Cant see windows clients on network? (Using Ubuntu)

[YIF]

Hi

I have Ubuntu 10.4 (lucid) and I want to be able to access computers on my home network (all of which are either on XP and Windows 7) If I go into:
Places --> Network
All I see is one folder named "Windows Networks" and if I go into that folder I see that there is nothing there!

I know you can see windows computers in the "Network" folder because my friend can (Also with Ubuntu lucid) but he said he didnt have to do any configuring to enable this feature?

Please help me

[YIF]

Anyone? anyone at all?

[Kloschüssel]

Unfortunatly I can't help you with the problem and on top of that I have not the resources to do troubleshooting within my network. So I can just point you in a probably right direction to investigate.

I know that windows machines use WINS to distribute host information. Maybe this protocol is either blocked by your firewall, you don't have a client that is able to detect the hosts over this protocol or something else is broken with WINS. Maybe it is only disabled by default and can be enabled in some way (i.e. a init service that is not started)?