New PC

[Steve]

I believe SATA connectors are a poor design compared to the original IDE and cheap solutions to make them less likely to drop off make them very easy to break. The slow IDE drive issue I have had myself but cant remember the solution, certainly IDE and SATA coexist quite happily. Did you install the the intel 775 drivers for the board and SATA, Plug and play in bios should be off I think for XP, just wish I could remember how I solved the problem.

[Rik]

Does the Guest account exist on both machines, Simon?

[Simon]

Go buy a LAN cable, it will make your life a lot easier.

  8 hours wasted and still got nowhere.   

I believe SATA connectors are a poor design compared to the original IDE and cheap solutions to make them less likely to drop off make them very easy to break. The slow IDE drive issue I have had myself but cant remember the solution, certainly IDE and SATA coexist quite happily. Did you install the the intel 775 drivers for the board and SATA, Plug and play in bios should be off I think for XP, just wish I could remember how I solved the problem.

You're not wrong about the poor design, Steve.  It's going into the repairers today, to see if they can fix the broken connectors.

Does the Guest account exist on both machines, Simon?

I don't know, Rik.  It was the 'Home' thing that made me assume it was something to do with the 2Wire, but thinking about it, it's possible it may have been the software firewall blocking things.  Can't do anything more at the moment, as the old one is transferring files to the external drive (4 hours to go, then got to do it all over again), and the new one is about to go into the shop.

To be honest, I'm so pi**ed off with it, I don't want to have to deal with it at the moment, and I had a very bad night's sleep as well.

[Rik]

It's just a long shot, but if you don't have a guest account, I've found that networking fails...

[Glenn]

Are both PC's in the same workgroup or domain?

[Simon]

I can't get that far, Glenn.  The error message above appears when I click Show computers in workgroup.

Rik, I've never set up any other accounts, because I'm the only one who user it.

[Rik]

Check in Control Panel > User accounts. If guest is not showing (it can be off - and should be), then that's probably the problem.

[Glenn]

Is this any help http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285035

[Rik]

Nice find, Glenn. 

[Simon]

Can't see that at the moment, Glenn, but will look when I get home.

The repair shop won't touch the broken SATA connectors, and recommended returning the mobo as faulty! 

[Steve]

I once broke the plastic part of SATA Hard drive connector and dare I say,glued the broken connector and the cable together, perhaps I was fortunate but it still working 2 years hence.Thats what you call a permanent connection

[Rik]

It should stop it working loose, Steve.

[Steve]

I have just been comparing different versions of the ABIT IP35 motherboard, the type of SATA connection seems to differ according to the model the non pro version seems to use the traditional connector with no cable retention, however in the pro version all the SATA connectors(6)are at the edge of the board next to the IDE socket and the supplied cable has a metal spring clip to help prevent disconnection. I would say from the plus point that I could not safely mess around with these without moving the motherboard away from the case. I fortunatley purchased a Lian Li case which incidently is indeed large enough to fit a small child inside and it is very easy to move the motherboard out via the rear  of the case to get at those connectors easily.

[Simon]

Mine also has the metal clips, Steve, but the connectors to the mobo are so weak, they seem to break away at the slightest touch.  Of course, once the plastic sleeve comes off from the six tiny pins, it's impossible to fix it back again.

I think I may have rectified some of the network problem, by enabling the network card as Trusted through the software firewall, despite the warnings about it compromising security.  I can now view the workgroups screen without the error message.

[Simon]

Well, to update this saga, I have finally now managed to network the two PCs, and am currently transferring my data across.  The problem was mostly the F-secure firewall doing it's job too well, and partly because I hadn't run the network wizard on the new PC.  Doh!!  Anyway, all up and running now, but lots to transfer, so have left it going over night.  What's the betting of getting up in the morning to an error message waiting for an answer, and it's only done 1% of the transfer?   

Further to the IDE drive problem, thanks for your link, Glenn, and I have now also found this, which I would have tried, but probably won't bother now. 

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/577606-adding-backup-ide-drive-my.html

I could have possibly got an IDE > SATA converter, but haven't got the connector for it now, as I managed to break half of them.  Does anyone know if you can get SATA socket doublers?   

[Sebby]

I hope the transfer went well. i don't believe you can get SATA doublers; it needs to be one port per device (unlike IDE).

[Inactive]

I hope the transfer went well. i don't believe you can get SATA doublers; it needs to be one port per device (unlike IDE).

More progress.. 

[LesD]

Never having connected up a SATA drive I am not sure what it is that has broken but if this link is the right thing they may offer free samples if you contact them from work. I have had a degree of success doing this in the past:   

http://www.manufacturers.com.tw/showroom-7754-4-5-0000047644-3402.php

There are others too here:

http://www.manufacturers.com.tw/computers/SATA-Connectors.html

[Simon]

Thanks Les, they are the bits that have broken, but I wouldn't have a clue how to fit new ones to the mobo.    I think I'm going to have to end up replacing the board, because I am now unable to add any more drives, should I want to in the future, and this could be quite limiting.  I may even contact Scan, as they supplied the mobo, just to see what they have to say about it.  I really don't think these connectors should have broken so easily, and I'm not that ham fisted to have made the same mistake more than once.

[Inactive]

Not sure if this may overcome your problem Simon, not cheap, but it is Maplins.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=36036&doy=24m4

[Simon]

Thanks In, I did know of those, the trouble being, when I tried my IDE drive via the usual method, it slowed everything down to a crawl, and I'm not sure if it was the drive itself, or something else which was causing it.  That needs further investigation, and I'm in a bit of a dilemma at the moment, as to whether to persevere with this and spend time getting all my programs loaded, or replace the mobo, and virtually start again from scratch.

[Gary]

Thanks In, I did know of those, the trouble being, when I tried my IDE drive via the usual method, it slowed everything down to a crawl, and I'm not sure if it was the drive itself, or something else which was causing it.  That needs further investigation, and I'm in a bit of a dilemma at the moment, as to whether to persevere with this and spend time getting all my programs loaded, or replace the mobo, and virtually start again from scratch.

I would go for it now Simon, as gutting as that is, in the long term if you need to change things you will just have to do it anyway maybe best while its in mind, cant you RMA the board saying the sata connectors were all brittle maybe?

[Inactive]

Fair enough Simon, as you know, I know very little on the subject anyway..  .. I would bite the bullet and get another Mobo, a different brand this time.

[Gary]

Fair enough Simon, as you know, I know very little on the subject anyway..  .. I would bite the bullet and get another Mobo, a different brand this time.

I find the best way of connecting things In, is with a kettle and a cup

[Inactive]