Re: Windows XP onto win98SE network makes half the 98's disappear

From: Chuck (none_at_example.net)
Date: 02/24/05 

Date: 24 Feb 2005 07:02:07 -0600

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 00:49:02 -0800, "Robert O'Connell"
<RobertOConnell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>Chuck,
>I just want to be sure:
>If I stop the browser service, will the XP machines still be able to browse
>the network assuming one of the 98's has taken the role of Master Browser?
>Or will the XP's lose all ability to see and use the network?

Robert,

Assuming that there are no other network problems, the current Win98 browsers
should be able to handle the workload (up til you introduced the 3 WinXP
computers, Network Neighborhood was correctly showing all computers, right?),
including the 3 new WinXP computers.

Your problem is that you have Win98 and WinXP computers on the LAN, and
computers in both groups are trying to provide browser service. Unfortunately,
the two don't work well together, so you need to disable one or the other.
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winntas/deploy/prodspecs/ntbrowse.mspx>
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/win95/w95brows.mspx>
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=246489

My suspicion is that you can stop the browser service on 3 WinXP computers a lot
easier than identifying and stopping the browse master on up to 19 Win98
computers. Microsoft provided the browstat tool so you can analyse your current
LAN browser structure - unfortunately, browstat only runs on WinNT/2K/XP.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188305

What's the current situation - what can each WinXP computer see in Network
Neighborhood? Does this correspond in any way with the Network Neighborhood
display on the various Win98 computers? 

-- 
Cheers,
Chuck 
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My        email         is          AT         DOT
   actual       address    pchuck       sonic      net.