doesn't log onto the operating system on boot, win98

I ran across a problem child computer on a peer to peer style network the
other day and was wondering if anyone has ever seen somethignlike it?

It started out as the network icon on the desktop wouldn't apear at all and
several issue were going on the network card. I replaced the NIC with a new
working model and still didn't have any network access (although the icon
was there this time). I checked and removed everythign from the network
properties uninstalled and reinstalled the dialup networking and the other
tcp/ip componants for the NIC. Now I could ping other computers but not see
them on the network. I double checked the file and print settings, saw they
were checkmarked, set the tcp/ip for the NIC to be the default protocall and
installed ipx/spx as well as netbeui. Still no chang in the network
browsing.

I try using the unc names to conect ot he other computers on the network
directly and it was telling me user not loged on. after seeing that i could
use the find utility to find the other computers, and they were accessable
from other systems i decided to log out of the computer and log back in.
Poof everythign was in the network neiborhood and i could access the other
computers. i rebooted and it was the not access again intill i loged off and
reloged in.

I'm not bypassing the login by pressing the escape key or anythign like
that when loging into the computer. It will get internet access (did at all
times durring this ordeal)/ but not network shares untill I logout and then
back in.. I'm at a loss to what is causing this. There are a couple of old
programs that no one can seem to find the install disks for so reloading it
is going to be a last resort. I'm kinda cuious if it can be fixed the rest
of the way now anyways. oh yea, i installed the group policy editor and
check to see if anythign was locked in there. Nothing that I can tell is
wrong and i saved a copy of a policy from another computer that doesn't have
this problem.

Does anyone have any insite to what this problem could be? It doesn't matter
if I'm using client for microsoft network, winodows login, or microsoft
family login it just dses it. Of course I have tryed using the different
login managers in diferent orders and even without the microsof family login
loaded. I have pretty much exhausted the documents I could find at
microsofts site, the wown site and one other popular one that gets posted in
the messages as references in this newsgroup.