Vista 'locks out' other computers on network

N

novacon

New Member
Hi,

This is my first post on the forums - I thought I'd come to you guys as I'm a bit stumped.

I am currently using a Vista Ultimate x64 machine as a file server, with other machines (both XP and Vista x64) connected to it via Ethernet, one XP laptop wirelessly. It is a simple set up, with everyone accessing one shared folder on the file server.

The problem is this: the file server will randomly seem to crash (hang) the network when the other machines are accessing it. This is more noticable with the XP machines, where the hang will cause explorer to crash, whereas the Vista machines accessing it will simply not connect. Occasionally the file server appears to reconnect after an hour or so, but mostly it will require a restart to get it back on the network and functioning correctly.

I have had a look around at various forums, including this one, but have not seen this exact problem. I have tried solutions for other related problems, such as disabling IPv6, but this does still not seem to have solved the problem.

Any ideas would be most welcome - obviously having to restart all the machines in the office a couple of times a day can be a bit of a pain!

Thanks to all in advance.

Will
 

My Computer

System One

Hi novacon

What permissions are set up for 'everyone' accessing the shared folder? 'Everyone' got read/write access, or what?

And, is the sharing password protected or not?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz
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    Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H
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    Onboard, DVI, 256MB
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    System Drive: 1x Seagate Barracuda 80GB SATAII 8MB
    Work Drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar 80GB SATAI
Also, is your NIC setup to automatically power down by the system to save power (Device Manager)?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
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    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
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Hi guys,

Thanks for your quick responses.

W3000: Yes, the permissions for all users are the same, and everyone has read/write access. We basically use the file server to store everyones documents.

Johngalt: I came across this solution somewhere else on the forum relating to another similar issue, so changed that yesterday in an attempt to solve this - however still no luck.

Bit of a tough one I know, any ideas?

Thanks, Will
 

My Computer

System One

Might be less tough, if you actually addressed the points raised!

Is password protected sharing enabled or not?

'Everyone' is a technical term, for a group of users. Does 'Everyone' have read/write permissions? Or are read/write permisions granted to all named users, or a named group?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H
    Memory
    2x 2GB PC6400 DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard, DVI, 256MB
    Hard Drives
    System Drive: 1x Seagate Barracuda 80GB SATAII 8MB
    Work Drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar 80GB SATAI
Sorry - misread what you meant.

Yes, the folder is shared for 'Everyone' with all receiving read/write access. We don't use password protected sharing.

As I said before, the 'lock outs' or disconnects, whatever they are, appear to happen randomly. Today it's only happened once, and a restart solved the issue. Are there any permission timings or something that might cause this?

Do you think this has anything to do with the two OSs being used here (Vista x64/XP SP3)?

Thanks again, anything else you need to know, just ask. Hopefully I've understood right this time!
 

My Computer

System One

Hi novacon,

I had a few ideas about what might be going on, to do with the way Vista appears to (mis)handle account names/usernames. However, I don't think they're relevant if you're not using password protected sharing, or not having users log on as 'themselves', as it were.

However, are your users accessing the same files, or all working on their own files that are just stored in the same place? If the former, how do you resolve possible sharing/version conflicts?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H
    Memory
    2x 2GB PC6400 DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard, DVI, 256MB
    Hard Drives
    System Drive: 1x Seagate Barracuda 80GB SATAII 8MB
    Work Drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar 80GB SATAI
Hi W3000,

Hmm, no, I think, from what you're saying that the way we have it set up with no specific restrictions on permissions and no password should bypass any of those issues.

Generally we are working on different files at one time, so sharing conflicts are not an issue. As far as version conflicts are concerned, the users on the Vista machines save their files as older versions (ie - 97-2003) so there's no problem there (if that's what you mean?)

The only other thing I can think of is some wierd dynamic IP conflict - what do you think? I've searched all over the net to see if there's anyone else having this problem but to no avail - not always good to be unique!
 

My Computer

System One

OK, I've done a bit of digging around online and came across a possible fix involving DHCP Broadcasting in Vista. Apparently, there are compatability issues between Vista, XP and some NAT routers which do not support DHCP Broadcasting.

This site: PChuck's Network: Windows XP And Vista On The LAN Together under 'connectivity issues' outlines the problem. In order that Vista behaves better with XP, it is necessary to switch off DHCP broadcasting. It's a fiddle using regedit, but there is a link to an MS knowledgebase to talk you through it.

I have tried this fix, and it does seem to stop the network hangs to a very great extent. I've been trying it out for a few hours now and it does seem to be working, although I have had one 'disconnect' where the shared folders became unavailable, then came back again a minute or so later - but still a hell of a lot better than it was before!

If I find out anything else, I'll let you know.
 

My Computer

System One

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