Network XP Pro with 98

The post above is absolutely the best, simplest way to go. Win98 hates
wireless cards! I think it even hates AdHoc networks even more. I have
the exact same setup running now and I ended up throwing out the
wireless card for the Win98 machine. You just can't get the drivers to
work right. Buy the router for the 98 machine and use wireless for the
XP machines as the previous post noted. Just be sure you turn off the
DHCP in the router, the instructions that it comes with will explain
how to do that. The rest is fairly simple from there especially if your
98 machine has a NIC installed and configured already. The nice
advantage of the router is that if you ever get DSL or cable access you
just plug it into the router, re-enable the DHCP and turn off ICS on the
98 machine and your done!


alifea wrote:
Again, thank you for the info. I will explore all those options and see
which one works best for my friend. I told him he needed to get three
wireless cards and they had to have drivers for Win 98 so it could be used.
We will see how that goes. Might be better as you point out to use a
different option than the Ad Hoc approach. Not sure what you meant by hard
to set up, but I guess I will find that out soon enough. I have set up Ad
Hoc networks with just Win XP when I did not have the Access point working
properly and I have to admit I sort of stumbled into a functioning
arrangement. I figured it was just my inexperience. Perhaps it is more than
that.

Thank you for your time.

Best regards,

Alifea

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" wrote:


In article ,
alifea wrote:

I need to set up a network with XP Pro on two machines with the third having
98. The 98 machine is to have the printer and dial up connection. Internet,
file and printer sharing are desired.

Any suggestions on how to go about establishing the network?

Does the 98 machine have the original version of Windows 98, or does
it have Windows 98 Second Edition (98SE)? Second Edition can share
its Internet connection with other computers, but the original version
can't.

If possible, I strongly recommend using one of the XP Pro machines to
host the dial-up connection, not 98SE. XP's version of Internet
Connection Sharing (ICS) is easier to set up and much more reliable
than the version in 98SE.

To use 98SE as the ICS host and XP Pro as the clients, follow the
steps in these web pages:

ICS Installation [Win98SE]
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...icsinstall.htm

XP ICS - Client Setup Using the Network Setup Wizard
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/.../clientwiz.htm

To use an XP Pro computer as the ICS host and 98SE and XP Pro as the
clients, follow the steps shown he

Thank you very much for the info.

The network will be for a friend of mine who is buying two new machines for
his twins and has the old machine with the modem and printer, etc on it.
Thus, the Win 98 machine will default as the internet connection point. This
part of planet earth does not have ready access to broadband yet, so dial up
it is.

I presume I will need wireless cards in each, but would an access
point/router be required (or recommended) even though the internet connection
is through the third computer and not the access point/router?

You're welcome. Here are some ways to set things up with wireless
networking:

1. Create an Ad-Hoc wireless network between the three computers,
without the need for a wireless access point or router. Each computer
would require a wireless network adapter. However, Ad-Hoc is hard to
set up, and it can be hard to find a wireless network adapter that
works reliably with Win98.

2. Connect a wireless access point to an Ethernet adapter on Win98 and
use ICS.

3. Connect a wireless router's LAN port (not its WAN/Internet port)
to an Ethernet adapter on Win98, use it as a wireless access point
only (disabling its routing capabilities), and use ICS. To use a
wireless router as an access point only, disable its built-in DHCP
server and assign its LAN interface a static IP address in the same
192.168.0.x subnet that ICS uses.

4. Avoid the need for ICS by getting an Ethernet-equipped dial-up
modem like this one:

http://www.actiontec.com/products/br...odem/index.php

Connect it to the WAN/Internet port of a wireless router. Connect the
three computers to the router using wired or wireless connections.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" wrote:

In article ,
alifea wrote:
I need to set up a network with XP Pro on two machines with the third having
98. The 98 machine is to have the printer and dial up connection. Internet,
file and printer sharing are desired.

Any suggestions on how to go about establishing the network?

Does the 98 machine have the original version of Windows 98, or does
it have Windows 98 Second Edition (98SE)? Second Edition can share
its Internet connection with other computers, but the original version
can't.

