Hi folks,

I have a workgroup with two Win XP Pro SP2 PCs.

It's rare that we copy files between them, but today I tried copying some
MP3s and got this error message after a few seconds of trying to copy: the
specified network name is no longer available. It happens if I try and push
the files onto a share from the source PC, or try and pull them from the
destination PC.

I've Googled the error, which others have encountered in a similar
situation, and tried some suggestions i.e. stopping the Wireless Zero
service and disabling 802.11 authentication. No errors are showing in Event
Viewer, although the application log was showing information events about
the EOPPol service (hence I disabled this based on another Google
suggestion, although it still hasn't helped).

The source PC is using an nForce integrated chipset. The destination PC is
using a Realtek 8130 PCI NIC. They're wired using a Linksys WRT54G router.
There used to be a wireless card in the destination PC, but after continual
dropping of the connection we swapped it for the wired Realtek NIC.

I've had to resort to burning the MP3s to CDRW to transfer them, but this
seems ludicrous when we have all this network hardware here. Otherwise the
network is fine, and we access the Internet without issue.

Any ideas?

Thanks

(Crossposted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web,
microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,
microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)

Hi Stainless,

    Questions:

1. - Did you check the Workgroup Name on each computer, to make sure the
Workgroup Names are the same?
2.- Make sure each computer name is different?
3.- Make sure that File and Print Sharing is enabled on both computers?
4.- Did you make sure that you allowed Full access thru the Firewall on both
computers to each other?
5.- Have you enabled File Sharing on the files within certain folders?


Show quoteHide quote

thecreator wrote:
Hi, thanks for the reply.

Yes, they're both the default "workgroup".

Yep, definitely both different.

Yep, both enabled.

I just double checked, and unbelievably the firewall was switched on for my
PC (I recently reinstalled Windows, so I guess this is why). Although I
would have expected this to block access full stop, rather than blocking
larger file transfers. Unfortunately even when I disabled it, I still have
the same problem and error.

Yes, file sharing is enabled with read persmissions for "Everyone".

As an aside XP's workgroup permissions are very strange. At times within XP
workgroups I can share a folder with Everyone access and there's no issue,
everyone can access the folder. Then at some point this stops happening and
I need to have an account open with the same name and password on both PCs
to allow access (aside from the file copying issue). I don't know what
causes this, but I would love to understand the detail of why. It makes
simple workgroups far too complicated, and it's a real shame Microsoft added
this, aside from the random behaviour.

Just to add, I did some more testing, and the behaviour is strange. I was
able to copy ten 1kb files without any issue. Then I was able to copy three
or four 5Mb MP3 files without issue. I tried ten, and got the error. Then I
tried three again, and got the error. I then got the error with even one MP3
file. But it would still let me copy the ten 1kb files.

When I Googled the issue I notice it came up for people who were copying
large files, of several hundred Mb.

Hi Stainless,

    I had the problem you are mentioning. I use Iomega Quik Sync 3. I have
Windows XP Home Edition on a Wired Computer sync'ing My Documents folder
over to my Faster Wireless Computer thru my D-Link Router for Backup and
Availability to both computers. I had to call D-Link and they told be, since
I had Comcast to change the MPU default value of 1500 to 1492, because it
was crashing the Router and could not get out on the Web, until I rebooted
the Router.

    Could you be facing a similar problem?

    I was accessing the WEB on my new Computer, while files were being
copied to another drive and partition on my new Computer.

    Call Linksys, and tell them what is happening and see what they say.
Report back, please.


Show quoteHide quote

StainlessSteelRat wrote:

Show quoteHide quoteYou might have your network adapter's power management properties enabled.
Go to its entry in Device Manager, double-click to get its properties, and
on the Power Management tab uncheck the box that says "allow Windows to
turn off this device while in use".

As for networking, since you didn't tell us what versions of Windows you are
running and the Service Pack levels, it's hard to be specific. Here are
general networking troubleshooting steps. This is boilerplate, so you may
have already done some of the steps. Workgroups are not particularly
"complicated" and Windows machines do not need to be in the same Workgroup
to share files and printers; Workgroups are simply a cosmetic and
organizational device.

