Laptop and WIFI problems..

[Nick]

I'm posting in here cos Jiff is very likel gonna go mad if I pester him with anymore questions...

I've got a laptop running Win98SE to which I've fitted an Ebuyer WIFI card.

I had a few problems installing it but on the third go I managed to get everything on and I'm typing this sitting in the garden!

I have a Belkin ADSL wireless router which this lappy is connected to. Upstairs my other PC is WIFI'd into it as well and my main rig is connected through Cat5 cabling.

I have two problems.

The first is that although I can see the lappy from either of the desktop PCs, the lappy can't see them. I'm not running any firewalls on either machine as everything is behind the router, so it can't be that.

As far as the lappy is concerned, there is no network... I want to access stuff on my main rig, but even when I set the relevant folders to shared, nothing shows up. This wasn't a problem when I had the lappy connected through it's wired LAN card, so I dunno what to do there.

The other problem is the start up for the lappy.

I've installed Tweak UI to stop the damn thing asking me for a password and user name everytime it boots, but I keep getting an error message telling me that there was no server to validate my password and I may not be able to access the network. How do I get round this?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Oh yeah, the other machines are all running XP Pro. The lappy is stuck with Win98SE as thats all it can run... its not the newest of machines... but I love it! (cheers JIFF!! )

[Nick]

Ok, I've sorted the LAN out and that's all done, so now its just this error message when I start the lappy up.

EDIT: The actual message is "No domain server is available to validate your password. You may not have access to the network."

Any ideas?

[Moby-Dick]

in the 98 settings you've got client for microsoft networks set as primary login - this looks for a domain controller - change it to windows login and you ought to be ok.

Jiff old laptop was set up to connect to a domain ya see

[Paul Adams]

Are you actually running a domain?
Has this laptop ever been registered in a domain?
Does the laptop have any PPTP or DUN connections?
Do you have NetBIOS over TCP/IP enabled?

Edit:
Ah, seems Mr Moby had inside info

[Jiff Lemon]

And your more than welcome to pester me

[Nick]

Ok, cheers dudes.

I was wondering if I should switch it to windows logon, but didn't want to in case I fubarred it.

I'll give that a crack when I get home.

btw, Jiff... in the Network Properties there's loads of stuff like network adapters, ir port devices and the like. Can I kill these off or should I leave em in there?

[Butuz]

Right Click on "Network Neighbourhood" then click properties. Then double click on "Client for Microsoft Networks" then in the log on validation section untick the "Log on to Windows NT domain" tickbox and click OK. Then whilst still in the "Network" settings box, click on the "Identification" tab and set your "Computer name" to whatever you want it to be, and set your "Workgroup" to whatever your other 2 computers are set to (probably GROUP or WORKGROUP) then click ok your PC will restart.

Now you won't get the nasty domain controller message. And all should be well. Flowers will bloom, elves will sing. etc.

Butuz

[Butuz]

Oh and all you should need in the network properties box are:

Client for Microsoft Networks
TCP/IP
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks

There will aso be an entry for each network adapter card and modem you have. E.g in my case:

Realtek RTL8139/810X Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC

Butuz

[Paul Adams]

"File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" is only required to be enabled if that client is going to share files/printers, btw - if it is just accessing files on other machines, only the "Client for Microsoft Networks" is needed.

[Nick]

ok... got that lot...

And the whole file and printer sahring bit has raised another query...

Everything runs through the router, but my printer is connected to my main rig... can I still print to it from other machines?

[Jiff Lemon]

Yup, share the printer out first of all......

Then connect to it from the other PC's, using start run, \\(PCNAME)\(printername) replacing the (PCNAME) and (PRINTERNAME) with your PC's hostname and the name you've shared the printer as.

[Nick]

Cool... now I have all this knowledge, I'm off to Blue Arrow to get a temp job as an IT monkey on a horrendously high temp rate of pay...