If possible, I strongly recommend using one of the XP Pro machines to
host the dial-up connection, not 98SE. XP's version of Internet
Connection Sharing (ICS) is easier to set up and much more reliable
than the version in 98SE.

To use 98SE as the ICS host and XP Pro as the clients, follow the
steps in these web pages:

ICS Installation [Win98SE]
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...icsinstall.htm

XP ICS - Client Setup Using the Network Setup Wizard
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/.../clientwiz.htm

To use an XP Pro computer as the ICS host and 98SE and XP Pro as the
clients, follow the steps shown he

Thank you very much for the info.

The network will be for a friend of mine who is buying two new machines for
his twins and has the old machine with the modem and printer, etc on it.
Thus, the Win 98 machine will default as the internet connection point. This
part of planet earth does not have ready access to broadband yet, so dial up
it is.

I presume I will need wireless cards in each, but would an access
point/router be required (or recommended) even though the internet connection
is through the third computer and not the access point/router?

You're welcome. Here are some ways to set things up with wireless
networking:

1. Create an Ad-Hoc wireless network between the three computers,
without the need for a wireless access point or router. Each computer
would require a wireless network adapter. However, Ad-Hoc is hard to
set up, and it can be hard to find a wireless network adapter that
works reliably with Win98.

2. Connect a wireless access point to an Ethernet adapter on Win98 and
use ICS.

3. Connect a wireless router's LAN port (not its WAN/Internet port)
to an Ethernet adapter on Win98, use it as a wireless access point
only (disabling its routing capabilities), and use ICS. To use a
wireless router as an access point only, disable its built-in DHCP
server and assign its LAN interface a static IP address in the same
192.168.0.x subnet that ICS uses.

4. Avoid the need for ICS by getting an Ethernet-equipped dial-up
modem like this one:

http://www.actiontec.com/products/br...odem/index.php

Connect it to the WAN/Internet port of a wireless router. Connect the
three computers to the router using wired or wireless connections.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" wrote:

In article ,
alifea wrote:
I need to set up a network with XP Pro on two machines with the third having
98. The 98 machine is to have the printer and dial up connection. Internet,
file and printer sharing are desired.

Any suggestions on how to go about establishing the network?

Does the 98 machine have the original version of Windows 98, or does
it have Windows 98 Second Edition (98SE)? Second Edition can share
its Internet connection with other computers, but the original version
can't.

If possible, I strongly recommend using one of the XP Pro machines to
host the dial-up connection, not 98SE. XP's version of Internet
Connection Sharing (ICS) is easier to set up and much more reliable
than the version in 98SE.

To use 98SE as the ICS host and XP Pro as the clients, follow the
steps in these web pages:

ICS Installation [Win98SE]
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...icsinstall.htm

XP ICS - Client Setup Using the Network Setup Wizard
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/.../clientwiz.htm

To use an XP Pro computer as the ICS host and 98SE and XP Pro as the
clients, follow the steps shown he

Thank you very much for the info.

The network will be for a friend of mine who is buying two new machines for
his twins and has the old machine with the modem and printer, etc on it.
Thus, the Win 98 machine will default as the internet connection point. This
part of planet earth does not have ready access to broadband yet, so dial up
it is.

I presume I will need wireless cards in each, but would an access
point/router be required (or recommended) even though the internet connection
is through the third computer and not the access point/router?

You're welcome. Here are some ways to set things up with wireless
networking:

1. Create an Ad-Hoc wireless network between the three computers,
without the need for a wireless access point or router. Each computer
would require a wireless network adapter. However, Ad-Hoc is hard to
set up, and it can be hard to find a wireless network adapter that
works reliably with Win98.

2. Connect a wireless access point to an Ethernet adapter on Win98 and
use ICS.

3. Connect a wireless router's LAN port (not its WAN/Internet port)
to an Ethernet adapter on Win98, use it as a wireless access point
only (disabling its routing capabilities), and use ICS. To use a
wireless router as an access point only, disable its built-in DHCP
server and assign its LAN interface a static IP address in the same
192.168.0.x subnet that ICS uses.

