Internet Connection Sharing stopped working?

OK, Here's how this works:

Host: XP pro laptop, attached to university network LAN, internet connection sharing enabled on LAN, sharing with laptop's wireless network card.

Wireless network created with alphanumeric WEP key.

Clients: friends laptops, my own nokias (n95), 5800 etc


Took a while to set up, but for two weeks I had internet connection sharing nicely set up. At first my client devices were only getting my local university network internet, but that turned out to be a proxy setting.

Now, for no clear reason, Internet connection sharing has stopped working.

I can still connect to the wireless network broadcast from my laptop from my various clients (laptop and phones) but none of them can get any data. I've had a look at the wireless network's status (once it's shaken hands with the client, the a window pops up to tell me I have a strong wireless network) - but the wireless status always says SENT (30 packets +), RECEIVED (0).

Received is always on 0. That's a problem I guess.

Then eventually the phone or laptop just times out.

So I can make the wireless connection as I used to, but can't get any internet on the client devices. All my dns / ip settings etc are set to auto, and I've removed any proxy settings as they didn't seem to help.

I don't know why it's stopped working, but I'd love your help to get it back. Thanks

Hooray - I found a solution.

Restart the Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) service from services.msc

How did you find that solution? and is everything still working normally?

Just a lucky guess. I'd tried everything else, and I knew that I hadn't tinkered with any dns/ip settings etc.

Trouble is I went an enabled loads of services that I probably don't need, but the system is running OK so I think I'll just leave em be.

see this list of Trimming Processes