How do I get W XP and W 98 computers to communicate on my home LAN?

use the ip addresses to connect
i.e.
start- run - \\192.18.1.10\c$

assuming 192.168.1.10 is the ipaddress of one of the computers

"... Is the file system on the XP computer NTFS? ..." ==>  The file system on the XP computer makes NO difference !!   When you read files across the network, all file operations (read/write/open/close) are done by the responding OS.

Be sure all of the PC's are on the same workgroup.   On the '98 machine, go to Control Panel - Network - Identification tab to set the workgroup name.   On XP just right-click on My Computer; select Properties; and click on the Computer Name tab ... if you need to change the workgroup name click the Change button.

Also, be sure you have shared something on the XP computer ==> just pick any folder; right-click; select "Sharing and Security"; and click on the "Share this folder on the network" choice.   Skip the wizard -- just click on the "I understand .. just share it" (not the actual wording) selection.   On the '98 system, be sure you have TCP/IP bindings to your network controller in the network configuration (Control Panel - Network; configuration tab) and be sure File and Print Sharing is enabled (it clearly is since you can see the '98 shares on the XP system).

Thanks garycase for correcting me.
What I wrote does not apply here.
You will have such a problem only if you have a dual boot system having both Win98 and Win xp with NTFS. In this case you won't be able to read the winxp drives from win 98.

I remember when I added the first XP machine to my LAN I had a hard time getting it to see the Win98 machines, too. It saw the Win95 machines just fine, for some reason. It was one of the most-frustrating excercises I can recall. So, be sure the Win98 machine has a 'name' in Network Neighborhood's Properties on the Indentification tab (as garycase pointed out). But they do NOT have to be in the same workgroup as long as they're in the same IP subnet... not being in the same workgroups just means multiple workgroups will display when browsing the Entire Network. I also made a user on the XP machine with each LAN machine's name, but if you're setting the shares for 'everyone' rather than only for specific users you won't need to make extra users like that.
Anyway... try this.
Open a DOS command window and do these 3 commands
CD %WINDIR%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
COPY LMHOSTS.SAM *.
EXIT

(And note that's not *.*, but just *. )
Now start up notepad, do File->Open, set the Files of Type to All Files (*.*) and open the lmhosts file (without the SAMple extension) you just made. Read up what it's about, then delete everything in it. Put
W98Name IP.add.re.ss
WXPname IP.ad.dre.ss
# e.g.
# WXP3800 192.168.0.4
# W98P4   192.168.0.8
# comments are like this, but keep to a minimum.
# maybe just a note to remind yourself what it's for

et cetera, using the machine's names as entered on the Identification tabs in Network setups, and their actual IP addresses (they have to be using the same IPs all the time for this to work... if you have them fetching their IPs from a DHCP server, then it needs to give them the same IP every time e.g. based on MAC address), make a line in it for every machine on your LAN. You don't NEED to make a 'public' folder for LMHOSTS to live in like the sample shows unless you want to be able to edit that file remotely (%WINDIR% should not be shared, so generally a remote client couldn't get to it to be able to edit it).
You have to do this because XP does not use NetBEUI (NetBios, yes; NetBEUI, no), so it looks to the LMHOSTS file for local name<->IP associations.
Using UNC mappings kinda like weellio suggested is another option, but maintaining the LMHOSTS file is not that big of a deal. Make one and copy it to all the machines on the LAN. They can all be identical if they're just simple 'name IP' lists. The optional arguments can load down older machines, so I don't recommend it.
NT, 2000, XP and Vista look for LMHOSTS in the ...\drivers\etc folder; WFW and Win9x look for it in the %WINDIR% folder. If you put it elsewhere without specifying the preload[s] and alternate location, and adding the folder to the nullsessionshares list in the registry (as shown in the SAMple file), XP won't find/use it. Hope that helps. :-)

Oh, and make sure you don't have AP Isolation enabled in the Linksys, too. :-)

But if AP Isolation was enabled none of them would be able to talk to any of the others... so that's not likely.

There's another setting to check, also. In Network Connections, select any LAN adapter and click Change settings of this connection. In the Local Area (or Wireless Network, depending on what adapter you selected) Connection Properties dialog that opens, scroll down and click on ''Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)'' then click Properties. In the dialog that opens choose Advanced. On the WINS tab, make sure Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP is NOT checked. I leave mine on the 'Default' setting, and have Enable LMHOSTS lookup checked.
You can also use that dialog to import an LMHOSTS file on new machines you add to your network, but if you haven't made one already then the previous instructions I gave would be better (otherwise you won't have one to import).

Are they seeing each other yet? :-)

OK.  
Set up LMHosts on both the WinXP and Win98 boxes.
Setup user on WinXP box with the Win98 computer name as the user name.
Made sure that the Linksys AP Isolation is not enabled
Tried the ip address mapping (start run - \\192.**.**.**\c$.
Made sure that the Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP is not checked.
Still no joy.  Any other suggestions.  I can ping the WinXP Box using both ip address and computer name, but nothing shows up in network neighborhood on the Win98 Box

Are both systems on the same Workgroup?

... and do you have something shared on the XP box?   If there aren't any shared folders, the '98 box won't "see" the PC (although it should find it if you search for the computer by name).

OK... backup to what garycase said: "Also, be sure you have shared something on the XP computer "

You did right-click on the drive[s] in My Computer and indicate a share[s] on the Sharing tab[s], right?

You should be able to run Windows Explorer on the Win98 box, and using the correct IP for the WinXP box in the \\192.168.*.*\C  (or whatever you named the share on the Sharing tab) command in Explorer's address bar, and the WXP's C-drive should appear in Explorer when you hit Enter or click Go.  Does that work at all?
i.e. don't use the C$ share name; use the name you gave C-Drive on the Sharing tab in place of 'C'.

garycase, they don't have to be in the same workgroup unless they're on different subnets.

That may be true ... perhaps if they have matching account names/passwords ==> but I've resolved MANY sharing issues on home networks by simply putting all systems on the same workgroup.

No... sorry - they do NOT need to be in the same workgroup unless they're in different subnets (or different domains, which aren't too common on home LANs either).

All the XP machines on my LAN see all 3 different workgroups ('Home' 'Work' and 'Workgroup') just fine when browsing My Network Places -> Entire Network -> Microsoft Windows Network.
And they all see the Win98se machine I'm typing on right now, too. I only setup one XP Pro machine with the user=machine name permissions. It quickly becomes too much manual configuration for even a home network.
A good anti-virus (currently I use NAV, but I think I'll try something different when the subs expire) and firewall (8signs) on each one along with SPI firewall in the router is plenty of security.
I didn't start out intending to have 3 workgroups - I was forced into it by the DLink DI-624S router that insists on putting the shared USB drive plugged into it in a workgroup named 'workgroup' with no way to change it... once I had 2 workgroups with no problems, I went ahead and made another... that's how I know they're not necessary most of the time.

But back to 'firewall', I'm just about convinced the Author in this thread has a firewall or some other service blocking the view. Your thoughts?

Frosty555,

I think it does have something to do with the McAfee AV and Firewall, the two 98 boxes see each other just fine.  I will run thru the steps you suggested over the weekend and comment back.

Thanks