4. Avoid the need for ICS by getting an Ethernet-equipped dial-up
modem like this one:

http://www.actiontec.com/products/br...odem/index.php

Connect it to the WAN/Internet port of a wireless router. Connect the
three computers to the router using wired or wireless connections.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

Steve,

Thanks for the tip. Not sure what you mean when you say turning of the SSID
broadcast makes it harder to connect the wireless machines to the network.
With the SSID and WEP key entered in the wireless card configuration, does
broadcast of the SSID matter? I thought having the SSID broadcast would
permit others to attempt to log on to the network and this would slow
wireless performance (with or without hackers). That was why I turned off
the SSID. Mainly to reduce performance hits from neighbors machines
automatically attempting to log on to a stronger signal. Not for security
per se.

On another note, the XP machine which had issues with the printer setup has
problems with performance and would not connect to the internet with the
hardwired Win98 machine turned off. Could this be due to browser master
auctioneering as I have read mentioned in other threads?

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Alifea

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" wrote:

In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

Steve,

Thanks for the tip. Not sure what you mean when you say turning of the SSID
broadcast makes it harder to connect the wireless machines to the network.
With the SSID and WEP key entered in the wireless card configuration, does
broadcast of the SSID matter? I thought having the SSID broadcast would
permit others to attempt to log on to the network and this would slow
wireless performance (with or without hackers). That was why I turned off
the SSID. Mainly to reduce performance hits from neighbors machines
automatically attempting to log on to a stronger signal. Not for security
per se.

On another note, the XP machine which had issues with the printer setup has
problems with performance and would not connect to the internet with the
hardwired Win98 machine turned off. Could this be due to browser master
auctioneering as I have read mentioned in other threads?

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Alifea

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" wrote:

In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

In article ,
alifea wrote:
In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.

Steve,

Thanks for the tip. Not sure what you mean when you say turning of the SSID
broadcast makes it harder to connect the wireless machines to the network.
With the SSID and WEP key entered in the wireless card configuration, does
broadcast of the SSID matter? I thought having the SSID broadcast would
permit others to attempt to log on to the network and this would slow
wireless performance (with or without hackers). That was why I turned off
the SSID. Mainly to reduce performance hits from neighbors machines
automatically attempting to log on to a stronger signal. Not for security
per se.

Yes, you can connect to a wireless network that isn't broadcasting its
SSID, using stored setup information. However, it's harder to do than
when the SSID is broadcast:

1. If your computer is configured to connect to more than one network,
it might connect to one that's broadcasting instead of the one that
isn't. I have two wireless networks, and that's what happened when I
did a test.

2. It might take more than one attempt to connect.

3. If your computer loses the stored setup information, you probably
won't be able to connect at all until you enable SSID broadcasting.

I don't see how neighbors attempting to connect to your wireless
network could have a noticeable effect on your network's performance.
I assume that you've enabled encryption so that your neighbors can't
actually connect.

On another note, the XP machine which had issues with the printer setup has
problems with performance and would not connect to the internet with the
hardwired Win98 machine turned off. Could this be due to browser master
auctioneering as I have read mentioned in other threads?

Browse Master has nothing to do with Internet access. It only affects
file and printer sharing.

I don't know of any way that having one computer turned off could
affect another computer's Internet access through a router.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome!
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

In article ,
alifea wrote:
In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.

Steve,

Thanks for the tip. Not sure what you mean when you say turning of the SSID
broadcast makes it harder to connect the wireless machines to the network.
With the SSID and WEP key entered in the wireless card configuration, does
broadcast of the SSID matter? I thought having the SSID broadcast would
permit others to attempt to log on to the network and this would slow
wireless performance (with or without hackers). That was why I turned off
the SSID. Mainly to reduce performance hits from neighbors machines
automatically attempting to log on to a stronger signal. Not for security
per se.

