Can ping the server from the laptop but not the other way around.

Is your laptop running Windows XP Service Pack 2?  If so, is the Windows Firewall enabled?  This will disable incoming ICMP (ping) traffic by default.  If that functionality is required for troubleshooting, you can enable it through the Windows Firewall Control Panel applet on your laptop - it's under the Advanced tab, I believe.

Hope this helps.

Laura E. Hunter - Microsoft MVP: Windows Server - Networking

Is Windows Firewall running by any chance?

Windows Firewall was running so I turned it off completely (just for a test).  I am on a LinkSys router that is also a firewall but I don't remember making changes to allow or not allow machines.  I'll double check.

Hi, there doesn't seem to be anything in the LinkSys firewall settings that would prevent the server from seeing the laptop.

Thanks

Also, so you don't run into this problem in the future, you said you were using W2K3.  If this is the case you can set a group policy setting to disable windows firewall from running

Here's a step by step:
Start - Run - type in "GPEDIT.MSC"
Expand the “Computer Configuration” section.
Expand the “Administrative Templates” section.
Expand the “Network” section.
Expand the “Networks Connections” section.
Expand the “Windows Firewall” section.
Select “DOMAIN PROFILE”
Double click the “Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections”
Select Disable

Hope this helps

Additionaly,

start>run>cmd

netsh firewall reset

just in case the firewall was corrupted....

Not a good thing to disable the firewall ;)

Agreed with RomLopez.  Temporarily disabling the WF as a troubleshooting step is one thing, but I wouldn't summarily turn it off under almost any circumstance.