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No Network Log-In WIndow

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Brode

IS-IT--Management
Nov 22, 2002
45
US
I just connected three home computers with a Linksys Router. Two of the boxes are running Windows ME. One of those is a laptop with a wireless connection. Both of these boxes communicate perfectly, sharing the DSL connection, the printer, and various files. These two machines not only see each other; they also see the third box. But--

The third box is Windows 98 SE. It shares the DSL and the printer without a problem, but it can't see the other two boxes. They aren't visible in its version of Network Neighborhood. I'm thinking that this could be because the third box isn't "officially" logged into the network. That is to say, the log-in window for the network doesn't come up when I boot the machine. (Of course, if I'm not logged in how am I getting on the DSL line?)

Anyone ever encounter a situation like this before? Any suggestions on what to do?

Thanks,

Brode
 
Are all the machines running the same client? Client for Microsoft Networks will produce a log-on screen, but Windows log-on does not. Make sure that they are all running Client for Microsoft Networks.

kimleece
 
Thanks, but yep, Client for Microsoft Networks is the primary log on network for all three.

I don't know if this will suggest anything to anyone, but I've been using a little program called ie-off, which allows you to toggle IE as "part of the o.s." or not. You click on a button and it automatically changes the registry. When I installed the network I had IE toggled "off." This evening I turned it back "on" to see what would happen, and I was immediately asked if I wanted to log off and then log on again. The log-in window appeared, exactly as it should, and I logged in. The result? Network Neighborhood worked properly and I could see and access the other two computers.

Hoping that this change had solved the problem, I rebooted--but again no log-in window and no access to the local network until I toggled IE's connection to the o.s. off again, and then the procedure repeated itself.

In theory I suppose I could continue in this way, but it seems to me that constantly messing with the registry can cause worse problems--and besides, I'd like the system to be working as it's supposed to, without work-arounds.

Curses.

Brode
 
I don't know if it would work but I would try this:-
1.Toggle your ie-off so that you can log-on normally
2.Uninstall ie-off
3.Reboot and see if that produces a normal log-on screen.
4.Re-install ie-off and see if the orginal problem comes back! If it does and step3 produced a proper log-on screen - I would ditch the ie-off.

Like I said - I'm just guessing!!!!

kimleece.
 
ie-off is just a little 112k executable, no uninstall, just a delete. I did as you suggested, but nothing changed. I still can't log onto my network because the window doesn't automatically come up.

What have I missed?

Brode
 
Ok - if that didn't work then i would try uninstalling ALL the network drivers - rebooting - and re-installing.

good luck

Kim Leece.
 
Thanks again, Kim, but I did all that earlier, before I posted my query. Now, though, I'm thinking I've been concentrating on the wrong symptom--because for no reason I can think of the Network Neighborhood is no longer working on one of the other computers either.

The Windows ME box that's wired onto the network shows a log on screen but as of yesterday the other computers can't be accessed from it. So now the only one that can see all the other boxes is the laptop that's got a wireless connection. Could this be a hardware problem?

Thanks,

Brode
 
Okay, it's not a hardware problem because the other two computers can see the ME box that no longer can see them.

That's right, the other TWO. The one that originally couldn't enter Network Neighborhood because it couldn't get the log-in window and enter is now functioning thanks to a workaround I discovered. If I click on start and then log out, when Windows comes back up again it brings up the log in window which I then can click on and enter the network. Not perfect, but close enough.

Now if I could figure out the new problem...

Brode
 
In December of last year I discovered a workaround for my problem of not being able to get into my home network, which seemed to be caused because I couldn't get the login window to appear at bootup.

The workaround was to log out as the original user, at which point I'd be given the chance to log in again as "default user" and the network login screen would appear. Properly logged in, I could then see all the other computers in "My Network" and access the shared files.

But--yesterday I installed a new video card. Different company, new drivers. And since then the login trick hasn't worked. I log out, login again, getting the window--but I still can't see any other computers in "My Network." This of course is driving me nutty.

Any further suggestions?

Thanks,

Brode
 
Well, found another workaround. If I ignore the fact that I'm on dsl and connect to the internet via my dialup the network login screen appears when my password is requested by the dialup. By clicking on that I'm connected via my dialup account AND am on my network once again. Then all I have to do is disconnect, go back to the dsl, and all the computers in the house are one big happy family again.

There's gotta be an easier way!

Brode
 
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