Vista Desktop Can't See Vista Laptop

I have two laptops running windows vista and one desktop running windows vista. The laptops are connected to the router through a wireless connection and the desktop is connected to the router through an ethernet cord. When I open up my network from the start menu, I can only see my desktop computer. When I open up my network from the two laptops they can see each other but not the desktop.

In the network sharing center I have network discovery, file sharing, public folder sharing, printer sharing, and media sharing all on while password protected sharing is off. Can anyone help me with this problem. My ultimate goal is to be able to print from the laptops, thanks.

 

First thing to check is that all the machines are using the same workgroup name. You can have all the machines use a different workgroup name and still get internet access, but to see the other machines, they must be on the same "network" -- at least, that's my experience.



If they all have the same workgroup name, open a command window on each machine and attempt to "ping" each of the other machines. That will at least tell you if each machine can talk to all the others.

 

Watch out for firewall settings as well. Make sure your firewall is allowing access for file sharing. Some firewalls are known for their unwillingness to cooperate with file sharing. Norton and CA are two big offenders.