Windows 7 Can't access a networked computer using the network name - must type ip address

[Ethereal9]

hello there - thank you for reading my post.

i have 3 computers - a laptop (vista wireless), a home theater pc (win 7 wireless) and my main computer (win 7 wired) with all my media files.

i have a network setup and the laptop and the HTPC can connect to each other when i click their icons in network neighborhood. i can also connect to them from my main computer (QUAD-CORE) but if i try to hit the QUAD-CORE icon on the laptop or the HTPC i get - network path not found. if i type 192.168.1.100 it connects perfectly (i can see all my shared files so i don't think there is a problem with the way i have shared the files) i think my problem is that when i click on the QUAD-CORE icon it is looking for the ip address but something is broken.

i'm sure my router is okay as the LAPTOP and HTPC see each other fine.

please let me know if this is clear or if you need more information

 

[Trouble]

Ethereal9:
Hello and welcome to the forums.
The network path issue you are describing is almost always the result of an over zealous third party software package obstructing the propagation of NetBIOS information across the network (NetBIOS / WINS resolves machine names (Computer friendly names) to IP addresses.
Could be third party firewalls (ZoneAlarm, Comodo, etc.,) or any number of Internet Security Suites ( AVG, Avast, Avira, Norton/Symantec, McAfee, etc.,) try removing any such product by using the program uninstaller if available in the programs directory, or the Programs and Features applet in the Control Panel, follow that up with the vendor specific proprietary removal tool, a list of some can be found here http://windows7forums.com/blue-screen-death-bsod/50402-removal-tools-antivirus-software-drivers.html if yours is not present in the list, try googling for the removal tool.
Consider replacing any such product with the built in Windows Firewall and Link Removed due to 404 Error
Good luck and keep us posted.
Regards
Randy

 

[Ethereal9]

thanks a lot - you were correct.

symantec endpoint protection is on all of the computers - if both the firewalls were enabled the computer name would not resolve. turn off the firewall on htpc or quad-core and it worked great. eventually i found a setting - Unmatched ip traffic settings - changed it from Allow only application traffic to Allow ip traffic and everything is okay.

i hope this setting doesn't make this insecure :-(

i probably posted this in the wrong forum. i didn't notice the network forum - i won't post again at 2 am

you can move this if it will make it easier for others to find

 

[Trouble]

Good news. Glad to hear that you were able to resolve your problem. Thanks for posting back and updating your thread.
Thanks for joining our community and we hope to continue to see you around the forums.
Randy