re: Question about 'Getting Network Neighborhood to recognize newly attached computers'
Monday, March 21, 2005 at 10:41 am
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Ron Wingfield
(3 messages posted)
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Be glad to. I will describe the solution that I discovered and also suggest another
bullet item for the suggestions provided by this article:
"Getting
Network Neighborhood to recognize newly attached computers"
First, "R&R" is a common shop term for "Remove and Replace" or some combination
of "remove, replace or repair".
The two systems that I was trying to network at the time that I submitted my question
were two similar Windows/98 boxes, one Compaq 1610 Presario Notebook, and the problem
child was a Compaq 4508 DeskTop. Nothing sexy, but as I mentioned before, all was
well prior to the R&R of the CDROM.
The LAN is a small intranet connected via a Cayman 3220 Router, configured as
a simple router, to which is attached is a Unix based server running FreeBSD v4.8,
an HTTP server (Apache v2.0.28), DNS & BIND, et al. The HTTP server, which also
runs several virtual hosts, requires a static IP address (so that the outside world
can find it); therefore, all Windows workstations are assigned static IP addresses;
consequently, DHCP cannot be used in the configurations. Finally, the router is
connected to the internet via an ADSL wire.
The Solution.
First, not until I temporarily gave up and proceeded with the installation of
Windows/XP64 Beta on an Athlon 3400+ box, have I really understood the significance
of the "Enter Password to Logon to Windows" prompt that always appears when
starting up a Windows/98 system. I've always used a password, but never really appreciated
the significance. (After all, . . .even if you just cancel the prompt, you can still
access the internet via the LAN.) Note however, that Windows will not network with
itself if you do not "Logon to Windows". In other words, the "Network Neighborhood"
scenario will not find or acknowledge any Windows system that is not logged-on per
the Windows "network scenario". The Windows documentation is less than enlightening
on the subject.
Also, as I struggled with the XP64 Beta installation (my first real use of any
version of XP, I might add), I began to realize that the term or concept of "domain"
means something different to the Windows culture than the rest of the TCP/IP world
(why, I don't know, but that's for another argument). Regardless, I stumbled around,
trying and always failing to successfully add my internet domain name to the Windows/XP64
networking scenario. The solution here was not to use the "domain" name. Why? .
. .because I'm not running an intranet on a "Windoze" server.
The problem that I was having with the Compaq desktop box involved some aspect
of the installation or modification of the TCP/IP Network Protocol Component that
must have occurred years ago (I have run CISCO VPN for Client, NetSoft Elite-Administrator
and Affinity Systems 5250 Emulator for access to IBM OS/400 successfully on both
the desktop and notebook). The only difference that I could ascertain between the
desktop and notebook network configurations was that the TCP/IP component on the
desktop system was displayed as shared, i.e., "TCP/IP (shared)". How this came to
be, I have no idea. Everything, and I mean everything including R&R of the NIC
indicated all functioning properly. I have never read in the online Windows documentation
that the TCP/IP component can be "shared" or otherwise be displayed as shared. For
that matter, shared with what? One would think that sharing of the TCP/IP component
would be implicit with any host or client that needed it. Regardless, it occurred
to me that I could delete the component and add it back. When I did so, everything
works as advertised. Problem, but not the mystery, is solved.
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