Requirements to Browse Network with Windows 95/98/Me Dial-Up Networking Client

This article describes the requirements to view (or browse) other computers on the network from a Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition (Me) client using a Dial-Up Networking connection.

There are three methods by which a Windows client logging onto a network with a Dial-Up Networking connection can browse other computers on the network.

Method 1

Before making a Dial-Up Networking connection to the network, select NetBEUI or IPX/SPX as the default network protocol. These protocols act as a gateway, allowing the Windows 95 client to browse other computers on the network.

Method 2

If you want to use TCP/IP as your network protocol, enable the WIN Server (WINS) service on the Dial-Up Networking server to which the Windows 95 clients connects. Disable WINS if it is installed on the Windows 95 client. To disable WINS, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Network icon.
3. On the Configuration tab, click TCP/IP, and then click Properties.
4. On the WINS Configuration tab, click Disable WINS Resolution.
5. Click OK, and then click OK.

Method 3

With WINS disabled, you need special LMHOSTS entries that designate all the domain controllers. To do this, use the following convention where <MyDomainController> is the name of the primary domain controller for a domain whose resources you want to browse, and 199.199.199.1 is the IP address of the primary domain controller.

For additional information about LMHOSTS files, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: