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