Yes, you can connect to a wireless network that isn't broadcasting its
SSID, using stored setup information. However, it's harder to do than
when the SSID is broadcast:

1. If your computer is configured to connect to more than one network,
it might connect to one that's broadcasting instead of the one that
isn't. I have two wireless networks, and that's what happened when I
did a test.

2. It might take more than one attempt to connect.

3. If your computer loses the stored setup information, you probably
won't be able to connect at all until you enable SSID broadcasting.

I don't see how neighbors attempting to connect to your wireless
network could have a noticeable effect on your network's performance.
I assume that you've enabled encryption so that your neighbors can't
actually connect.

On another note, the XP machine which had issues with the printer setup has
problems with performance and would not connect to the internet with the
hardwired Win98 machine turned off. Could this be due to browser master
auctioneering as I have read mentioned in other threads?

Browse Master has nothing to do with Internet access. It only affects
file and printer sharing.

I don't know of any way that having one computer turned off could
affect another computer's Internet access through a router.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome!
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

Just a follow up comment on the master browser. I took the XP machine that
had trouble connecting and changed it's workgroup name so that now each
machine has a different workgroup name. Basically, I have a network of three
workgroups. I no longer have problems with the second XP machine not
connecting to the internet for an extended time on startup when the first XP
machine is already running. I believe this confirms the master browser as
the issue. Originally, both XP machines were on the same default workgroup,
and the 98 machine was on it's default workgroup.

Now I am trying to determine just exactly why one would want to connect
machines in a common workgroup when it is not necessary for file or printer
sharing. I suppose network security and maintenance are good reasons.

Regards,

Alifea

"Steve Winograd [MVP]" wrote:

In article ,
alifea wrote:
In article ,
alifea wrote:
Just an update. As it turns out, the final product was a DSL setup with a
router and two wireless clients. The XP machines were wireless, the 98
hardwired. Had difficulty with the auto install of the drivers for the 98
network card, but otherwise the network setup went smoothly.

Getting the printer to work was a different story. The wireless network was
setup without the wired machine for a week. After I got an NIC for the 98
machine and got it running, I went into the wireless settings and turned off
broadcast of the SSID, changed the admin password, saved settings, etc. At
the time only one XP machine was running. The printer setup worked well for
that, but the second machine would not recognize the wired machine's printer.
Finally remapped the wireless connection on that machine and was then able
to map the printer.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome. I'm glad that you got everything working.

I don't recommend turning off SSID broadcast. That makes it harder to
connect your own computers to the wireless network, and hackers can
easily discover your network, using widely available tools, even if
SSID broadcast is off.

Steve,

Thanks for the tip. Not sure what you mean when you say turning of the SSID
broadcast makes it harder to connect the wireless machines to the network.
With the SSID and WEP key entered in the wireless card configuration, does
broadcast of the SSID matter? I thought having the SSID broadcast would
permit others to attempt to log on to the network and this would slow
wireless performance (with or without hackers). That was why I turned off
the SSID. Mainly to reduce performance hits from neighbors machines
automatically attempting to log on to a stronger signal. Not for security
per se.

Yes, you can connect to a wireless network that isn't broadcasting its
SSID, using stored setup information. However, it's harder to do than
when the SSID is broadcast:

1. If your computer is configured to connect to more than one network,
it might connect to one that's broadcasting instead of the one that
isn't. I have two wireless networks, and that's what happened when I
did a test.

2. It might take more than one attempt to connect.

3. If your computer loses the stored setup information, you probably
won't be able to connect at all until you enable SSID broadcasting.

I don't see how neighbors attempting to connect to your wireless
network could have a noticeable effect on your network's performance.
I assume that you've enabled encryption so that your neighbors can't
actually connect.

On another note, the XP machine which had issues with the printer setup has
problems with performance and would not connect to the internet with the
hardwired Win98 machine turned off. Could this be due to browser master
auctioneering as I have read mentioned in other threads?

Browse Master has nothing to do with Internet access. It only affects
file and printer sharing.

I don't know of any way that having one computer turned off could
affect another computer's Internet access through a router.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Alifea

You're welcome!
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm