i'm setting up some older boxes i have for repetitive processing of files sent from an xp box. the older boxes are linux and set up running mandriva 2007.1 spring, each with samba 3.0.24 server running. i also have a macpro in this small network. the macpro has no problem logging in to all of the samba boxes at the same time. xp (home) can only see one at a time though. if i turn on the xp box it seems to randsomly select which of the samba boxes it will choose to have accessible. each of the samba boxes has a name like 'processing-01', each numbered sequentially so each is unique. as i say, this all seems to work fine from the mac. if i only turn on one samba box at a time i have no problem seeing each. it's when there's more than one on at a time that i realize i can only see one. in other words, each samba box is accessible to xp, but only if it is the only samba box on the network i can only ping the first samba box, processing-01. the others all time out. please help. let me know what other info might be useful in trying to get the xp side running as smoothely as the mac side does. thanks, BabaG _________________________________________________________________ Climb to the top of the charts!?Play the word scramble challenge with star power. http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_jan