Specs: Small LAN (6 workstations- 5 Win98SE, 1 New WinXP Pro; 1 file server-NT 4.0) Fully and properly routed/hubbed. Have been using NetBEUI for internal network protocol and TCP/IP for internet stuff (have DSL router plugged into hub). Want to get rid of NetBEUI but don't have a DNS. Can I get the current file server to be my DNS? I've tried several things, to no avail. I don't really know if any of this makes sense or is possible, so if anybody can set me on the right track, I'd appreciate it.

If you are on the internet, don't you have DNS already, maybe through DHCP from the DSL router?

For your internal network you don't need DNS. Just setup WINS on your NT file server, assign static IP addresses on all machines and off you go. You could even do without WINS but you'd probably have to have LMHOST files on all the machines to get the internal machines to see each other.

Wow, you guys are fast (and good). I don't have a DNS from the router because all stations are on static IPs (don't know why). How do I set up WINS and/or LMHOST files? I tried a couple of things but didn't know what to do for WINS and it kept saying I had a blank WINS address or something to that effect. Can I do the ol' generic IP 192.168.0.1 thing for WINS? I have NO idea about WINS or LMHOST (though I'm learning quickly). Thanks.

Check out this Microsoft Link: http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/techresources/commnet/wins/winswp98.asp It will tell you everything you want to know about WINS. Don't be intimidated, it's not that difficult on a small, one server network. Just add the Wins service on the NT Server, give it an address and off it goes. All it does it keep a database of the networks IP addresses and NetBios names. It then resolves names to addresses whenever a network client needs it. That's why clients don't show up in Network Neighborhood without something to resolve the names - addresses (Wins or LMHost). LMHost file is simply a text file that lists the NetBios name on the right side and the corresponding IP address on the left. It's static so if machines get added/deleted it's a pain to change the file on every client. That's the reason for WINS. Does it all automatically. Good luck! Hilbert

You don't need LMHOSTS unless you are using WAN links. NetBIOS will run over TCP/IP, so you can browse the clients as needed.