can network only after ping to router

i have 3 comptuers in my home network

1 desktop pc w/ win xp pro
1 laptop w/ win xp pro
1 desktop pc w/ win 98
as far as i know i have all icf off and disabled and uninstalled nav


everytime i shut down windows on the laptop, i can't access the workgroup, although i can see the other computers. i found a way to fix it. first, i ping the router. i then ping desktop 1 and 2 by ip address. i then ping dtop 1 and 2 by name in workgroup. i am now able to share the folders. one thing i noticed is that the first ping to the router or computer is slower than the next time i would ping the same address. is there a way that i can share w/o having to ping all the time? its not a problem for me, it takes 1 min, but for other users, they don't know what they are doing

I suspect if you waited a bit longer the master browser election would finish and one of the boxes would compile the list of pcs so you could browse to the shared resources.

Check out how to use a lmhosts file [its in Help on your PC]. This will preload your pc names and their ip addresses for easier finding.