Windows 7 cannot ping a name, only an IP address

Sorry about this, but all the similar stuff I have read does not solve my problem.

I have Windows 7 Professional on these two machines, and they are networked as public. The sharing is set to file sharing, discovery, etc. - all opened up. Windows Explorer is fine, and I can see the network great and the shared folders. I can go to a command prompt (as Administrator) and ping the other machine using the IP address.

I CANNOT ping it using its name. I want to do that to use Remote Desktop Connection. The workgroup names are the same, and I am a user and administrator on both machines with the same password.

I have tried with the Windows firewall down on both machines and the antivirus software down on both. I am using a Belkin router with WAN ping blocking but no LAN options. Both machines show just fine on the router.

Three days have passed, and I cannot crack this problem. Last year I used Windows XP, and it navigated by name perfectly. Is it Windows 7 Professional doing something differently?

Diagnostics results

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>ping phoenix

Pinging phoenix.Belkin [198.105.251.24] with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 198.105.251.24:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all

    Windows IP Configuration

       Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : october7
       Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :
       Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
       IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
       WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
       DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : Belkin

    Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

       Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : Belkin
       Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
       Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 6C-62-6D-69-B4-6B
       DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
       Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
       Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::a815:ffa0:1230:86fc%13(Preferred)
       IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.10(Preferred)
       Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
       Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, July 23, 2013 5:08:44 PM
       Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, August 29, 2149 11:47:41 PM
       Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
       DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
       DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 292315757
       DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-17-48-BC-21-6C-62-6D-69-B4-6B

       DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
       NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

    Tunnel adapter isatap.Belkin:

       Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
       Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : Belkin
       Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
       Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
       DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
       Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

    Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

       Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
       Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
       Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
       DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
       Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
       IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:9d38:6ab8:34e2:129c:b8ad:7db(Preferred)
       Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::34e2:129c:b8ad:7db%11(Preferred)
       Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
       NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

networking

Alan

Posted 2013-07-23T21:05:55.173

Reputation: 91

Can you post ipconfig /all from both machines? You have a problem with name resolution. – john – 2013-07-23T21:43:06.510

Also, possible duplicate of http://superuser.com/questions/119318/host-name-resolution-on-a-home-network

– john – 2013-07-23T21:58:23.350

I know that select all in command prompt copies the text - but it says it is too big to post as a comment here- How do I post it on here -thanks – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:28:03.897

1question 119318 resolves it by adding a hosts file which does not work with dynamic LAN addresses – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:34:06.577

got formatting a bit better Jasper.... I have been googling for 2 days but apart from creating host files for static ip's etc, I have found nothing - and I have tried. This name resolution was a piece of cake in XP but so far impossible in 7. The windows explorer is terrific at the network but I CANNOT ping a name in windows 7 - no way. – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:47:31.493

Take it one step at a time. The DNS server is apparently local: 192.168.2.1. Who does it ask for names it cannot resolve? Can you add another DNS server address to your system, one that might have better answers? – HABO – 2013-07-24T13:03:08.443

Answers

I've noticed name resolution is a hit or miss function on a peer-to-peer network with no central DNS server (on any version of Windows).

You may check to see if the zeroconf networking service is running which is supposed to resolve names and a host of other things.

I usually install the Bonjour service from Apple which works flawlessly for local name resolution on small networks.

Scandalist

Posted 2013-07-23T21:05:55.173

Reputation: 2 767

No services on this windows 7 machine that start with a "Z" – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:30:41.050

Yeah, do yourself a favor and install the bonjour service on each machine or enable Netbios over TCP/IP. I don't think its enabled by default (atleast its not on my 7 machine) and if you don't have a DNS server such as a router that provides this function then Name resolution won't work. name resolution worked on XP because Netbios over TCP/IP was enabled by default. – Scandalist – 2013-07-23T22:44:32.070

I saw the options on the adapter and enabled tcp/ip on both machines - and it shows on the 'ipconfig /all' (above) as being enabled on both - and the subnet is the same and the WORKGROUP...and both rebooted.. I will have a look at the bonjour service but there must be a way for 7 to resolve network machine names.. – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:51:49.963

Found this about bonjour' Quite a while ago I came across what seems to be reliable info that Bonjour is an unnecessary service that also creates a hole in your firewall to potentially allow malware to invade a computer . Therefore, I have been recommending the info at the Raymond.cc Site as follows :''''' – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:53:19.843

I should also remind you that Netbios as well as any service creates a hole in the firewall and a potential crevice for malware to sneak in to. The fact is, NetBIOS is being phased out as the primary way to resolve names on a local network. Like I said, DNS is always the Go-To for name resolution and if you don't have a server or router that handles this then you either need to get one or install a zero configuration service like bonjour. I am certain bonjour will deliver the goods you are looking for. – Scandalist – 2013-07-23T22:57:46.363

Thanks for that...nbtstat has the other computer names in its cache but I still cant ping it..... Looks like every release of windows is going backwards ...I will look at bonjour but I wish I could find settings in windows 7 to resolve names like I did in XP for 10 years....(and with this same router for the last 4 years) pity. – Alan – 2013-07-23T23:08:23.167

I think this is taken care of by NetBIOS, which enables name discovery in the absence of an internal DNS server. I'm not sure whether your router would act as a DNS server, so NetBIOS over TCP/IP would need to be enabled and the PCs would need to be on the same subnet. Since they can ping each other it's safe to assume the latter is so.

You can enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP in the network adapter settings, by enabling the checkbox under the adapter properties.

Try nbtstat -c in the command line and see if your opposite node is visible.

john

Posted 2013-07-23T21:05:55.173

Reputation: 488

Sorry about formatting.. Yes, I have changed the adapter settings so it is now specifically tcp/ip on both machines (rather than the default)and rebooted - no change. yes I can see the other machine in NBTSTAT -c and it has the name and IP -wow that feels like I am getting somewhere.. – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:24:07.430

But I still can't ping on computer names – Alan – 2013-07-23T22:58:45.287

Here's another answer based on your ipconfig results....

Why can't I ping a PC on my home network?

You need to update your router so that it doesn't add the "Belkin" DNS suffix to your lookups (a configuration provided by DHCP options). As mentioned in the linked post "sometimes called Domain Name".

john

Posted 2013-07-23T21:05:55.173

Reputation: 488

Check if "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)" in "Local Area Connection Properties" is enabled or not. If not, check the box to enable it and ping your remote host.

Ranjit Singh Shekhawat

Posted 2013-07-23T21:05:55.173

Reputation: 1

1Hi Ranjit, welcome to Super User. Can you expand your answer a bit to elaborate as to why this works? It's not immediately apparent, as the original question doesn't mention anything IPv6-related. – bertieb – 2015-08-05T11:18:54.063