Okay, my PS3 has been having trouble finding my Windows Media Player 12 Media Server (in Windows 7).  My PC also doesn't list my PS3 in the list of devices that you can allow or block sharing with.
 
I have two laptops on the network that the PS3 recognize as media servers (same version of Windows and Media Player), and they are both able to see the PS3 (as "unknown device" but it's the right MAC address).
 
I've tried all the suggestions, network discovery on, media streaming on, tweaking firewall options or even turning them off completely, etc. etc.  Nothing works.
 
I HAVE googled the problem extensively, but whenever I ask the Giant Bomb community something you guys never let me down, so if you guys aren't able to help me then I'll just let it go.  I don't think it's that important to share media with my PC, but I'm just the kind of person who can't stand not knowing the solution to or at least the cause behind any network or other computer-related problems.
 
My PS3 is connected wirelessly, a wired connection isn't an option right now.
 
There's one thing that by now I'm almost positive has something to do with the problem.  Internet connection sharing.  My desktop has no wireless network adapter but I've had no problems just hooking the desktop straight into a laptop that is so fucked up it only exists as a wireless adapter for my desktop...made possible through Windows' Internet Connection Sharing.  It's ridiculous, I know.
 
The laptop is running Windows XP, and I've even tried to do things like make sure it and the desktop have the exact same firewall settings and such.  No luck there either.
 
But more confusion arises when I try and see if my laptop can find the PS3, but it doesn't show up there either.  It seems like the laptop would at least be able to see it since it has its own wireless adapter, whereas my desktop doesn't.
 
I mean, even if my PC DIDN'T allow sharing, wouldn't it still show up as a media server on my PS3 if I scanned for it?  The two laptops my PS3 CAN recognize aren't even configured to share media, so I must ask: what the fuck?
 
I really have no idea what the problem could be.  Someone suggested trying the Windows Network Troubleshooter (it actually helped someone with a similar problem), and while that didn't help me, it did notify me of a minor problem where two devices on my network were using NAT, and that this caused a conflict of some kind (but obviously doesn't interfere with internet connection).  I know one of those devices is my PS3, but it won't say what the other one is.  I don't own any other game consoles at the moment, not even portable ones, so this is yet another thing that baffles me.  And yes, my network is protected, so it's not like my neighbors are using my connection to play XBox Live or anything.
 
If anyone out there can even TRY to make sense of all this, I'd greatly appreciate it.  I'd send you a blowjob robot if those existed.  Help me Giant Bomb, you are my only hope (booooo).