Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I test if I can access the drive on other computers on the network?

A: It may take some time for icons of the different computers to show up in Network Neighborhood or My Network Places. In the meantime, test whether you can directly access the shares on other computers.

Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP

  1. From the Start menu, click Run.

  2. In the Run dialog box, in the Open text box, type two back-slashes (\\) and the other computer's name (for example, \\computer1).

    If the connection is successful, a window opens with folders for the shared drives on the other computer. If it is not successful, you can troubleshoot whether the problem is related to a sharing, guest account, or firewall issue by using the "Ping" command from a command (MS-DOS) prompt.

  3. From the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, in the Open text box, type: command. Click OK.

  4. At the flashing cursor, type: ping and the ip address of the other computer you are trying to connect to (for example, ping 192.168.0.2). Please refer to the "How do I find the IP address?" instructions.

If you receive replies, you can communicate on the network level.