Win98SE Networking

[Fzara]

Just one small little question:

Is it required to have NETBIOS enabled, and listed as an actual protocol if one were to share files and printers off a LAN?

I dont have it listed, while I have every other protocol listed, and i'm thinking this is probably the problem why I cant ping/connect to this computer.

If it is required...where can I find it through the list? It seems like it is not listed under protocol, service, adapter, or client.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Janak Parekh]

Nope, NetBIOS isn't explicitly listed. There might be an "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP" setting inside the TCP/IP driver's properties, although I'm not sure if that's implicit or explicit in 98SE. In any case, NetBIOS is not needed, from a theoretical standpoint, to do pings -- that's strictly IP.

Anyway, first thing I would do is to run "winipcfg" and see if the machine is getting a legit IP address; if so, see if it can ping the router or whatever other nodes you have on the network.

--janak

[Fzara]

I am able to obtain a valid IP address and I am also able to ping the router.

NetBIOS is also enabled over TCP/IP, and everything works fine except for this computer being able to access the internet.

These are the currently installed protocols:
Client for Microsoft Networks
Microsoft Family Login
Netgear PCI Fast Adapter
IPX/SPX
NetBEUI
TCP/IP
File and Printer Sharing

Everything is binded, TCP/IP is enabled over NetBIOS, file and printer sharing is all enabled, and no firewalls except the router's native NAT are on. What gives?

[Janak Parekh]

First off, you don't need IPX or NetBEUI unless you use them to communicate with computers that aren't using TCP/IP. NetBIOS is also not needed for websurfing, just for file/printer sharing, so that's not your problem (I'd leave it alone, in other words).

Second, find an IP address on the Internet (here's one: google.com has a number of IPs, one of which is 216.239.51.100) -- and try pinging it without using the name.

This'll help determine whether it's a DNS issue or whether you just aren't getting packets routed.

--janak

[Fzara]

It seems like I was not able to ping Google or my friend's computer as well. I also removed the unneccessary protocols, as I guess I did not know what any of them really meant.

[TopDog]

When you used winipcfg... did you see your gateway and DNS-adress? Is it in the same range as your IP-adress?

And the subnet-mask, is it the same as on the router? Let me give you an example:

Local IP: 10.0.0.2
Subnetmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 10.0.0.1
DNS: 10.0.0.1

This is a very normal DSL-router setting.

[Fzara]

Wow. That was fast.

I see everything properly. My IP, 192.168.1.103, my subnet, 255.255.255.0, and my default gateway, 192.168.1.1.

I was thinking of specifiying the DNS server IP's from my router, but I was thinking that could make my machine have a static IP rather than dynamic.

[TopDog]

You may have to spesify your ISP's DNS adress(es) and maybe even their gateway on your router to get internet connection...

[trachy]

I highly recommend Carey Holzman's one-stop-shop for troubleshooting and configuring Win9x networks (http://www.users.qwest.net/~careyh/netfixes.htm). If this guy doesn't help you get your network straight - but he will - check out HomeNetHelp (http://www.homenethelp.com/).

[Fzara]

For some reason, now the Win98SE machine can't ping www.yahoo.com, the router's IP, or the other computer on the network.

I was talking to the lady on the phone at Linsys and she told me to uninstall, boot-up, and then re-install TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and NetBEUI. She told me those protocols, along with file and printer sharing are the only required protocols/services.

Btw Trachy; I tried your resources, and they didnt quite help. Thanks anyway.

Fzara

[Janak Parekh]

For some reason, now the Win98SE machine can't ping www.yahoo.com, the router's IP, or the other computer on the network.
Weird, weird, weird. Try "Release" and then "Renew" in winipcfg, and make sure you get the right address back. (You have configured TCP/IP for DHCP on Win9x, right?)

I was talking to the lady on the phone at Linsys and she told me to uninstall, boot-up, and then re-install TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and NetBEUI. She told me those protocols, along with file and printer sharing are the only required protocols/services.
She's wrong on the latter two counts, but they won't hurt if they're in there.

--janak