TROUBLESHOOT: Part2, XP File and Printer Sharing
Computers Not Found? Diagnose Computer Browser Service
File and Printer Sharing between Windows computers requires you properly select and configure a “mix-and-match” set of Windows components and options. For brevity, this guide refers to File and Printer Sharing as F&PS

Network visibility and access errors are indicative of underlying problems in F&PS

Visibility. You can’t find all Windows Network devices under My Network Places
Access. Access/privilege errors occur when you open a workstation or workgroup you should have access to

This guide helps find and fix most causes behind Visibility and Access errors. The settings suggested are fairly generic and support most users. Once errors are fixed, you can further modify these settings as meet your needs

The system details / instructions herein are specific to XP Pro and XP Home running SP2 or SP3. For other versions, you can still gain an understanding of “things to look for” but can’t use these instructions to fix other versions

This guide is divided into 3 parts

• Part 1, “Troubleshoot: XP File and Printer Sharing, Computers not found? Check your basic configuration” focuses on common problems and F&PS configuration issues which cause visibility errors.
• Part 2, (this document) focuses on Computer Browser Service and how it may cause visibility errors. The guide explains
  • The Computer Browser service and its role in a peer-to-peer Windows network
  • How the service might cause network visibility problems
  • Tools and methods to find, fix and prevent Browser problems
• Part3, Troubleshoot: XP File and Printer Sharing, Fixing access privileges” helps fix access errors between machines. This document not yet published

This guide assumes your computers are on a single subnet. There are additional issues if on different subnets

1. Overview
NOTE: ”Browser” in this context has nothing to do with Internet Explorer

Microsoft Windows Network is a networking protocol used between Windows based computers. It allows them to communicate with each other, share resources (files and printers) and function in a Windows architecture

Computer Browser Service must be enabled and running on at least one computer per workgroup. (Rule of thumb: Run it on each wired LAN computer.) Browsers are dynamically assigned roles including:

• Master. Browsers jointly "elect" one of themselves as Master. The Master “browses” the network to both maintain and distribute a browse list. The browse list contains info on computers and resources in the workgroup. This list is shared with others in the group
• Backup. Backup browsers keep copies of the browse list and stand ready to elect a new master if the current one fails

Computers not running the master don’t browse the net themselves. They obtain the browse list from a master or backup browser

2. Issues of Design
=> 2a Multiple Masters
There should only be one master browser

However, a brief network interruption can force an election and a new master. When the old master reconnects some recovery scenarios may result in 2 masters. This then causes visibility problems. Use browstat to
– Confirm all computers report the same master
– View browser properties of each computer. Only one should be master

To avoid problem scenarios

• Only run browser service on LAN (not wireless) computers
• Choose one reliable computer as “preferred master”. Modify registry keys under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters\ to influence elections. Possible key values are shown. Set bold value for preferred master
  
  MaintainServerList
  Yes – Always a master or backup
  Auto – Windows chooses browser roles
  No – Never a browser
  
  IsDomainMaster
  True – Preferred master
  False – No preference

If the problem still occurs, reduce number of backup browsers by disabling the service on some computers

=> 2b Time between change & effect
By design, a change in Windows Network can take up to 45 minutes to be seen by all

A workstation announces itself when started and is reannounced at up to every 12 minutes. If initial broadcasts are lost in net traffic, it may take up to 12 minutes for all the net to recognize a new workstation or group. Worse yet, and by design, workstation or group removal can take up to 45 minutes before it’s known to all

To avoid this delay while testing

• Restart master browser
  .– Find master’s host computer. Open command prompt. Enter Services.msc
  .– Right click Computer Browser ->Restart, or
• Shutdown all then restart each machine

3. Browstat
Use browstat to troubleshoot browser services on your net: locate and confirm only one master, view and compare all browse lists, “announce” missing computers

Install

• Create directory C:\browstat
• Download and unzip browstat into directory
• Update PATH variable
  • Right click My Computer ->Properties ->Advanced ->Environment Variables
  • Select PATH from user variables and append ”;C:\browstat” to the end (without the quotes “”)
  • Click OK, close boxes

Some Commands
– Run browstat from command prompt (Start ->Run, type cmd, hit OK)
– Some of the output lines below are numbered for clarity
– For brevity, TEST refers to the computer you’re using to test

– Dumpnet
Returns transports monitored by Browser. Transport is a physical network card bound to a protocol

> browstat dumpnet
L1..1 \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{AA68C027-7C03-418F-8EDE-273D3D63175F}

L1: NetBT_Tcpip_ indicates “NetBIOS over TCP/IP” protocol
.=> If you see other protocols, understand why
.=> Disable LAN connection and re-run to verify device is in fact for the LAN
.=> The digit preceding each transport will be used in other commands to indicate the transport

– Status
Display Master status. Also try it using “status –v”

> browstat status
L1 Status for domain MYGROUP on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{AA68C027-7C03418F8EDE-273D3D63175F}
L2….Browsing is active on domain
L3….Master browser name is: XP-PRO2
L4……..Master browser is running build 2600
L5….1 backup servers retrieved from master XP-PRO2
L6………\\XP-PRO2
L7….There are 1 servers in domain MYGROUP on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{AA68C027-7C03-418F-8EDE273D3D63175F}
L8….There are 1 domains in MYGROUP on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{AA68C027-7C03-418F-8EDE273D3D63175F}

• L1: For browstat, domains and workgroups are same
• L3: Computer’s name running the master. Same name s/b reported by all computers. Else see #2a
• L4: Indicates s/w build # of master. But, build # is solely debug info. Errors getting build # don’t always mean a problem with Browser services
  Error 5 can be issue of connectivity or access rights between TEST and master. You may defer to Part 3, this guide, which addresses access rights
  Error 53 Browstat uses Remote Registry service. You may see error if browstat accesses a master on
  – XP Pro not configured to allow remote registry access or on
  – XP Home (which has no Remore Registry service)
• L7: # of computers in workgroup
• L8: # of workgroups seen

If no master exists, either no one is running a master or a firewall is blocking it. You’d see
Browsing is NOT active on domain
Master name cannot be determined from GetAdapterStatus

– View
Get browse list from master (default) or from \\host where host is a computer name

> browstat view 1 \\XPHOME
Remoting NetServerEnum to \\XPHOME on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{xxx } with flags ffffffff
\\XP-PRO2 NT 05.01 (W,S,PQ,NT,PBR,MBR)
\\XPHOME NT 05.01 (W,S,NT,PBR,BBR)

W-workstation, S-server, PQ-print server, PBR-potential browser, MBR- master browser, BBR- backup browser

– Forceannounce
Request all workstations announce themselves within 30 seconds

> browstat forceannounce 1 MYGROUP

I've mentioned this prior, but you have a lot of info

Master browser can be done in the services.msc

Master Browsers
Computer Browser Started enabled set to auto
Network Connections Started enabled set to auto

None Master PCs
Computer Browser disabled no started
Network Connections enabled and started

Browstat - status command is what most user can use