Windows 7: Problem with reconnecting to network drives

ok so my one computer (comp A) at work is set up like so: hardwired to a offline computer running our work software (comp B; network 192.168.2.1xx). there is also a wireless adapter for internet usage and to connect to the back office pc for file sharing purposes (comp C; network 192.168.0.1xx). yesterday i came to work and now comp A won't reconnect to either of the other pcs. i can't log in to my mapped z: drive from comp B, or connect to my share folder on comp C. when i try to connect i get that there was an error and it can't reconnect.

i am no pc dummy and have degree in networking, but i have never seen anything like this before. seriously boggling my mind. as far as i know, no settings were changed and i've checked everything and they are as they should be. i searched google all day today and found nothing helpful.

does anyone have any idea as to what is going on here? the error message is not very helpful. basically says: there was an error reconnecting. microsoft windows network: the network location could not be reached. neither comp B or C show up under the network tab. what is kinda weird is that my wireless printer does show up and works fine on comp A.

ok, so i have discovered that comp B can see comp A in the network list, but comp A can't see comp B. i can even access comp A through comp B, but not the other way around.

any ideas?

Hi.

You probably should list the OS of the three computers.

Do all three computers have network sharing enabled?

What if you use a UNC path?

What changed? Any updates?

Did you test by disabling firewalls?

Can A ping B?

comp A & B are windows 7, C is windows xp.

i disabled the firewall on comp A, no change.

i will check tomorrow if A can ping B.

it is def a problem with comp A. the only computer shown in the network list on comp A anymore is comp A and when i try to open the share folder, it gives me the error that the network can not be located (even though its a local folder). but on comp B the network list shows comp A & B, and i can even access the share folder on comp A from comp B. its strange.

basically even though all the share settings are enabled and nothing has changed, something is preventing the network services from working properly on comp A, even though it can be access from comp B.

all comps and ping each other. comp B & C can see and access comp A, but comp A can't see either or even access its own share folder which is local.

i seriously have no idea wtf happened and unless someone has some ideas my only solution right now is to reinstall windows 7, which is something i'd like to avoid.

Have you checked that all the important networking services are started and set to automatic?

Please check your Services. Ensure that the required services are Started on all the computers:
Go to Start\Control Panel\ Administrative Tools\ Services.
o Computer Browser
o DHCP Client
o DNS Client
o Network Connections
o Network Location Awareness
o Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
o Server
o TCP/IP Netbios helper
o Workstation
All of these services should be started, and their startup type should be automatic.
To change the startup type, double-click on the service name and change accordingly.

Also make sure that network discovery and all the other options are enabled in the Advanced sharing settings, check both the Public and the Work-Home advanced sharing windows.

If you are trying to access the root of these drives, besides the usual sharing permission settings you will also need to go into the drives Security tab and allow for sharing there as well.

chev65, thanks for the reply. yes, i literally checked everything. there was no exaggeration when i said that.

the good news is i have solved the problem.

after some work i finally found a error code: 0x800704cf.

i googled it and found a solution. basically had to removed all the devices under device manager -> network devices. you have to show all hidden devices where i had like 200 microsoft ip 6to4 adapters. after removing everything possible, scanning for hardware changes (which reinstalls my 2 network adapters) it started working normally again.

what a nightmare this has been.

You havn't tried everything yet I can tell you that for sure. And I had no clue you were having the 6 to 4 adaptor problem which causes all sorts of wierd stuff to happen.

I have helped many with that same 6 to4 adaptor problem and it is in fact a driver problem. Just going to a newer or different driver has fixed this on every occasion.

If you don't change the driver those 6to 4 adaptors will keep showing up. They are easy enough to delate but until you find a better driver they will keep getting made at every boot up for some reason.

what makes you sure i hadn't tried/checked everything?

i had no idea i had a 6to4 adapter problem either until i finally was able to get that error code.

thanks for the tip on the driver, i will look for new versions tomorrow.

Well most likely you never tried using a different driver which is what caused the problem in the first place. Most people notice the many 6 to 4 adaptors right away but don't know how to fix it.

I have solved this quite a few times in the past and it's proven to be a driver problem, for some reason certain drivers cause this to occur, my concern is that it will happen again unless you change out the driver for another one.