# Home Network Connect w/Windows NT? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 15, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144 "2002-06-15T01:54:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sct-hockeytown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sct-hockeytown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sct-hockeytown)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144/1 "2002-06-15T01:54:25Z")
I have a home network using a Linksys 4-port router and 10/100 ethernet cards in 3 computers. All my computers were Win98 machines … UNTIL I got a new laptop which runs WindowsNT … I have tried to get this new machine to log on my network, but no luck … is there something special that you need to do in setup with WindowsNT? etc? Thanks! SCT-Hockeytown ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144/2 "2002-06-15T02:01:59Z")
Let’s go through some basic steps. If you open a DOS prompt, can you successfully ping 192.168.1.1? If not, do you have DHCP turned on on the NT computer? Or have you assigned all of your Intranet PCs static IPs? And if so, did you set up the NT machine to use those static IPs? ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144/3 "2002-06-15T02:17:53Z")
Even more basic, are you even using TCP/IP? Could it be a domain thing? What do you mean by “to log on my network”? I don’t see why an NT machine couldn’t see other computers on the same workgroup. Finally, does it need NT? Is there a reason it can’t run win98 or xp? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144/4 "2002-06-15T02:39:30Z")
Why would he want to consider changing operating systems? NT has a very decent TCP/IP implementation (having inherited much of it from OS/2) - my UnaServer is NT, and has served more than 60 GB of info to the masses very successfully… ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144/5 "2002-06-15T05:21:32Z")
NT is very stable and I go with what Una said. ---
**Author:** ![sct-hockeytown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sct-hockeytown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sct-hockeytown)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-network-connect-w-windows-nt/114144/6 "2002-06-15T19:18:58Z")
Thanks! I fixed one problem - but created another - I changed the TCP/IP address to “OBTAIN AUTOMATICALLY” and it worked “OK” … I was able to “See” my other computers … but couldn’t see the laptop … soooo I changed the domain and username on the USER-ID … but now the Windows Log-on Screen has got me “locked out” of my computer … It won’t let me start the computer! (I get an input dialog box that asks me for USERNAME and PASSWORD), but it doesn’t recognize any passwords - I actually get a message saying - check your username and domain name and try again – but I can’t get to them!!! - is there a way to re-set the Windows username and domain without getting into windows??! YIKES!