You need to be sure that both computers are running the
same network protocol. With the home version, that would
be TCP/IP.
To manually set up the computers with TCP/IP, do the
following:
The Wizard should have created a LAN connection in My
Network Places. Open up this folder, and right-click on
the LAN connection, and select Properties.
First, make sure the two computers do not have the same
name. Right-click on My Computer, and select
Properties. Go to the Computer Name tab, and make note
of the names of the two computers (listed under Full
Computer name

.
Second, be sure that you have File and Print Sharing for
Microsoft Networks installed and enabled. If not, click
on Install..., and add this protocol. Be sure there is a
check mark in the box next to this protocol (this makes
sure that this service is bound to the network adapter).
Leave this folder open, as you'll need to return here in
a moment.
Now double-click on My Computer, and browse to the
diretories you want to share, right-click and select
Sharing. Enable sharing for this folder, and give it a
name.
If you want to share printers, open up the Printers
folder, and right-click on the desired printer, and
select Sharing, and repeat the above process.
Go back to the Network properties windows you left open
above. Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click on
Properties.
Select "Use the following IP address", and use:
On computer #1, enter:
IP Address: 192.168.1.1
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
On computer #2, enter:
IP Address: 192.168.1.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Now edit the \windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file and
add the following to each computer:
HOSTS FILE:
192.168.1.1 computername1
192.168.1.2 computername2
You should now be able to communicate between the two
computers, referencing either the computer names, or
their IP addresses.
To see if it is working, on computer #1, go to Start |
Run and type in \\192.168.1.2. A window should pop-up
listing all the shared resources from computer #2.
Likewise from computer #2, go to Start | Run and type in
\\192.168.1.2, and you should get a list of all the
shared resources from computer #1.
You will probably find it easier to connect from the XP
computer to the 98 comuter, than you will from the 98
computer to the XP computer due to security issues. From
XP, map a drive to the 98 computer, and do all the file
pushing and pulling from there. You can work around this
issue, but I've found it just easier to do everything
from the XP side.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Jack