This may sound stupid...but in XP unless you SHARE something then neither computer will show up in the workgroup. XP assumes that unless you want to share something there is no reason to show up on the list. Just an FYI.

Yes you can ping it, etc. But it will not show up as a network resource until you share a drive, folder, printer, etc.

Sorry if you already covered this, but just wanted to make sure.

Also, there is a common issue with Windows XP, the Winsock proxy client sometimes get corrupted. I see this often in my work. We use this WinSock XP fix.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html

"WinSock XP Fix offers a last resort if your Internet connectivity has been corrupted due to invalid or removed registry entries. It can often cure the problem of lost connections after the removal of Adware components or improper uninstall of firewall applications or other tools that modify the XP network and Winsock settings."

Just a few hints...Hope it works.

 

True that, but remember that Justin has a core issue that the machine names won't resolve, period. And, XP will show you the difference between a machine with shares, a machine without shares, and a machine that it can't find:

Worth a shot!

 

Both computers have the same IP address!

After reading up on winsock I don't think it will fix my issue, it is for restoring internet connections that were damaged due to adware. I haven't had any problems with my internet connections.

I have the feeling that we are totally overthinking all of this.

 

Ok, is your router set to DHCP?

 

yes? i think...

is there a way for me to show my print screen

Local DHCP Server: <---is marked enabled

 

Ah.... weird. You probably should reset your router:

• Disable both connections each computer by right clicking on My Network Places | Properties | Right click on network connection | Disable.
• Unplug the power connection to the router.
• Wait about 2 mins (some take as long as 10 to be fully clear).
• Plug it back in.
• Re-enable one connection at a time.
• Verify the IP addresses.

As you can see on the bottom of the page here, this is a pretty common problem... especially with wireless and home networking.

 

Wait Chris.. I think Justin's referring to the WAN IP address - the result of him going to whatsmyip on both machines.



Okay, but did you try it?

 

Doi... didn't think of that. I assumed it was the router's IP (192.168.xxx.xxx).

I agree. Winsock is useful for more than cleaning spyware.

 

well...i decided that last night i wasn't going to work on it since i got home so late. So, i sat down checked my e-mai, checked yotatech, was getting ready to go to bed and checked it real quick and was able to access the shared folders on the laptop from my desktop. So, who knows, it just started working...

 

??? Did you test printing to the share from the laptop?

 

i haven't yet, I was literally on my way to bed when I found out it was working and the laptop was shutdown. I don't expect the printing to work without some more fanagaling.