>Since you have a mix of Win9x boxes, you'd best be making sure that the Win98 box and not one of the Win95 boxes is serving as the master browser for the network; there are known issues where if a Win95 box is browse master, the network 'disappears' from view periodically. You can fix this from settings in the File and Printer sharing.

Hmmm...Strange, because using the 98 box as a dedicated server with the application installed on it is what causes the problem. When we switch back to a 95 box as server and isolate the 98 box all is weel. Infact it has been running all weekend without any problems. FYI The application is a Fitness Centre(GYM) management program. The part causing the problem is the "check in" Memebers scan their membership cards and the resulting scan is analysed to determine whether the "gate" is opened (third party black box) or whether their membership is invalid for some reason. Depending on the invalidity depends on the action that is generated. Basically the program either "pops" up the members details screen for an operator to view and decide what to do, OR a short message is printed to advise the controller what action to take, for instance, prepare a renewal.

What happens when using the 98 box as a dedicated server is that quite randomly we get the "Network Error - Reading Drive E" Infact "E" is the correct mapped drive from the workstation to the server.

This error causes the entire system to lock up and , only after several attempts can one get out of the "White" error box. Only way to restart app then is to re-boot the w/station.

This "lock up' is entirely random and can happen after one or two scans or only after 40 or 50 or more.

I have recompiled the app making sure that all file references are corrdect and generally "tidying" it up. I plan to re-install this at 6 am tomorrow (we had our long weekend last week<s>) on the 350 Mhz machine and see if this helps.

All very frustrating and client has a fuse about 3m/m long ( ex weight lifter <bg>)


>
>If he were very good, he wouldn't have given you the (IMO) poor advise to use a Win98 box as a dedicated server...NT WS or NT Server would be better for any number of reasons.

Hmmm..maybe?

Regds RM