Friend with a Problem!!

I have a friend located 2.5 hrs away and just MSNed me. She is setting up a network for the first time and this is the info she has told me:

HER:
"i am having problems with the server

it is running win98 the others are running 2000 professional and it won't share files

well the problem i am having is that it dials out on a modem and is attached to a hub where the rest of the computers are hooked up but it isn't recognizing the link b/n the computer and the hub"

"the server is whats doing the dialing
the server is attached to a phone line that dials out..then it is attached to a hub where there are 3 other computers that need to use the same program and information the server is using with the dial out modem"


Thats what she has told me. Its kind of hard for me to give her some information without being there to look at it myself. Do any have any suggestions?

On the W2K machines make sure you have user accounts on those machines so they have permissoin to share. Next I would check the cable from the server to the hub. If it's not working maybe you got a bad cable or need to switch from a crossover cable to straight through cable. Lastly what internet sharing software are you using on the other machines? Depending on how you have it set up you might check the software or give each machine a separate IP. I would also start with the server and make sure it can connect to the net all by itself. Hope that didn't confuse you too much.

If she's not getting a connect light on the hub then chances are the cable is bad. The NIC could be getting turned off by the OS, though, so it would be beneficial to check the link during POST.

If that's the case, then the NIC drivers should be completely removed and then restart the computer. Install the right drivers and she should be set to go.