XP Pro cannot access Win98 machines

[MattD]

Hi:

Ihave seen lots of similar problems here but not exactly
this one:

I have a 3 computer network, 2 Win98SE and one XP Pro. All
are connected to a network hub, internet access is via a
router which is also connected to the hub.

The Win98 machines can see and access (read/write) shared
drives on the XP machine. Most of the time the XP machine
will list the Win98 machines in "My Network Places", but
when I click on the machine to expand the shared drives, I
get the cannot access node....check with remote admin for
permission etc." message.

Formerly the local LAN was running on NetBUI by default. I
removed NetBUI from the Win98 machines so TCP/IP is the
only protocol. I also ran the Network Connection Wizard
from the XP CD on the Win98 machines (but not after
removing NetBUI, do I need to do it again?).

I am real close here, a little help would be wonderful.

Thanks,

Matt

 

[Guest]

I should add that on the Win98 machines, the checkbox
for "NetBIOS over TCP/IP" is checked but grayed out
(disabled).

Matt

 

[MattD]

I should further add that I have reviewed every article
here on XP -> 98 but haven't really found the exact
scenario (most have these problems with direct cable, or
cannot see any machines from anywhere).

I have the ICF off, TCP/IP only, only TCP/IP bound to
NetBios, same username/password on all machines.

About the only thing I haven;t checked is that "Enable
NetBIOS for TCP/IP is checked on the XP machine", but
since this is the only protocol installed, it would
automatically be chacked, right? (maybe not).

TIA,

Matt

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I should further add that I have reviewed every article
here on XP -> 98 but haven't really found the exact
scenario (most have these problems with direct cable, or
cannot see any machines from anywhere).

I have the ICF off, TCP/IP only, only TCP/IP bound to
NetBios, same username/password on all machines.

About the only thing I haven;t checked is that "Enable
NetBIOS for TCP/IP is checked on the XP machine", but
since this is the only protocol installed, it would
automatically be chacked, right? (maybe not).

Matt,

please have a look at http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm.
Perhaps the cause of the problem is listed there.

Hans-Georg

 

[Guest]

Thanks Hans-Georg

I poured over your document (and most of Steve's mail
messages and PracticallyNetworked.com) last night and
tried everything to no avail but I will try again tonight.
I had a hard time uninstalling Norton Internet Security on
the 98 machine but think I finally got it. Is there some
way to check for sure?

I completely removed networking from the 98 PC (and the
card) and reinstalled everything with the latest drivers.

I can ping the XP machine from 98 (and see/use the shares
in Network Neighborhood). I cannot ping the 98 machine
from XP, it times out.

Could it be a problem with my Zyxel router?

Matt D

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I poured over your document (and most of Steve's mail
messages and PracticallyNetworked.com) last night and
tried everything to no avail but I will try again tonight.
I had a hard time uninstalling Norton Internet Security on
the 98 machine but think I finally got it. Is there some
way to check for sure?

I completely removed networking from the 98 PC (and the
card) and reinstalled everything with the latest drivers.

I can ping the XP machine from 98 (and see/use the shares
in Network Neighborhood). I cannot ping the 98 machine
from XP, it times out.

Could it be a problem with my Zyxel router?

Matt,

it could be anything, of course. It could be a broken cable.

But if you continue to work analytically, you'll eventually
locate the defect. Can the 98 computer reach the Internet?

In that case the problem is likely in the Windows XP computer.
The experience here shows that there are quite a few more
potential problems in XP's networking than in that of Windows
98.

Do you have the IP settings all set to automatic? Check the XP
computer's IP settings with the command ipconfig /all and use
winipcfg on Windows 98 for the same purpose. What IP addresses
do the computers have? They should ideally get IP addresses in
one 192.168.x.y range, where x is equal on all your computers
and y is different.

Hans-Georg

 

[MattD]

Thank you Hans-Georg:

Yes, I will get it.

192.168.x.x for IP's on both. Both can get to Internet.

I had a very hard time getting rid of Norton NIS, I
suspect there still may be pieces around. I got their
article on how to completely remove it and will. I am
thinking firewall trouble at this point.

I am also going to upgrade the firmware on the router,
just for kicks.

