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I recently just installed Windows XP on a machine and now when I go to My Network Places / "View workgroup Computers" I get the following error:

"Workgroup is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

The specified network name is no longer available."

However, my Windows 7 laptop that is connected to the same network can see that XP machine in the network window.

How do I fix the XP machine so it can view the workgroup computers?

3 Answers 3

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It's probably not called "Workgroup". Check the name of the network on the Win7 machine and make sure the XP machine matches.

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Did you install necessary drivers after installing XP?

Check device manager for any missing or problem drivers.

If that is all ok, sometimes changing the workgroup name to something else, reboot, change it back to workgroup, reboot, will fix it.

Be sure any firewall installed is not blocking file sharing or network connections.

Be sure there are no computer name duplications on the network.

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I had exactly the same problem yesterday, turning of the windows XP firewall worked fine for me. How are your computers connected? If you use a router to connect your pc's, there may be some security settings in the router, which denie the access.

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  • Running a computer connected to the Internet without a firewall is a very bad idea even if it solves the problem. Better idea is to leave it on and add an exception for the LAN.
    – martineau
    Dec 3, 2012 at 20:39
  • Running Windows XP is a bad idea. Most likely the embedded firewall of the router will be a lot better then the win XP version.
    – Michael K
    Dec 4, 2012 at 10:10
  • Many running XP use a third party firewall. Regardless, turning whatever you're using for this reason is bad advice.
    – martineau
    Dec 4, 2012 at 10:16
  • Many users who run XP outside of industrial environments don't even know what a firewall is and that third party firewalls don't do what they expect them to. Also, I don't think it is a bad advice to turn off a mostly pointless firewall to test if the issue is on that end. If you know where the issue is, it is much easier to find a workaround and go back to normal.
    – Michael K
    Dec 4, 2012 at 14:55

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