# problem with new LAN **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334 "2007-12-08T23:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/1 "2007-12-08T23:30:49Z")
I recently got a LAN set up using my old computer and a new one. It didn’t seem that hard to set up the router, or to get both machines to connect to the internet. However, getting them to talk to each other is driving me craaaazy. I want to use the Windows Transfer Wizard, but they can’t seem to see each other, or at least not to see each other in the same way. Using a CD to transfer everything is impossible - it would take a whole stack of CDs - or maybe several stacks. I have many gigs of music, and an awful lot of images. Further, the whole idea is to have a reserve computer that I synch periodically with the one I’m using. I’ve run the router setup on both machines - or at least the person who hooked everything up ran it on the new one, and I ran it on the old one. I even went out and bought a laplink, but neither machine could see that, either. It’s possible I’m missing something obvious. Anything is possible. Right now, I don’t care how stupid I look. I just want to get this whole mess working together. * * * To forestall those who think I just want an unnecessarily elaborate backup: I’m disabled - mobility impaired and aging - and live alone. My computer (system) is my connection to the world. I’ve had a couple of experiences with something going wrong with a one and only computer, and I don’t want anymore, thanks. Nor do I wish to risk losing an awful lot of data, some of it older than you’d imagine - legacy stuff copied from one PC to another for \>10 years. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/2 "2007-12-08T23:46:11Z")
What version of Windows are you running? ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/3 "2007-12-08T23:49:00Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] What version of Windows are you running? [/QUOTE] Win XP on the old one, Media Center on the new one. Any more info I should have included the first time? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/4 "2007-12-08T23:57:46Z")
Just that I don’t know squat about Media Center. First be sure they can see each other. Click START, RUN, and in type CMD That gets you to a pseudo DOS prompt. Type IPCONFIG and the PC will tell you it’s IP address, 182.168.1.2 here for example. From the other PC START, RUN, CMD and type PING 182.168.1.2 (0r whatever address your guy has) The expected respons is REPLY FROM 182.168.1.2 and some info about how long it takes. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/5 "2007-12-09T00:00:01Z")
Is the workgroup name the same on both computers? Go to your System control panel and hit the “Computer Name” tab. The workgroup names need to match. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/6 "2007-12-09T00:02:07Z")
[QUOTE=PaulParkhead] Is the workgroup name the same on both computers? Go to your System control panel and hit the “Computer Name” tab. The workgroup names need to match. [/QUOTE] Yes, name is the same on both. I’m aware of that trap. I named them both “Home”. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/7 "2007-12-09T00:03:57Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Just that I don’t know squat about Media Center. First be sure they can see each other. Click START, RUN, and in type CMD That gets you to a pseudo DOS prompt. Type IPCONFIG and the PC will tell you it’s IP address, 182.168.1.2 here for example. From the other PC START, RUN, CMD and type PING 182.168.1.2 (0r whatever address your guy has) The expected respons is REPLY FROM 182.168.1.2 and some info about how long it takes. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure they CAN see each other. Is this how I can determine that issue? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/8 "2007-12-09T00:05:27Z")
[QUOTE=tygerbryght] I’m not sure they CAN see each other. Is this how I can determine that issue? [/QUOTE] Yes it is. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/9 "2007-12-09T00:09:56Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Yes it is. [/QUOTE] OK. I did that on both machines, and each machine successfully pinged the other one. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/10 "2007-12-09T00:11:49Z")
Ooops. Correction: old machine successfully pinged new machine. New machine UNsuccessfully pinged old one. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/11 "2007-12-09T00:33:51Z")
[QUOTE=tygerbryght] Ooops. Correction: old machine successfully pinged new machine. New machine UNsuccessfully pinged old one. [/QUOTE] So what do I do to fix this? I’m entirely outside my realm of knowledge and previous experience. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/12 "2007-12-09T00:38:42Z")
On the old PC, START, My Network Places, View Workgroup Computers. Can you see the new PC? ---
**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:** [December 9, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/13 "2007-12-09T00:43:13Z")
Are you using Norton Internet Security, or Norton AntiVirus on either of these machines? If so, uninstall it using Add/Remove Programs, then run the [Norton Software Removal Tool](http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039). Norton products are notorious for fubar-ing LANs. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/14 "2007-12-09T00:45:05Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] On the old PC, START, My Network Places, View Workgroup Computers. Can you see the new PC? [/QUOTE] Can’t find it. Does this mean I need to go through Network Setup Wizard again? I’ve done that, several times. ☹ I assume you’ll tell me what to do with the new one after we finish this? Please? Pretty please with sugar on it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/15 "2007-12-09T00:50:00Z")
Media Center is Vista, right? Check that both PCs have the firewall turned off. Start, Control Panel, turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/16 "2007-12-09T00:53:41Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Media Center is Vista, right? Check that both PCs have the firewall turned off. Start, Control Panel, turn it off. [/QUOTE] Media Center is NOT Vista; it’s XP v. 2005 I’m avoiding Vista like the plague, at least for a couple of years. And then I may just go Linux instead. Vista, pfeh. A newbie friend’s got a Vista computer and asked me to help her. I really couldn’t, which was embarrassing. It felt like old home week opening the faux DOS window. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/17 "2007-12-09T02:28:41Z")
[QUOTE=tygerbryght] Can’t find it. Does this mean I need to go through Network Setup Wizard again? I’ve done that, several times. ☹ I assume you’ll tell me what to do with the new one after we finish this? Please? Pretty please with sugar on it? 🙂 [/QUOTE] Have you tried specifically sharing a folder/drive on the destination machine and seeing if it comes up. Also, push comes to shove you could temporarily mount the old drive to the new machine, transfer off files, then move drive back. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/18 "2007-12-09T02:29:59Z")
[QUOTE=tygerbryght] Vista, pfeh. A newbie friend’s got a Vista computer and asked me to help her. I really couldn’t, which was embarrassing. It felt like old home week opening the faux DOS window. [/QUOTE] who you callin newb, Vista has been on the shelves for pushing 9 months, get with the program slacker 😉😃 ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/19 "2007-12-09T02:32:23Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Media Center is Vista, right? Check that both PCs have the firewall turned off. Start, Control Panel, turn it off. [/QUOTE] You may want to consider not posting in computer threads till ya read up a bit. Vista Home premium would be the closest comparison to XP Media Center Edition, but they are still two whole different OS’s. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334/20 "2007-12-09T02:38:01Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] Vista Home premium would be the closest comparison to XP Media Center Edition, but they are still two whole different OS’s. [/QUOTE] Yes, it has something called [Media Center](http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529667769.php) in it. Hence my confusion. And please, help the guy with his network. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-new-lan/429334.md?page=2)