Win XP losing network configuration

[Grill]

Good evening,
I have our house networked with 4 computers. Mine acts as the server for the other three to the internet. Mine is a 1.2GHz machine running Win XP and I have installed the update service pack.
Things click along fine and then for no apparent reason the network goes down and you have to reconfigure it.
It keeps losing the part where it tells it who the network server is like when it prompts you for "MSHOME" or "FAMILY". It also gets mixed up over how the others connect to the internet, via LAN which is what we have or directly through our ISP instead of through mine. The other computers on the network are a 1 GHz machine running win98SE, a 360MHz machine with WIN XP and a 166MHz running win 95.
Any ideas why it keeps losing the configuration?
Sorry for the long post but trying to give as much info up front as I can.
Thanks,
Grill

 

[Ecniv]

Im gussing you have ICS running and have ypour computer assigning dhcp address' to the others through a hub?

Honestly, ICS just doesnt work well with different OS', now im no expert but i have seen weird stuff happen on ICS when there were different OS'

I would really just recommend getting a router, if your using broadband. Youdont really have that option if your on dial up, but for cable/dsl, its the easiest, and most secure option. Linksys makes a good one relatively cheap.

 

[Grill]

Thanks for the reply.
Yes we are on dial up. And I guess it is assigning IP numbers automatically. I'm not sure what ICS is. We were using Wingate when I had Win98SE on here, but since going to XP it was no longer used.
If I could, I'd take XP off and go back to 98SE. XP is a royal pain.....
Thanks again.
Grill

 

[Ecniv]

if like CC said

hehe, its actually EC, I know, it does kinda look like a C dont it.lol


-Ecniv

ps- just think of Vince, spelled backwards.