# Computers can no longer see each other

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-can-no-longer-see-each-other/327016>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 20, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-can-no-longer-see-each-other/327016 "2005-10-20T02:26:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-can-no-longer-see-each-other/327016/1 "2005-10-20T02:26:01Z")

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Didn’t see this in the sticky. Am I allowed to post a computer question here?

We have a desktop and a laptop connected by a wireless router. We fairly often use the laptop to access files on the desktop. All of a sudden, tonight, the laptop can’t be found by the desktop, and vice versa. However, both still have shared internet access. **MrValley** hooked up to the WiFi network at school today and “registered” the laptop on their network, but that is the only thing at all that’s changed since yesterday.

The computers are running Windows XP (Pro on the laptop, and Home on the desktop), both with SP2. We’ve tried hooking the laptop up directly to the router with an ethernet cable, but it didn’t help.

Any ideas on what could be wrong, or how we even begin to go about trouble-shooting this? Any websites I should look into for help?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-can-no-longer-see-each-other/327016/2 "2005-10-20T03:48:24Z")

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It’s not clear from your description whether the laptop is still on their network, or is back home, or what. If it is back, has the laptop been rebooted since? It will have picked up an IP address from the school and still be trying to use it, most likely. If the school network hasn’t changed its network configuration too much that should do it.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-can-no-longer-see-each-other/327016/3 "2005-10-20T10:17:11Z")

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Let me guess; one or both computers have Norton Internet Security. The Norton firewall can cause all kinds of network problems, _[even if it is disabled](http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic20508.html)_.

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**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computers-can-no-longer-see-each-other/327016/4 "2005-10-20T17:39:35Z")

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Thanks for posting guys. (But a :slap: with a wet noodle to **Askance** for suggesting we hadn’t rebooted. Surely all dopers know that much! 😉 )

We’ve finally solved the problem. In case anyone else has this problem, here’s what we did:

[This link](http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/troubleshoot/) has a test to run. The outcome of that test was “NetBIOS name resolution failure.” The recommended solution was to enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Somehow, the setting was changed to “default” (by registering the laptop at school?).