My vista laptop is no longer is able to see my other 3 xp machines and their shared folders. Also, I am no longer able to print through my shared print connection. It did work just fine prior to yesterday. I can ping the other machines and see their shared folders if I type their IP addresses in run.

I think you have a name resolution issue. try to Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP 1. Click "Start", input "NCPA.CPL" (without quotation marks) and press Enter. 2. Right click on the connection that you use for the local connection, and then click "Properties". 3. Click Continue button to verify the administrator permission. 4. Click to select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)", and then click "Properties". 5. Click "Advanced" button in the open window. On the "WINS" tab, click to select "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP", and then click "OK" to save the setting.Tunde Abagun MCP,MCSA,MCTS,MCITP en p "for the love of Computers"

I think you have a name resolution issue. try to Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP 1. Click "Start", input "NCPA.CPL" (without quotation marks) and press Enter. 2. Right click on the connection that you use for the local connection, and then click "Properties". 3. Click Continue button to verify the administrator permission. 4. Click to select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)", and then click "Properties". 5. Click "Advanced" button in the open window. On the "WINS" tab, click to select "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP", and then click "OK" to save the setting. Tunde Abagun MCP,MCSA,MCTS,MCITP en p "for the love of Computers" thanks for the reply, but that didn't work. the only thing I did between it working and not working was plug it into a corporate network. I also think it has something to do with the name resolution. I tried to flush the dns and cleared the arpcache. Im pluged in to my network via ethernet with wireless disabled, but the problem happens on both connections. also my xp machines can see my 1 vista and each other, but vista can't see them.

when u plugged ino the corporate network, u must have altered some setting or caugt some policy. what is your present mode of ip address assignment, static/DHCP? run ipconfig /renew temporarily disable all firewalls (windows and antivirus firewalls) on the vista machine, try again to connect.Tunde Abagun MCP,MCSA,MCTS,MCITP en p "for the love of Computers"

when u plugged ino the corporate network, u must have altered some setting or caugt some policy. what is your present mode of ip address assignment, static/DHCP? run ipconfig /renew temporarily disable all firewalls (windows and antivirus firewalls) on the vista machine, try again to connect. Tunde Abagun MCP,MCSA,MCTS,MCITP en p "for the love of Computers" Still no luck, I'm set for DHCP, and auto DNS. I tried ipconfig /renew before I posted here and didn't work. So this time I started vista in clean boot then turned off windows firewall, still doesn't work. I must of jinked myself the other day when my friend was complaining vista sucked, I said I haven't had any major problems with my vista machine, crazy hah?

Microsoft literally changed the face of the perspnal computer with the introduction of windows vista,such dramaticinnovation usualyy comes at a cost. nonetheless, it only takes understanding the OS and what makes it tick, complaints about windows vista are simply born out of mis-information and laziness on the part of the user. That said, since you only have to connect to 2 win XP machines, just go ahead and manually add the host names and ip addresses of the pcs in the hosts file(the hosts file is located in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc) open in notepasd, add the system ipaddress to host name(an example is given in the file), and then save the file.this should work, if its really a name resolution issue.Tunde Abagun MCP,MCSA,MCTS,MCITP en p "for the love of Computers"

thanks again for another helpful reply. that actually worked but it seems to be a temporary fix because my network is DHCP. my network consist of a total of 6 computers and 4 or 5 wireless devices. they grab their preferred ip addresses most of the time but they do change. only 4 of the computers are actually used for sharing files and folders. doing it this way i will have to assign static ip addresses to those computers and reserve them on my router. don't get me wrong this solution helps me right now, but i can't see having to reconfigure my network for this one machine which has worked with my network for almost 2yrs. and i'm not trying to sound ungrateful for your help, you have been the only one so far to take time to help and i really appreciate that. i just want that to be clear, but i still feel like this is not the right solution. as far as vista goes, microsoft didn't do anything that great, the only face that changed was the face of windows. i didn't realize by making that comment i would touch a nerve. people just want an OS that works, it doesn't have to be fancy, just work.

Understand u perfectly!! still looking into it.Tunde Abagun MCP,MCSA,MCTS,MCITP en p "for the love of Computers"