Networking Win98 and Win XPHome

[John Woodgate]

Re-posted for continuity because the thread has expired on my computer.
New information below.

Maybe just a typo, but your laptop shows a Default Gateway =
198.162.0.1,
and it should be 192.168.0.1. If that is accurate, it would account
for your problem.

It's not a typo; the ipconfig texts were sent to files and then copied
into the e-mail. I can't say I'm surprised about the errors (there is
another one under 'DNS servers'); after spending more than six hours
trying to get things to work, my eyes were seriously crossed.

However, I have corrected the errors and checked that ipconfig.txt now
reads correctly. Unfortunately, that doesn't solve the problem, and it
is deeper in that I thought. I tried connecting to a dotted quad,
213.151.36.104, with no success. After 'Connecting to site...' fails,
Microsoft Search tries to find the site, but eventually report 'No
Internet connection is available', which is certainly not so.

One clue may be that sometimes, not always, when starting the laptop I
get one of those frustrating error messages, 'IPHLPAPI.DLL cannot start.
Check file to determine the problem'. Well the file is there, in
C:\Windows\System, and is 32 KB. I don't know how to 'check' it. Norton
System Works doesn't flag a problem.

NEW INFORMATION

Since the network seems to be working but I still can't connect from the
laptop to the Internet using Internet Explorer 6, I put the problem on
the mailgroup microsoft.public.internet.explorer.ieak, but with no
response.

I have tried to learn and understand more about the huge number of
pitfalls in networking, and the prospect of adding WinXP SP2 frightens
me; I have quite enough trouble already, with the following questions to
which I have found no answers:

1. Do I need to add a Guest account to the Win98 (laptop) machine? If
so, how? I have added a Guest account to the Win XPHome machine, but not
by using 'lusrmgr' (for Loser Managers like me?) because that tells me
that it's not for Win XPHome.

2. Do I need to start or enable 'Computer Browser' on the Win98 machine?
If so, how? I have it running on the Win XPHome machine.

3. In IE6 on the Win98 machine, I have 'Automatically detect settings'
ticked in Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN settings, and
'Use a proxy server for your LAN' is not ticked. Are these settings
correct?

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

1. Do I need to add a Guest account to the Win98 (laptop) machine? If
so, how? I have added a Guest account to the Win XPHome machine, but not
by using 'lusrmgr' (for Loser Managers like me?) because that tells me
that it's not for Win XPHome.

John,

most Windows 98 computers do not have user accounts, much less
guest accounts. So don't worry.

2. Do I need to start or enable 'Computer Browser' on the Win98 machine?
If so, how? I have it running on the Win XPHome machine.

Normally it runs automatically, but this is also relatively
unimportant. As long as Windows XP computers are present in the
network, one of them will usually become the master browser
automatically.

3. In IE6 on the Win98 machine, I have 'Automatically detect settings'
ticked in Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN settings, and
'Use a proxy server for your LAN' is not ticked. Are these settings
correct?

Most likely this is correct as well. You're not running a proxy
server and most Internet Service Providers aren't either.

For some more potential problem causes please have a look at
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm.

Hans-Georg

 

[John Woodgate]

For some more potential problem causes please have a look at http://www.
michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm.

Thank you. I have looked at that site, but I will look again.