This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the Network
Setup Wizard on both computers, making sure to enable File & Printer
Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2
Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party firewall or have an
antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2005/06) which acts
as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have third-party firewall software,
configure it to allow the Local Area Network traffic as trusted. I usually
do this with my firewalls with an IP range. Ex. would be
192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
subnet.

If one or more of the computers is XP Pro:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the Simple
File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means that
anyone without a user account on the target system can use its resources.
This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters in your
situation.

Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share folders
inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the Shared
Documents folder.

If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network troubleshooter by
MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it and it will usually
pinpoint the problem area(s) - http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm

Malke

Malke wrote:
Thanks for the reply. OK, I'll check that...

I have a feeling this is related to drivers on the NICs, and I've just
upgraded my nForce chipset driver to the very latest, although I was wary of
doing it. The other card is supposedly a Realtek 8130 chipset, but Realtek's
drivers don't work for the upgrade. So I'm a bit stuck for upgrading this
one.

It's there in the first post. Both Win XP Pro SP2.

That's been done, although I just spotted that one letter of the password
was capital on one PC, and lower case on the other. Even so, it allowed me
access.

It might be a solution, I'll try this as well. I'm not bothered about
detailed permissions here.

Thanks, I'll try that also.

StainlessSteelRat wrote:

Show quoteHide quoteSorry I missed your OS. I'm not sure what you mean by the "Realtek's drivers
don't work for the upgrade". That's a pretty common chipset. If you think
there is a problem with the nic, simply replace it. That's an extremely
inexpensive solution.

Malke

Malke wrote:
The card was not expensive, and I'm not sure offhand where the original
driver disk is (to have a chance of identifying it). Even so, it's
identified in Windows as a Realtek 8130, and having downloaded the the
driver update from Realtek's site, I can't update it (Windows tells me
there's no better driver there).

I'm wary of buying another card because (a) I'm skint and (b) I'd want to be
sure it would solve the problem, if that makes sense.

StainlessSteelRat wrote:

Show quoteHide quoteThe drivers that come with XP for the Realtek are fine. A basic Realtek card
is about $5-10USD so if the card isn't working, replacement costs are
accessible even for someone who is "skint".

Malke

Malke wrote:
I'm pretty sure the card is working though, as everything else network
related is fine e.g. Internet browsing. I'm sure this is some XP related
network problem, or at worst a driver problem (but if the Realtek drivers
are OK, this counts the drivers out).

If I do replace the card I'll get something decent like a 3Com card, to
ensure this isn't the issue.

StainlessSteelRat wrote:
I've just spotted that I can push PCs onto the source PC without issue, it's
only the other way around when files are being transferred to the
destination PC (either pushed or pulled) that the error occurs. Does that
suggest the problem lies with the destination PC?...

Hi Stainless,

    What do you mean by pushed? What brand of Firewall and version are you
using? Does it have an Incoming Log?


Show quoteHide quote

thecreator wrote:
Whoops, there was a typo there. It shoudl read push MP3s onto the source PC.
Push as in copy using the destination PC, rather than pulling from the
source PC, is that makes sense (just to imply which PC is actually being
used).

There's no firewall (I've checked and the Windows firewall is definitely
turned off now on both PCs), except on the router itself.

The thing is I can copy very small files e.g. 1kb, but large files e.g.
2-3+Mb, cause the error :-(

StainlessSteelRat wrote:

Show quoteHide quoteWith that last information, look to your hardware. NIC's, cables, router in
that order.

Malke

Malke wrote:
Thanks, I'll see about getting a new NIC, and swap with another cable as
well. The router will be a bigger problem...

StainlessSteelRat wrote:

Just do one thing at a time! Test after each change.

Malke

StainlessSteelRat wrote:
Just to update on this, I realised that hte directory that the MP3s were
comng from has around 870 folders in it. I wonderd if this might be the
issue, so tried copying XP's SP2 from one PC to the other... and it worked
without issue (270Mb). I tried another folder with some MP3s in, which had
around 60 subfolders. It worked at first, then started to have the same
"network name" error again.

It's a really strange problem...

