29th May 2001

Back to the network browsing subject, if you're still having problems seeing workstations on your network, and you'd prefer to use only TCP/IP, there are a few things you can do to help things along. First, be sure that you have File and Print Sharing enabled in the network properties window, as this actually allows your PC to partake in the browsing environment. If you're using Windows NT/2K, check the Computer Browser service to ensure it's listed as Started. As long as those two things are in place, and you have addressed the security aspect we covered in a previous tip, then machines on your local network should be visible. As a last resort, you can use the LMHosts file to specify NetBIOS names and their respective TCP/IP addresses. On Win9x PCs, the file named c:\windows\lmhosts.sam. This is a sample file which should be copied to c:\windows\lmhosts (no extension). Under NT/2K, the file resides at winnt \ system32 \ drivers \ etc \ lmhosts.sam, and is also a sample file that must be copied to a file with no extention in the same directory. When you edit the file, the instructions for adding entries will appear, along with a couple of examples at the bottom. Follow the example and make entries for PCs that you'd like to have addressable by their proper names.