Browse sites from network

This is really frustrating me because I assumed this would be a simple task...

I have two PC's. The main server (called ZION) is running Windows Server 2003 and I've setup a workgroup called 'thematrix'. The other PC (NEBA) is running Windows XP Pro. From NEBA (XP Pro) I can successfully browse sites on ZION (Server 2003) via IE by going to: http://ZION/testsite (for example).

The problem is I can't do it in reverse. I have a site I'm developing on NEBA and I can't seem to browse via ZION using IE - yet I can browse through file explorer. Why won't it work through a browser??? I've even tried using a simple HTML page in case it was a coding issue. Still no luck.

I've got a Netgear Router and a wireless network card on NEBA (if that makes any difference). I can ping NEBA by either name or IP address and, again, I can browse shared files using file explorer. I just can't friggen browse via IE. I've disabled 'Simple File Sharing' on NEBA and (think?) I've setup alias ok - it works ok locally (just not across the network).

What am I going wrong???? HELP! Driving me crazy.

In summary:
"ZION" - Main Server running Windows Server 2003.
"NEBA" - PC running Windows XP Pro.
Workgroup = "thematrix" (both PC's registered to this workgroup)
Problem - can't browse sites on NEBA from ZION via Internet Explorer

THANKS!
Penny.

PS: Whilst you should assume that I know about networking because I'm using Windows Server 2003 I, in fact, no very little. I've fumbled my way through since a friend installed it for me 12 months ago (should have stuck with XP!). So pleeease talk in plain english! I'm far from a network administrator. Just a humble HTML guru.

Sounds like your server is running IIS but your XP machine isn't - is that the case?

No, the XP machine is also running IIS. I don't know heaps about networking but I've working in a small office with other developers and we simply 'web share' folders and it works. There's obviously something missing? On the XP machine I've given the site an alias so that c://inetpub/wwwroot/sitetest can be browsed by going to http://NEBA/sitetest. It works fine on the XP machine and I can browse/see the shared folder from the server (ZION) but I can't see the site via IE? The weird thing is IE takes a while to return an error and in the meantime, at the bottom of the screen, the IP address for that PC is shown. It's like it's really trying to show the page!!!

Do I have to set something up in IIS on the XP machine (NEBA) for it to recognise the host machine? Or change some security settings so that other computers on the network can browse sites? I'm developing an ASP site with an Access database and I won't to be able to test on both machines before I upload. I can of course copy, but it would be much easier to be able to test directly from another PC.

Under the Home Directory tab in the website properties window, do you have directory browsing enabled? Maybe something in there is what you are after...I am not sure either...I have only been playing with IIS for a couple of weeks, and I only really know enough that I can get what I need to work. I think you'll find that the IIS on win2003 is locked down tighter than on XP...you may have to have a fiddle in the settings to try and get it to work...

Post back how you go.

Perhaps some firewall is blocking port 80 to the XP machine. Check the XP firewall, and any routers or other firewall software that may be blocking web traffic.

Yay... Thanks Dougy!

I'd suspected that might be the case but I didn't know how to fix it. Thanks to your comment about the port I made an 'exception' and allowed access from other computers on the network. Now works.

I'm glad you got it fixed!