Ok first I want to say that the TCP/IP appears to be working as any workstation on my LAN can access the Internet and download large files.

The problem happens with the Microsoft networking, when I go to browse a network drive, it takes a long time to update the icon pictures in the directory and sometimes hangs. When I go to access a file over 1 megabyte in size, it either locks up, or freezes for hours, or gives me a network timeout error. For example if I have the WINRAR archive on my 98 workstation, and I want to load it onto my other 98 workstation, it takes a very long time, but I can download it from rarlabs.com in under 15 seconds. The same thing with my Windows 2000 Server and its networked drives. The printer sharing is flakey as well.

I have a DLink DI-604 DSL Router being used as a hub. I have a NetWizard 10Mbit hub being used as a secondary hub. I thought it was the problem, so I pulled the machines off of it and put them directly on the DLink router. The Router has the latest firmware upgrade.

I tried both half duplex and full duplex on the Network cards, no difference. I use Realtek chipsets on two machines, a 3Com on another, and a DavidCom (it is built in) on the 2000 Server. All I know is that they all used to work just fine until a few months ago, and I thought maybe it was only temporary, but it has not gone away.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

I mean besides going to all Linux, or switching to Macs, etc. :)

No SAMBA machines, I believe that I have WINS on my 2000 Server.

LM Announce is on, and Browse Master is enabled for the File and Printer sharing. Does this make a difference?

I changed them as you said, but I still have the problems. What else could be causing it?

I moved one of the systems having problems to a different network, and it works fine.

The only thing I did differently on my home network was update the Dlink router Firmware. All networked devices route through the Dlink router. Could the router be causing the problem? I tried a factory reset but I got the same results.

The DSL Rounter DHCP sets the range from 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.200 and the Static IP of my web server was 192.168.0.2, out of the range of the DHCP. Two Windows 98 workstations use DHCP to get their IP etc, and the Windows 2000 Server was set to a static IP due to Active Directory and the web server, etc.

I cannot find any of the NIC going bad, they work with TCP/IP just fine, I can ping the other IP addresses with no rejections, and no packet losses. Just the Windows Microsoft Network shares that timeout and lock up.

Could it be some setting in the DLINK DSL Router that is blocking the Windows shares? DI-604 Router, has the latest firmware, but after I applied the latest firmware the Windows shares stopped working. I tried resetting to factory defaults, but the same thing has happened.

The machines seem to work on a different network with a different router. Just not on my home network. It boggles the mind!