Hi Stainless,

    Call your Router's Support number and tell them what is happening and
asked them how to fix it.

    I had a similar problem. Mine / D-Link told me to change the default MPU
from 1500 to 1492. The setting is located on the WAN Page in the Router. I
have Comcast Cable.


Show quoteHide quote

thecreator wrote:
I've got a Linksys WRT54G. What's really strange though is it only seems to
affect one PC, although I need to double check with another laptop we have
here at the moment.

I think this is a setting in the router that's easy to access. I'll double
check. Thanks for the reply!

Did you ever figure this out?  I have the same problem.  See post below:

I recently reformatted a Dell laptop (D600). I downloaded all the drivers
from Dell including the wireless one. I have a Intel (R) Pro/Wireless 2100
LAN miniPCI Adapter. I can connect to the company's network fine and the
internet as well.

My problem starts when I try to copy a file from the server to the laptop
that is bigger than 2 MB. When I copy and paste on the laptop, the wireless
disconnects momentarily and then I get an error "Invalid File Handle" or
"specified network name is no longer available." Basically, it just can't
stay connected long enough to copy it.

I am having no other connection issue. If I try to copy a file less than 2
MB it is fine, no problems. I can stay connected to the internet/network all
day long, no issues either. Any ideas? Where would there be a size setting
for what I can copy?

Have you check this troubleshooting?

specified network name is not longer availableSystem error 64 - The specified network name is no longer available. System error 53. The network path was not found. Event ID 3013 - Description: The ...
      www.chicagotech.net/troubleshooting/systemerror64.htm 


Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
  Did you ever figure this out?  I have the same problem.  See post below:

  I recently reformatted a Dell laptop (D600). I downloaded all the drivers
  from Dell including the wireless one. I have a Intel (R) Pro/Wireless 2100
  LAN miniPCI Adapter. I can connect to the company's network fine and the
  internet as well.

  My problem starts when I try to copy a file from the server to the laptop
  that is bigger than 2 MB. When I copy and paste on the laptop, the wireless
  disconnects momentarily and then I get an error "Invalid File Handle" or
  "specified network name is no longer available." Basically, it just can't
  stay connected long enough to copy it.

  I am having no other connection issue. If I try to copy a file less than 2
  MB it is fine, no problems. I can stay connected to the internet/network all
  day long, no issues either. Any ideas? Where would there be a size setting
  for what I can copy?

Robert, I've already tried 1 - 3 from the resolution area, aside from actually trying a high quality NIC.

In 4 you refer to a hotfix, but I can't seem to spot what that is from the cause/resolution page.

  Have you check this troubleshooting?

  specified network name is not longer available System error 64 - The specified network name is no longer available. System error 53. The network path was not found. Event ID 3013 - Description: The ...
        www.chicagotech.net/troubleshooting/systemerror64.htm 


  Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
  Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
  How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
    Did you ever figure this out?  I have the same problem.  See post below:

    I recently reformatted a Dell laptop (D600). I downloaded all the drivers
    from Dell including the wireless one. I have a Intel (R) Pro/Wireless 2100
    LAN miniPCI Adapter. I can connect to the company's network fine and the
    internet as well.

    My problem starts when I try to copy a file from the server to the laptop
    that is bigger than 2 MB. When I copy and paste on the laptop, the wireless
    disconnects momentarily and then I get an error "Invalid File Handle" or
    "specified network name is no longer available." Basically, it just can't
    stay connected long enough to copy it.

    I am having no other connection issue. If I try to copy a file less than 2
    MB it is fine, no problems. I can stay connected to the internet/network all
    day long, no issues either. Any ideas? Where would there be a size setting
    for what I can copy?

Dustin wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteI still haven't solved it. Chances are it's the network card at least for my
system, as we've tried to change everything else.

The irony is that we're having to burn DVDRWs to transfer large files
between the PCs, although that's simply because I've yet to find someone
that isn't selling this cheap and cheerful network card we're using (a
Realtek compatible).

I doubt that it's the network card.  Like I said before, all I did was
reformat the hard drive and it stopped working.  It worked fine before I did
that.  There has to be a setting somewhere.

Show quoteHide quote

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