Okay, now that my RJ-45 problem was solved, I have run into another problem:

I have 3 machines on one small network: a 98, ME and a XP.
I don't have the 98 set up yet, but I have the ME and XP up and running, sorta.
THe XP can see the ME, but can not access the folders that are shared, and the ME can not see anything but the folders from another network that is in another place, not even connected to this network (Make sence?).

ANy ideas on how to fix this problem?

Is it XP Home, or Pro?

Me is loaded full of issues, and has problems in a networked environment. If you can, replace that with a copy of XP Pro.

XP Home.
I know I need to have ME replaced with XP. I am tired of all the CRAP that it gives me. What is a good laptop to get?
Right now I am using a Sony Vaio w/ Pentium II, 10GB HD (Sorry, that's all the stats that I can think of off the top of my head)

It depends largely on what you are looking for. New, used? Desktop replacement, or ultra-light? How much money can you afford to dump out. CD-Burning? Wireless? Personally I would recommend Dell laptops, though I'm sure some people in these forums want to hang me for saying that! I bought a three year warranty, and it has been great. I had a bad DVD-ROM, no problem, had a new one shipped out at the end of the second day. I broke one of the battery clips, no worries, they came out on site a couple days later and replaced them. Their customer-support is really incredible. Yes, phone calls do take some time to wait for, but you have to realize that they ARE a huge company. If you are looking for something used, shop around on ebay and see wht kind of a deal you can get. Just make sure that there are NO issues. Dealing with laptop issues is no fun!

ok. but what about my network problem?

I also have the same problem.
I have
1 pc with XP pro (gaming and surfing pc)
2 pcs with win2000 pro (1 is video editing and the other is music editor)
1 pc with xp home (Girlfriends)
and one with win 98se (just old pc for surfin)
one laptop win 2000 pro
lol alot of computers for 2 people.
I cannot share any files on my xp pro and home boxes to any of the other pc's
the win 2000 and 98 pc's can share no problem

This is usually because windows XP uses a different version of the sharing protocol, typically you should be able to load NetBui on all the machines and this allows them to have a common network protocol which should allow them to see each other.

Come to think about it, on the XP machine you can use the 'setup home networking' wizard which will have you make an install disk to use on the 98/ME machine that should make it compatable.

Hello,

In order for your network to function properly, you need 4 conditions met: Physical connectivity, Common Protocol, Connectivity Services, and Sharing permissions.

Physical Connectivity -- are the computers connected to one hub/switch, and none of the connections in the uplink port? Also be sure that the uplink port is not being shared... I have seen some hubs that if you have something else in the uplink port, the port immediately next to it is disabled. Make sure all the NIC cards are seated properly, and proper drivers.

Common Protocol -- Do they all have IP on them, or perhaps NetBIOS (or IPX?)? If IP, are they properly configured? On fella I knew tried to have his machine be an IP number 192.168.1.0, and that is a problem. Are all the subnet masks correct? Also, if you have a firewall (XP has a firewall!), you need to ensure that the ports are open for access. Be very careful if this is an internet machine.... you could be endangering yourself.

Connectivity Services -- on 2000 & XP, you need the server service running, and also need to turn on File Sharing. These may be found in the Network Properties, and the services control panel. All of the boxes need to be "aware" they are sharing. Did you setup the shared folders/volumes properly?

Permissions -- Do you have an account that is authorized to connect and use a share? Do you have NTFS permission to go where you want to?

TO BE HONEST, your best bet would be to make the strongest machine the "server" and store your files there. Otherwise, management will quickly turn into a nightmare. Peer to peer networks are complex operations... and can easily get out of control. If I were you, I would make one box the "server" and tighten down the security on it. You might have to protect it from yourself if a virus runs wild....

Christian