WinME can't browse the home network

I've been wrestling with my roommate's HP. It can't connect to my home network. Have a latop on win98se and my rig on win2k.

I gave each computer common logins, and all are using the client for m$ network. My laptop can share its files, but the HP and my Athlon XP win2k rig cannot. The HP cannot even browse the network. All are on the same workgroup and have unique ID's. They all plug into a 4 port router.

I looked up the HP's error on MS support and found issues relating to vnetbios.vxd

I checked that the .vxd was installed and verified its entry in the registry.

What else could be the problem? WinMe has a network wizard and I've run it. I even made a network disk and ran that on the laptop. But it won't run on my rig 'cuz that network wizard only works in 95, 98, and ME.

Does my win 2k machine need to be configured as a server? It can get files from my laptop, but not vice-versa. I tried to set the permissions for sharing on my win2k rig and can't do it. Is that normal?

All are configured to share files and the HP is set to share its printer. When I search, the win 2k rig can only see the laptop. The Hewlitt crappard can't see either of them, the laptop can only see the 2k rig.

I've never set up a home network before, but I'd like to get it more than 33% operational. If any more info is needed, I'll try to come up with it.

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network

The 2k rig can get files from my laptop. It can't find the HP. And the HP can't find jack. Will have to check that option when I get home and see if its on.

I thought setting up 2 common user accounts would accomplish the same as using the Guest account, only it'd keep anyone else except the home network users from accessing the network. Guess I'll set up the guest account too and see if it helps.

Just to clarify:

HP- has user name x with password x, user name y with password y. Runs Win ME. Shares a folder and a printer. Gets an error when trying to browse the network. Can't locate other rigs on the network with a search. Error appears to match a problem with netbios.vxd, but the M$ fix has not helped.

Laptop- Shares the whole HDD. has user name x and password x, user name y with password y. Runs 98se. Can't find the HP rig. Can find the 2k rig, but can't access the share folder.

My rig- Shares a partition. has user name x and password x, user name y and password y. Runs 2k. Logs in on administrator and admin password z. Can find laptop, but not HP. Can take files from laptop's shared drive when password and user name x or y are entered at the prompt.

All rigs are on the same workgroup and have accounts x and y in common.

HP rig has a network wizard which creates a disk to setup neworking with other rigs. But said disk cannot be run by the 2k machine.

I had the HP able to share from the laptop's drive, but then it quit. The latop still exists as a network place, but cannot be found or accesed- error message.

I setup my network at home and didn't have half of the problems that you guys are having. I didn't have to create the same users on both computers. That is some new information to me.. Could someone go into more detail about the purpose of setting up same user accounts on all the network PCs.