Packet collisions

[Cerian]

2 Win98se and 3 WinXP computers networked. Everything works fine. File sharing between the 98 machines is great but when XP get involved (XP to XP, or XP to 98, or vice versa) I get all kinds of packet collisions. (watching the hub indicator) When doing 98 to 98 there are almost none, but XP has em almost constantly. The transfer rate is still reasonable but noticably slower. MS knowledge center says this is something to do with the interframe gap being shortened but only says it affects 100Mbps networks. My network is only 10Mbps. (old hub-16 ports and it was free)
Any ideas? Thanks

 

[jihiggs]

how many collisions are we talking here? are you going by just the light on the hub?

my computer is so fast, it completes an endless loop in less than 4 seconds!

 

[Cerian]

Completely judging by the hub's indicator light. It seems that it doesn't happen as much when moving small files. eg. 100 1Mb files vs. 1 100Mb file. But with the larger files the light is almost constantly on. With the 98 machines it's blinks MAYBE once and then never again. I can't say how many collisions but I do notice that it slows the transfer down significantly.

 

[jihiggs]

what kind of nic cards are in the xp computers?

my computer is so fast, it completes an endless loop in less than 4 seconds!

 

[Cerian]

3Com 3c905-tx in an XP and a 98 machine. One 98 machine has an SMC EtherPower II and the 2 XP laptops have whatever came integrated. (one's a Compaq 🙁 and one's a Gateway) The 2 98's are home built desktops and the XP desktop is a Dell. The problem doesn't seem to be NIC related. The problem exists whenever XP is involved. Here's a relevent computer make up anyway:
Dell Dimension PIII-800
3C905-TX NIC
Win XP Home

Home built Athlon 1.2GHz (T-bird core)
Abit KT7A Motherboard
3C905-TX NIC
Win 98SE

Home built AMD K6-2 450MHz
Asus P5A Motherboard
SMC EtherPower II NIC
Win 98

Compaq Presario 1700 Laptop PIII-700MHz
integrated Compaq NIC
Win XP Pro

Gateway Solo 1200 Laptop Celeron-800MHz
integrated Gateway NIC
Win XP Home

All NIC's are 10/100. My network is at 10 because my hub is 10 only. The hub is a SynOptics LatticeHub 2803, 16 port

 

[Cerian]

Correction: the 450 machine is Win98SE not Win98. Sorry.

 

[jihiggs]

try just connecting two computers at a time, i have a feeling one of the nics is malfunctioning.

my computer is so fast, it completes an endless loop in less than 4 seconds!

 

[Cerian]

Did that. Doesn't help. Using crossover cable, the computers go a 100Mbps so the collisions aren't as apparant. That and I don't know how to check for collisions at the PC end. I've been through diffent ports on the hub and even tried the hub at LAN parties and didn't have the problem. (Although noone else's computer I checked with had XP on it.) I really think it has something to do with WinXP's networking. I read somewhere that MS reduced the interframe gap from the IEEE standard. I think I may just have to live with it for now. The only thing it really affects is large file transfers. It doesn't occur with gaming or anything else for that matter. Maybe it has something to do with how file sharing ques large files or something.

It doesn't matter which XP machine I use. The packet collisions occur for all 3 of em. (but not on the 2 98's) I highly doubt that all 3 of them are funky.

 

[jihiggs]

you said you had it on a different hub and there was no problem?

my computer is so fast, it completes an endless loop in less than 4 seconds!

 

[Cerian]

no no, I had them on different ports of the hub. Also I had them directly connected to each other via Crossover cable. It was with the crossover cable that the problem wasn't as evident because I don't know how to check for collisions in Windows and also when connected directly, the run at 100Mbps so the slow down isn't as apparant.