Last thing, when I originally installed this network, like
4 years ago, I remember having a really hard time getting
the 2 98 machines to talk. I ended up having to install
NetBEUI. There may be something about my 3Com
OfficeConnect NIC (3CSOHO100-TX) that makes it want
NetBEUI. So, I may try putting up NetBEUI and see if
everything works. I suppose that would get around any
firewall problems too.

But I will try everything else first. I don't want to use
an unsupported feature on Windows.

Thanks again. Share any thoughts you may get.

Matt D

 

[Matt D]

I completely obliterated all signs of Norton Internet
Security and Anti-Virus last night. No luck.

Now, when using a router for dynamic IP assignment, all
traffic on the LAN goes through the router, right? The XP
machine would send to the router which would translate the
IP addy and send the packet to the right box (98 in this
case). Please correct me if I am wrong.

If so, there is a possibility that the router is somehow
filtering IP packets on the LAN. I thought, while pinging
last night, that I saw the lights blink on the XP and
router lines, but not the 98. I can ping the router
(gateway) but not the 98 machine from XP. I got the router
the same time I got the card. There is some TCP filter on
it discarding traffic from port 137 to, I forget, 21? This
is a default filter. I may try disabling it someday and
see if I can get rid of NetBEUI. I don't know what else on
the router may be stopping traffic there. Any ideas?

I got the XP machine to share the 98 machine, but had to
give up and install NetBEUI to do it (which I knew would
work).

I mentioned in my last post that I thought the old NIC
card on one of my 98 machines required NetBEUI to run
based on my installation experience 3 or 4 years ago.

Further evidence: I mentioned before the 98 machine could
see and share the XPPro machine but not vice versa. Prior
to installing NetBEUI, using the 98 machine if I tried to
copy a file larger than 2 gig I got an error: Parameter
invalid. Now, with NetBEUI, I can copy them no problem.

So, I think this 3Com OfficeConnect card can only handle
NetBEUI for local traffic. Or the router is filtering
traffic. Everything else checks out ok.

Matt D

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I completely obliterated all signs of Norton Internet
Security and Anti-Virus last night. No luck.

Now, when using a router for dynamic IP assignment, all
traffic on the LAN goes through the router, right? The XP
machine would send to the router which would translate the
IP addy and send the packet to the right box (98 in this
case). Please correct me if I am wrong.

Matt,

internal traffic doesn't touch the router. The router box
contains two different components, a router and a switch. The
LAN traffic only traverses the switch, but never reaches the
router. The switch is transparent, i.e. the computers cannot
know the data went through a switch.

If so, there is a possibility that the router is somehow
filtering IP packets on the LAN. I thought, while pinging
last night, that I saw the lights blink on the XP and
router lines, but not the 98. I can ping the router
(gateway) but not the 98 machine from XP. I got the router
the same time I got the card. There is some TCP filter on
it discarding traffic from port 137 to, I forget, 21? This
is a default filter. I may try disabling it someday and
see if I can get rid of NetBEUI. I don't know what else on
the router may be stopping traffic there. Any ideas?

No, I'm certain the problem is in the computers, not in the
router. I can only recommend to go through all points of
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm carefully.

I got the XP machine to share the 98 machine, but had to
give up and install NetBEUI to do it (which I knew would
work).

I mentioned in my last post that I thought the old NIC
card on one of my 98 machines required NetBEUI to run
based on my installation experience 3 or 4 years ago.

Unlikely. Never heard of anything like this. The network adapter
works at a lower level (Ethernet) and couldn't care less about
what higher-level protocols are going through it. (OK, some
adapters are optimized for IP, but that wouldn't concern you
now.)

Further evidence: I mentioned before the 98 machine could
see and share the XPPro machine but not vice versa. Prior
to installing NetBEUI, using the 98 machine if I tried to
copy a file larger than 2 gig I got an error: Parameter
invalid. Now, with NetBEUI, I can copy them no problem.

So, I think this 3Com OfficeConnect card can only handle
NetBEUI for local traffic. Or the router is filtering
traffic. Everything else checks out ok.

OK, I cannot know everything. Perhaps that network card indeed
has a problem. I'd call that a defect, however, nothing you
would normally expect. Could you swap it or the entire computer
for a test?

Hans-Georg