**Networking tip of the day** how to fix error message "Workgroup is not accessible"

Networking issues is something we all spend a lot of time configuring, but there are some basic steps which needs to be done for all file and printer sharing issues. Please find the details below.

There are 4 main simple steps which have to be done for file/printer sharing ..

1. Check the workgroups for all systems in the network it should be the same.
2. Enable guest account for all systems.
3. Run the network setup wizard on all computers and it sets up a network automatically and it turns on the file/printer sharing and it also checks the workgroups and it can be changed there.
4. Check the communication among all systems by pinging b/w each other and you will know which system is blocking flow of packets, check that system for firewalls/spyware removal tools and configure the firewalls (do not block it)instead configure the firewall and add the ip address as a trusted ip address.

If you receive any error messages like the one below pleas follow the steps given below.

Workgroup is not accessible

If you get one of these symptoms or error messages or a similar one:

• You cannot access shares on other computers.
• You cannot locate other computers in the workgroup.
• When you double-click the workgroup in My Network Places, you get the error message: Workgroup is not accessible. You may not have permission to use this network resource.
• Workgroup is not accessible. The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available.

Perform the following procedures, which could perhaps cause this problem,Retest after each procedure. Reboot after making nontrivial changes.

• If you have Service Pack 2 or higher installed, make sure the File and Printer Sharing exception is enabled in the firewall. Reboot to allow the browser service to start or start it manually (see below).

Make sure the Computer Browser service is running. To have the Computer Browser start automatically, select Administrative tools, Services, and change the Start setting for Computer Browsing to Automatic. You can then reboot the computer or start the service manually by clicking on the Start button. If this doesn't get the browser service to start, check all of its dependencies and make sure that all services on which the browser service depends are also running. For more details see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318030.

• Make sure you have only one transport protocol installed, namely TCP/IP. Remove, disable, or at least unbind (remove all bindings from) other transport protocols like IPX (NWLink) and NetBEUI.
• Check whether NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled. It should be for most networks. After you have solved the problem and if you have only Windows XP and 2000 or newer operatings systems in the network, you can try disabling it again to check whether it is not actually needed.
• Uninstall third party client software that can interfere with the networking settings. Such software could have come with network adapters or with a router.
• If you had other networking clients installed, like certain Netware clients, you may be in for a long, bumpy ride. Some do damage that is almost impossible to repair. You may want to try a repair installation of Windows XP, followed by applying Service Pack 2 again, or, better, a repair installation with a slipstream version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2 already integrated.
• Repair the IP stack with the Repair command or with the command: netsh int ip reset
• Repair the Winsock with the command: netsh winsock reset catalog (Warning: This removes all third party Layered Service Providers—LSPs. Please see the subchapter on Winsock corruption above.)
• If the loopback feature is enabled in a connected router, disable it. You may even need a firmware upgrade.
• Change the workgroup name in all computers to a new, simple, short, perhaps even all upper case one, to make sure there aren't any problems there. You can later change it back.
• Check all NetBIOS names for possible duplicates. For example, if the workgroup name coincides with a user or computer name, this could cause the problem. Try opening a command line window and issuing the command: net view
• Issue the command: net view \\computername, where computername should be replaced with one of the names displayed with the simple net view command. Check all names for possible duplication.
• Check your router's diagnostic and information pages for NAT information, like which computer has which IP address. Any duplication here could point to the problem.
• Disable, better uninstall or upgrade, all antivirus software and third party firewalls.
• Rid the computer of adware and spyware. For example, run Spybot Search & Destroy.
• If all this doesn't help, remove all networking components, reboot, then set them up again and work through this checklist once more.