When users purchase "office-ready" PCs, the default configuration of
Control Panel's Network applet is often installed with the shotgun
approach to connectivity--load 'em all and something will connect.

In practice, this might work in a very small environment, but when
intermittent problems start appearing or computers stop communication
to each other, it's difficult to discern what is actually at fault. The best
approach is to find out which protocols and services should be
installed to make your PCs connect to the services on the network--and then remove the rest. This will also cut down some of the broadcast traffic on the network.

Make a list of the protocols that are installed on the server computers--print servers, mail servers, fax servers--and PCs that share folders on
an ad hoc basis. With this list, you'll know which protocols are
absolutely essential.

ENABLE PROTOCOLS BY BINDING THEM TO NICs

Protocols are "bound" to network interface cards (NICs) by using the
Network applet in Control Panel. If a protocol is not bound to a card
(or dial-up adapter), it won't run on that transport. If a Windows PC is
having problems connecting to the network, make sure the protocol is bound to the appropriate network card.

To query, open the Network applet in Control Panel and double-click a
NIC. Select the Bindings tab. A list of protocols that are installed on
the computer will appear, each with a corresponding check box. Selecting
the check box enables--or binds--the protocol on that transport. Similarly,
clearing the check box disables it.