Networking between WindowsXP and Windows95/98/ME

When installing a network between a Windows95/98/Me and a Windows XP system,
just make sure that you configure both systems with all required components
(same as for networking between Windows95/98/ME and Windows 2000, see also the
Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q258717 ) :

1) Common protocol: Either install on all system NetBEUI protocol or TCP/IP:

Since the default protocol for
Windows XP is now TCP/IP,
you should also use TCP/IP on
the Windows95/98/ME system.
(for details on the selection/
installation of protocols, please
view the Adjust the Network
Configuration )

Check on TCP/IP properties:
for Windows95, you must
define manually an IP-address,
for Windows98/ME, you can
select to use the Windows 98
TCP/IP AutoConfiguration.
however: since the Windows98
Auto-IP-configuration will cause
a delay at startup, I strongly
suggest to assign manually an
IP-address (use an address from
the range 192.168.x.x with
subnetmask 255.255.255.0 )

test, that you have a working
network connection to the
Windows2000 system by
making the TCP/IP PING test.

Verify the Windows XP Network.
By default, TCP/IP is installed
and configured for an
Automatic IP-configuration.

Although it will not delay the
startup, the network will not
be ready for a while, since the
IP-address will not yet be
defined.
I suggest to define the IP-address
manually, assigning an IP-address
in the same range as defined on
the Windows95/98 system.

test, that you have a working
network connection to the
Windows95/98/ME system by
making the TCP/IP PING test.

2) Install File-and-Printer Sharing:

You need to install the "File-and-Printer Sharing" on Windows95/98/ME as part of the Network configuration.	"File-and-Printer Sharing" is installed already by default, see the Windows XP Network Verification.

3) make sure to be in the same workgroup:

	Check in the Network-Configuration, tab: Identification, that the name of the workgroup is the same as defined on the Windows 2000 system.
	Check in the Properties of "My Computer", tab: Network Identification, that the name of the workgroup is the same as defined on the Windows95/98/ME system. if required, adjust it.

4) Make the resources available by Sharing disks/folders on Windows95/98/ME and by
sharing disks/folders on Windows XP Home Edition / sharing disks/folders on Windows XF Prof.

5) If you used Windows XP professional, create a WindowsXP Username for the user working
on the Windows95/98/ME system:

use Windows XP User Management to create a username and password to be used to logon
on the Windows95/98/ME system.

6) Login on the Windows95/98/ME system on startup with the username and password defined
in the step above, when connecting to Windows XP Professional :

You can use any Username and password to connect to Windows XP Home Edition,
but you MUST define a username (and password, if required) to logon (if you select on the
Windows95/98/ME "Enter Network Password" to "Cancel" or press the "ESC-key", then you
did NOT logon to the network and can NOT use the network ! )

7) the Windows95 "Network Neighborhood" should allow you now to access the
WindowsXP system and the Windows XP "My Network Places" / "Computers Near Me"
access to the Windows:

If you get the reqest to enter a password

on connection to a Windows XP Professional system for the IPC$ resource,
then there is a mismatch between the
username/password and permission
defined on the XP-system and the
username/password used when making
the logon to the Windows95/98/ME
system.