file sharing on a local network

I have a DSL and router for 4 machines (two win98se, one win2k, and
one XP) and all have concurrent access to the internet. I couldn't
get my first win98se machine to share files with my win2k machine (I
posted over there), so, I gave up and decided to just try connecting
the two win98se machines, but, this is so darn confusing that I have
to just give up. Is there any other way?

I have USB2 on all machines. I have firewire 1324 on all machines, I
have lan on all machines. Is there some software out there that will
let me just connect the wires (usb2 to usb2, firewire to firewwire),
and the drives for both machines will appear on each others machines
(using the next available drive letter for each PC), and let me avoid
all the dreaded "access rights", passwords, and all that gobbly-de-
gook. I am only one person here, after all, and I just want to be
able to plug a wire in and see the doggone h/d on the other machine
like I can if I hook up a h/d via the ide-usb2 adapter to the usb2
jack on ANY of all the machines. That is the way it should work -
just plug in the wire and it shows up (using the next available drive
letter). How come it is SO EASY via USB2 and nearly so impossible as
to run off ordinary folks like me in frustrated disgust - this is not
high security airforce or like that - just an ordinary blok tying to
see h/d's between PCs.

So, how about it? Has any programmer out there managed to give us the
same connectivity between PC's that we can get via USB2, either with a
USB2 connection between PC's or firewire?

Thanks, littleberry

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:42:09 -0800, surface9 <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have a DSL and router for 4 machines (two win98se, one win2k, and
>one XP) and all have concurrent access to the internet.

If all have Internet access you're already 90% there.

Set the xp box to use simple file sharing so it will behave in a
similar manner to win98

Create a user account on win2k with the same name you are using to log
onto the other machines on the network.

Disable any firewalls to ensure they aren't (part of) the problem.


Jim.

On Nov 5, 7:33 am, James Egan <je...@jegan.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:42:09 -0800, surface9 <da...@neto.com> wrote:
> >I have a DSL and router for 4 machines (two win98se, one win2k, and
> >one XP) and all have concurrent access to the internet.
>
> If all have Internet access you're already 90% there.
>
> Set the xp box to use simple file sharing so it will behave in a
> similar manner to win98
>
> Create a user account on win2k with the same name you are using to log
> onto the other machines on the network.
>
> Disable any firewalls to ensure they aren't (part of) the problem.
>
> Jim.

Thanks, Jim, I can't believe I'm so befuddled to let that remaining
10% trip me up so badly. What I need to do is to go back to basics -
I'll start with TWO win98se systems, and see if I can those two setup
so that they can see each other's harddrives. Is that a good plan?

The way I have them (all 4 pc's) set up now is that just boot right up
and I am on the internet without having to do anything other than
press the "on" button of the PC. So I don't really grasp the concept
of "logging on to the network". I'm sure my PC's must be doing that
behind the scenes, but, I am not aware of anything I did in that
regard. So, I don't know what name I am using. I do know the name of
my "group" (HOME), and I also know the name of my PC "j" in one
instance, and "e' in another, because those things got set up during
win98se installation.

Is it possible that I am gaining access to the internet (via a wired
router and a DSL modem to AT&T) without logging on to the network? If
you can help me figure out where my name is, I'd appreciate it, and,
what do I need to do to just make these two win98se PC's see each
other's hard drives?

Thanks a bunch, maybe I'll understand this local networking thing in
time.

Littleberry

On Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:51:39 -0800, surface9 <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Nov 5, 7:33 am, James Egan <je...@jegan.com> wrote:
>> On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:42:09 -0800, surface9 <da...@neto.com> wrote:
>> >I have a DSL and router for 4 machines (two win98se, one win2k, and
>> >one XP) and all have concurrent access to the internet.
>>
>> If all have Internet access you're already 90% there.
>>
>> Set the xp box to use simple file sharing so it will behave in a
>> similar manner to win98
>>
>> Create a user account on win2k with the same name you are using to log
>> onto the other machines on the network.
>>
>> Disable any firewalls to ensure they aren't (part of) the problem.
>>
>> Jim.
>
>Thanks, Jim, I can't believe I'm so befuddled to let that remaining
>10% trip me up so badly. What I need to do is to go back to basics -
>I'll start with TWO win98se systems, and see if I can those two setup
>so that they can see each other's harddrives. Is that a good plan?


Yes. Go to control panel -> network and ensure file and printer
sharing is correctly installed on both machines. When you create
shares, keep the share names you use to 12 characters or less and
without spaces.


>
>The way I have them (all 4 pc's) set up now is that just boot right up
>and I am on the internet without having to do anything other than
>press the "on" button of the PC. So I don't really grasp the concept
>of "logging on to the network". I'm sure my PC's must be doing that
>behind the scenes, but, I am not aware of anything I did in that
>regard. So, I don't know what name I am using. I do know the name of
>my "group" (HOME), and I also know the name of my PC "j" in one
>instance, and "e' in another, because those things got set up during
>win98se installation.

Go to shutdown but instead of selecting shutdown there's another
option to log off and log on on as a different user. Log on again as
(say) "user" and leave a blank password.

A blank password here means it should just log on automatically next
time as "user"

Note also that if you have any passwords automatically saved under the
old username you will have to enter them again. Anyway, one step at a
time. Don't worry about that for now.

Try re-starting and ensure that the machine automatically logs on as
"user"

If it doesn't without selecting log off again, then there is a
registry value you will have to zap.

Delete the autologon value in the registry under

HKLM/software/microsoft/windows/currentversion/network/realmodenet

If it re-logs on okay automatically as "user" you can skip this last
bit.



>
>Is it possible that I am gaining access to the internet (via a wired
>router and a DSL modem to AT&T) without logging on to the network?


The username is only for access to your local network. The Internet
doesn't need it.


> If
>you can help me figure out where my name is, I'd appreciate it, and,
>what do I need to do to just make these two win98se PC's see each
>other's hard drives?
>
>Thanks a bunch, maybe I'll understand this local networking thing in
>time.
>
>Littleberry


There are several basic tutorials avaiable on the net. You can find
one at
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/art...ndows_9598ME/#


Jim.