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Update Available for XP SP3 Connection Sharing Host Problems

In scenarios involving the disabling and re-enabling of the LAN-side network adapter

May 30, 2008 09:05 GMT  ·  By
Windows XP
   Windows XP

Although a router or a switch should be the standard when it comes down to sharing a single Internet connection between multiple computers, some users insist on putting the Connection Sharing capabilities of Windows to good use. The recently made available Windows XP SP3 has some issues when it comes down to ensuring that a client computer on the local area network can connect to the Internet. According to Microsoft, disabling and re-enabling the LAN-side network adapter on a machine running XP SP3 in a Connection Sharing host configuration will cut off a client computer connected to it from the Internet.

"Consider the following scenario: you are running a Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)-based computer that has two network adapters installed; you enable the Internet Connection Sharing feature, and then you configure the computer as a Connection Sharing host; you connect another computer to the Connection Sharing network. This computer functions as a Connection Sharing client; and you disable and then re-enable the LAN-side network adapter on the host computer," Microsoft revealed.

In case one of the two network adapters on the machine running XP SP3 is connected to the Internet while the other is reserved for the local area network, the scenario described by Microsoft will lead to the Connection Sharing client having no Internet connectivity. Microsoft additionally revealed that for LAN USB-based network adapters, simply plugging out and then back in a computer on the Connection Sharing network will trigger a loss of connectivity.

Two workarounds are available at this point in time along with an update to resolve the issue. Rebooting the Connection Sharing host machine with XP SP3 is one way to permit the LAN PC to connect to the Internet. And on top of this with the "net stop sharedaccess" and "net start sharedaccess" commands, users can stop and then restart the Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing service on the XP SP3 host with Connection Sharing enabled. And there is also the update for XP SP3 available for download here.