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Q246489: Frequent Browser Elections with Windows 95-Based Clients

Article: Q246489
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): WINDOWS:; winnt:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 11-JUN-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows 95 
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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS
========

When you have Microsoft Windows 95-based computers configured in a workgroup
with Microsoft Windows NT 4.0-based computers, Event Viewer may record frequent
browser-election events on that network segment.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior can occur because each of the Windows 95-based computers is
maintaining a browse list for the network segment, causing frequent browser
elections.

RESOLUTION
==========

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems
that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor
incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this issue, designate one of the Windows 95-based computers as the
master browser for the network segment. On all the others, eliminate maintenance
of a browse list. The Windows 95 computer maintaining the browse list for the
network segment should remain turned on at all times.

1. Edit the MaintainServerList value in two registry locations:

  a. Start Registry Editor (Regedit).

  b. Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\Vnetsup

  c. Locate the MaintainServerList value, type "0" (without the quotation
     marks) in the Value Data box, and then click OK.

  d. Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\VNETSUP\Ndi\Params\MaintainServerList

  e. Locate the 'default' value, type 0 in the Value Data box, and then click
     OK.

  f. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

2. Modify the Lmhosts file on the master browser of the network segment by
  adding mappings for the domain master browser. (On a Windows 95-based
  computer, the Lmhosts file is located in the C:\Windows folder.)

  For example, the master browser of the domain named Gotham has the network
  basic input/output system (NetBIOS) name of Batman. Batman uses the Internet
  Protocol (IP) address of 193.177.60.22. Add the following lines to the
  Lmhosts file, substituting your correct information for the names Batman and
  Gotham and for the sample IP address:

  193.177.60.22     Batman     #PRE     #DOM:Gotham 
  193.177.60.22     ''Gotham         \0x1b''     #PRE    

  IMPORTANT: Correct spacing of these entries is imperative. There must be a
  total of 20 characters between the quotation marks. These 20 characters are
  the domain name, plus the appropriate number of spaces to pad up to 15
  characters, plus the backslash (\) as the sixteenth character, plus the
  NetBIOS hex representation of the service type (here, 0x1b).

3. Add the IP address of a Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) server to the
  TCP/IP configuration of all computers on the network segment. The following
  procedure describes how to do this on a Windows 95-based computer.

  a. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click Configuration.

  b. Click TCP/IP-> <adapter name>, where <adapter name> is the
     name of the network adapter, and then click Properties.

  c. Click WINS Configuration.

  d. To configure the WINS server address, do one of the following:

     1. If your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is configured
        to assign the WINS server IP address to DHCP clients, click Use DHCP
        for WINS Resolution.

        The DHCP server on your network must have the following scope options
        configured:

  044 WINS/NBNS Servers
  046 WINS/NBT Node Type

     2. If the computer is using a static IP address, or if it is a DHCP client
        but the DHCP scope is not configured to provide the WINS server
        configuration, manually specify the IP addresses of the WINS servers:

        a. Click Enable WINS Resolution.

        b. Type the IP addresses of the primary and secondary WINS servers in
           the appropriate boxes.

  e. Restart the computer.

MORE INFORMATION
================

For additional information about using an Lmhosts file, please see the following
articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q180094 How to Write an LMHOSTS File for Domain Validation

  Q163409 NetBIOS Suffixes (16th Character of the NetBIOS Name)

Additional query words:

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWin95search kbZNotKeyword3
Version           : WINDOWS:; winnt:4.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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