I have seen your problem bouncing back and forward, but I'am still
trying to stop bpi_general spamming me, and have only just got my eMail
server to 'silently delete' a post that has been happening every minute
since the 3rd. So now I can actually read the rest of the mail.

I have had a number of problems getting tcp/ip to work with Windows 98,
and some sites are still a problem.

My current check list is as follows ( i know you have done some, but
this is building to a FAQ )

1/ Check HOSTS file. I copy one complete file to all machines

2/ Ping both ways, using ip address and host name.
If one works and the other does not, the HOSTS file is not being seen.

3/ IB5.X has a nice diagnostics tool for checking out links. It comes
with Delphi 5 and Builder 4&5. We could do with the same thing
distributed with IB6, but the IB5 version will run quite happily. It's
comdg32.exe.

Again it will work with host name or address, and allows you to select
which protocol to test. The failure reports can be a great help.
This is where I find that host name ( which pinged ) will sometimes not
connect, but ip address is fine. ( Have never found out why, just use
the ip address instead! )
This is the tool that flags any problem with the SERVICES file on the
server.

4/ The final tool in my bag is IB_WISQL from IBObjects ( free from
www.IBObjects.com if you don't have it ). It allows you to enter a
machine name and path to create a connection and allows quick checking
of user names and password. I prefer it to IBConsole as it could not
care less if you are connecting to an IB5.x or an IB6 server.

You have probably tried all this but I have not found a site I can't get
working after running through it.

--
Lester Caine
-----------------------------
L.S.Caine Electronic Services