Zonealarm/ Network access problem

dod

I have a desktop and a a laptop (both Win 2000), and I connect them using a 10/100 Crossover cable so that I can share resources, access a JBoss server I run on the desktop etc.

Zonealarm and Grisoft AVG is installed on the desktop (network name PC1).
Zonealarm and Norton Antivirus 2002 is installed on the laptop (network name Lap1).

Under "Firewall" on Zonealarm on the Laptop, I have PC1 as a Trusted host, and the reciprocal is the case on the Desktop with Lap1 set up as a Trusted host.

This was working fine up until this morning, but for some reason it does not seem be working now. From the laptop, using Windows explorer, if I go Tools/Map Network Drive and Connect to Folder \\PC1\shared, it gives me the error "The network path \\PC1\shared could not be found". (If I try to connect the other way, I get the same error).

Again, on the Laptop, if I call up Zonealarm and click on Firewall/ Zones and click on PC1, and do a Lookup, it says "Zonealarm cannot find PC1". Again the reciprocal is the case.

I rebooted both machines (don't know why... when nothing else works, try Ctrl-Alt-Delete and hope for the best). Both were restarted approximately simultaneously.

On the Desktop, my Local Area Connection Status shows Packets Sent 389/ Received 3,459.
On the Laptop, my Local Area Connection Status shows Packets Sent 4078/ Received 5.

My uninformed reading of this is that the Desktop seems to be seeing something on the network, but the Laptop is seeing nothing? Yet I can connect neither PC to the other to share a disk etc.

I also use internet connection sharing- I connect using the Desktop and piggyback the laptop off the desktop connection. This does not work any more either.

The only thing that has changed in the last 24 hours is that I installed the Grisoft AVG 6.0 on the desktop. Though I can't see how an antivirus program wold kill the network communications side of things, the network
connection continues not to work, even when I now disable AVG. I thought AVG was quite well regarded, so I'd be surprised if this was the problem.

Any suggestions for what might have gone wrong please?

Obo

Do they connect when you shutdown ZA on both ends?

dod

If I shut down Zonealarm on both sides, I can connect both ways no problem. I assume this points to ZA as being the source of the problem rather than anything to do with AVG.

irishgeo

i had this problem and its releated to zonealarm. you have to turn on some advanced seetings such as dns and dhcp forwrding settings.

do a search for internet connection sharing on the zonealarm website as thats where i got my answer.

Zenith74

I've had a lot less of these sorts of problems since changing from ZoneAlarm to Outpost Firewall. Might be worth a try if you can't sort out the problem. It has a free single user licence similar to ZoneAlarm.

Did you try adding the laptop/pc to your trusted list by IP address instead of hostname, might be worth a try...