Can't access XP machine shared docs

[Redeyes_Gambit]

}{i,

I have six (yes six) machines all connected together on a network. Two are XP (one home and one prof.) and four are 98SE. All was running fairly hunky dorey untill a few days ago (the 11th) when one of my 98se machines access to the XP home machne became... intermitant, at best. I had had this problem with one of my other win 98se machines before but if you held your mouth just right it all went ok.

All of these machines can connect to the internet and play LAN games with eachother. All can see eachother's shared doc's EXCEPT the two 98se machines which cannot see the XP home's shared doc's (however it DOES work the other way around, the XP home machine CAN see EVERY other machines shared doc's). Since it's realy confusing to layout my network with words Ill just show you (ignore the periods i just did that to get it to line up right):

....................................... ....................................... ............
~~~~~[M]-------[R]
..........................|------(XPH)  
..........................|---------------(XPP)  
..........................|-----------------------(98.1)  
..........................|
.........................[H]
..........................|-----(98.2)  
..........................|-------------(98.3)  
..........................|--------------------(98.4)  
....................................... ....................................... ............


KEY:
"--- OR | "....................................... ...............Denotes LAN

"~~"....................................... ...............Denotes Ethernet

"M"....................................... ....................Ethernet modem

"R"....................................... ...................................Rout er

"H"....................................... ....................................... .Hub

"(XPH)"....................................... .........XP Home Computer

"(XPP)"....................................... XP Profesional Computer

"(98.1, 98.2, 98.3 etc.)"..........Windows 98se computer 1, 2, 3 etc.

........................Computers that wont talk to the (XPH)

....................Computers that will talk to EVERY machine




This problem just kinda appeared outa the blue on the 11th of this month (July) and I could always access the shared doc's on the XPH from every machine except the flukey 98 untill then. All IP adresses have been confirmed to be non-conflicting and it's not the hub or the cables from it to the router because as you can (hopefully) see on the diagram I have a 98 machine connected to the hub that CAN and DOES talk to the XPH all the time even when the two can't. I've also tryed swapping ports on the hub just to see if that helped and it didn't. It's also not the cable from the XPH to the router, because I can ALWAYS access other machines FROM the XPH, even when the two cant access the XPH. And It's not the cables from the two 98 machines either because I can ALWAYS access all the other machines, except the XPH from the two even when I can't access the XPH. Now this is an intermitant problem mind you, every now and again I can access the shared docs on the XPH from the   machines but this is rare.

Any ideas?

[merlin_2]

Faulty nic cards maybe? what hapens if disconnect 98.4 and connect it to 98.2.......i would have used wxp as the server myself....

[Redeyes_Gambit]

well it can't be faulty NIC on the XPH, 'cause only the two cant access it (the others can). and even when it is unaccessable by the two the XPH can still get on the internet and browse every other machines shared docs.

And it can't be a faulty NIC on either the 98.2 or 98.3 because when they can't access the XPH they can still access the shared docs on eachother or the 98.1 or the 98.4 or the XPP.

As for using the XPH as a server, that would mean I'd have to leave the XPH on whenever I wanted to get on the net with any of the other machines which I realy don't wan't to have to do (it may be fine for what somebody else needs, it's just not my prefrence). Right now none of them depend on the other 'cause they all connect to the router either directally, or through the hub which is then connected to the router (it's only a 4 port router wich is why the hub is connected to the router in the first place.).

[merlin_2]

check bindings.......control panel click the network icon click the nic adapter click properties is the box ticked.....

[Redeyes_Gambit]

on the two 98's that are having trouble... yes, the boxes are checked.

As for the XPH I can't find the bindings thing   .

[merlin_2]

ok go back to the network spalsh box...click on client for
msoft networks......properties...have a look at the network log on options?the bootom option is that ticked....

[Redeyes_Gambit]

"logon and restore network connections" yes it's checked

[Raptor]

This problem just kinda appeared outa the blue on the 11th of this month (July)

Do you recall installing or reconfiguring any type of software?

[merlin_2]

What response do you get if  you type netstat in the cmd prompt.....or ping the pcs concerned.....

[Redeyes_Gambit]

Yes I can ping all the machines from 98.2 I havent tryed pinging from the 98.3 yet. as for the netstat it gives my computer's name 3 times with an IP adress and then www.computerhope.com (hmm i wounder why that is )

And as for software the closest thing I can remember is Sygate personal firewall. But it would be weird if it blocked only the XPH and let all the others through. Not to mention that the XPH is available SOME of the time. And the 98.2 machine doesn't have sygate installed and it has the same problem.

[pcdoc4christ]

Redeyes:

Please do this for all three of the Windows 98 machines:

1. Click Start and select Run
2. In the Run box, type COMMAND and click OK
3. In the command window, type IPCONFIG /ALL
4. Write down the results for each machine and post them here at the forum

That will tell us if your Internet Protocol Configuration is to blame for the problem.

Regards,
Doc

[Redeyes_Gambit]

Ok, umm... slight problem with that... How do you scroll up in a dos window? Lol  

[merlin_2]

Click on the broken square box and enable full screen mode.....msdos......

[Redeyes_Gambit]

Ok, it says (atleast what I can see, there may be stuff higher up):

ok this is for the 98.2 machine:


DHCP enabled:...................:yes
IP Adress............................: 0.0.0.0
Subnet mask......................: 0.0.0.0
Default Gateway................:
DHCP Server......................: 255.255.255.255
Primary WINS server..........:
Secondary WINS server.....:
lease obtained...................:
lease expired.....................:

1 Ethernet adaptor :

Description.....................: U.S. Robotics 10/100 PCI NIC TX
Physical adress..............: 00-C0-49-55-75-67
DHCP Enabled................: Yes
IP adress.......................: 192.168.#.*** (It gives the last few digits but I dont want my IP floating around the net )
Subnet mask........................: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway...................: 192.168.#.*--- (if you need this info PM me and I'll get it to ya)
DHCP Server.........................: 192.168.#.*---(same as above)
Primary WINS server............:
Secondary WINS server.......:
Lease Obtained...................: 07 15 05 6:35 07 AM
Lease Expires......................:


and heres the 98.4 machine (98.3 is currently in use by another person, I'll try to put that on here later):

(I cant see the DHCP on this machine, goes off the screen and I still can't scroll)
IP Adress............................: 169.254.**.***
Subnet mask......................: 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway................:
DHCP Server......................: 255.255.255.255
Primary WINS server..........:
Secondary WINS server.....:
lease obtained...................: 07 15 05 12:08 16 PM
lease expired.....................:

1 Ethernet adaptor :

Description.....................: Realtek 8139-series PCI NIC
Physical adress..............: 00-50-22-E3-39-45
DHCP Enabled................: Yes
IP adress.......................: 192.168.#.***
Subnet mask........................: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway...................: 192.168.#.*--- (if you need this info PM me and I'll get it to ya)
DHCP Server.........................: 192.168.#.*---(same as above)
Primary WINS server............:
Secondary WINS server.......:
Lease Obtained...................: 07 15 05 12:08 28 PM
Lease Expires......................:

HTH

[merlin_2]

DHCP Server......................: 255.255.255.255
top one

DHCP Server.........................: 192.168.#.*---(same as above

bottom one? that where the fault lies......all should be the same settings....