Can't link XP and 98SE PCs via p2p wireless lan

[Lol]

I am having problems linking an XP and a 98SE PC via a wireless peer to peer LAN using Belkin FSD6001 cards:

The setup:
Installed Belkin FSD6001 on both PC's (XP & 98SE)
Set up a home / office LAN on the XP box; as part of this process the system asks if I want to create a network disk - I say Yes.
Install Network disk on 98 PC.
Check the Belkin profile settings to ensure that both PCs are running in peer to peer mode.

The results:
Both PC's tell me that they are connected to a network with the same name and that the signal strength is excellent.
In Windows Explorer within Network Neighbourhood both PC's display the network as being present but only show one PC as a member of the network; in otherwords the XP PC (called Office) shows that a PC called office is on the network but does not show the 98 PC (called Shop).
When I search both PCs for the other PC the results come back as blank.

All responses gratefully received!!!

Lol

[M/Q]

Welcome to the forum. First I have linked two sites that have pretty good step by step for setting up an Ad-Hoc network and setting up file and printer sharing.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/bowman/02april08.asp

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_filesharing/

If those are already inplace then you may have a few things that are blocking the network links. I asume that all the wireless configuration is OK, if you followed the above procedures. The computers have to belong to the same workgroup, do they? Do the computers use any firewall software, third party and in the case of the XP machine there is a Windows firewall? Are there any other Internet security suites on either of the computers? I will let you check out the links and see if there is anything helpful.

[Lol]

Hi mpkn3rd

Thanks for the tips - the MS Expert Link zone looks particularly useful - I'll give it a go and post feedback on whether I was successful.

Lol

[Lol]

Hi

Thanks for the links but so far no luck.

On my XP machine all appears to be fine (which does not necessarily mean that it is of course). I seem to have the network configured correctly and Netbios is running. In Explorer I can see my workgroup within Network Neighbourgood and the XP machine but not the 98 machine.

The 98 machine has been nothing but troble - I have found a virus on it which has now been removed, I have re-installed 98, re-installed the network drivers for my wireless network card and reinstalled the network setup PC created by the XP machine.
Now when I select Network Neighbourgood in Explorer I get the message that no networks exist and that I should use the help facility, which is no use to man nor beast!

Any other ideas?:mad:

[M/Q]

I have never been a big fan of the setup disk. Can you remove that and setup the ad hoc configuration manually? You did not mention if you are using any firewalls? Did you check the card in the Windows device manager to see if the card (both machines) and drivers are functioning correctly? If you could, let us know what the exact wireless setup is, and what the TCP/IP settings are for each machine. Also, do you know how to ping an address. If so ping 127.0.0.0 on both machines as well.

[Lol]

I do not have a firewall and the devices and drivers appear to be ok.

I can ping the 98 box (169.254.210.73 - see below) from the XP box but not the other way around.
When I ping 127.0.0.0 from both boxes I get the response that the destination is invalid.
I am using (trying to use...) Belkin wireless network cards in each PC and therefore there are no cables involved and no router.
When running IPConfig on the 98 box I get:

0 Ethernet adapter
IP address: 0.0.0.0
Subnet mask: 0.0.0.0
Default gateway: [Blank]

1 Ethernet adapter
IP address: 169.254.16.39
Subnet mask: 255.255.0.0
Default gateway: [Blank]

2 Ethernet adapter
IP address: 169.254.210.73
Subnet mask: 255.255.0.0
Default gateway: [Blank]

When running IPConfig on the XP box I get:

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection
Connection specific DNS suffix: [Blank]
Autoconfiguration IP Address: 169.254.225.39
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
IP Address: fe80::230:bdff:fe4e:246d%4
Default gateway: [Blank]

Ethernet adapter Local Area Network
Media state: Media disconnected [This PC has an unused ethernet network card]

Tunnel adapter automatic tunneling pseudo-interface
Connection specific DNS suffix: [Blank]
IP Address: fe80::5efe:169.254.225.39%2
Default gateway: [Blank]

I am not using any firewalls.
I'm afraid I'm not sure how to remove the network set up by XP as I can not see this anywhere on the 98 box, similarly I am not sure how to set this up manually.
(I'm a software test manager by profession and this set up would fail any of my basic usability tests!)

[M/Q]

OK, very good information, your two computers are not talking to each other as they are on different networks. So, I would like you to go into the device manager on both computers and make sure that the Ethernet card is disabled. Then you need to go to the TCP/IP configuration of the wireless card in each of the computers as well. We are going to setup static IP addresses. Check that box in the TCP/IP properties and then use the IP address of 192.168.1.10 and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. In the TCP/IP properties of the other computer do the same and use 192.168.1.11 and subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Remember on the wireless card TCP/IP properties.

Then setup the wireless connection correctly for both computers, WEP is off and you should be able to ping each other and see the computer on the network, if they are in the same workgroup.

[Lol]

Thanks for the next steps - I can only get back onto the boxes Friday nights, I'll follow the advice then

[Lol]

I've followed the guidelines and confirmed the successful update of the IP addresses through IPCONFIG but am still getting the same result: XP can ping 98 but 98 can't ping XP.

Where does one set WEP off?

[M/Q]

When you say IPconfig are you saying that you use that on the Win98 machine?
As that is not a command for Win98

Have you tried switching cards and seeing if the situation changed?

WEP is in the wireless client configuration and disable it for now.

Also if you can list the information again about the two wireless TCP/IP configurations that might help.