entry for the workgroup name and a unique entry also that would seem to be preventing the Win7 machines from connecting. Am I reading this correctly?

What might be the cause of this, and how can I fix it? I suspect that something is messed up with NetBios and which device is controlling access to resources on the network. I also suspect that I may not be going about this the right way and that I possibly shouldn't be using NetBios at all.

Can somebody see what's going on and suggest a way out? Thanks.

Petre.

 

Win7 when configured on peer-to-peer Network Win 7 has three types of Sharing configurations.

HomeGroup Network = Works only between Win 7 computers. This type of configuration makes it very easy to Entry Level Users to start Network sharing.

Work Network = Basically similar to the previous methods of sharing that let you control what, how, and to whom folders would be shared with.

Public Sharing = Public Network (like Internet cafe) to reduce security risks.

The Work Network is the one that most of us are going (and need) to use.

Win 7 Work Network's Sharing settings are in principle similar to Vista's configuration, some menus locations in Win 7 might be in different place, and look a little different, if One is familiar with Vista it is very easy to adapt to Win7.

So, maybe this can Help.

Make sure that the Software Firewall on each computer allows free local traffic. If you use 3rd party Firewall On, Vista/XP Native Firewall should be Off, and the active Firewall has to adjusted to your Network IP numbers on what is some time called the Trusted Zone (consult your 3rd Party Firewall instructions.

General example, http://www.ezlan.net/faq#trusted

Please Note that some 3rd party Software Firewall keep blocking aspects of Local Traffic even it they are disabled. There is a need to totally uninstall them in order to allow clean flow of local network traffic

Win7 - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/...mputers-running-different-versions-of-Windows

Win7 Work Network for a specific folder/Drive - ,http://www.onecomputerguy.com/windows7/windows7_sharing.htm

Vista File and Printer Sharing- http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx

Windows XP File Sharing - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304040

Printer Sharing XP - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/honeycutt_july2.mspx

Windows Native Firewall setting for Sharing XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357

Windows XP patch for Sharing with Vista (Not need for XP-SP3) - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922120

When finished with the setting of the system it is advisable to Reboot all the hardware including Router and all computers involved.

*Note. Some of the processes described above are done Not for Windows sake but to compensate for different Routers and the way their firmware works and store the info about the computers that are Networked.

 

Firmware upgrade to the routers did the trick. Win 7 and XP are now networking happily and so far seem to

be reliable. (I hope I'm speaking too soon!) Thanks for the suggestions.