"Do I have to make accounts on my linuxbox and smbpasswd reflecting the Windows system names <???>"
Exactly right. Also, after making changes wait a bit. WINS is a protocol that takes a bit to talk to ther computers and establish connections.
How is your network setup? DHCP or static addresses? Try giving your Samba box a static IP address. Set it up as a WINS server. Define it as the WINS server in your Windows client's network settings. Make doubly sure you're restarting samba after every change you make to your smb.conf by running /etc/init.d/smb restart.
It sounds like your boxes can see the Samba ox but they don't have the right login names on the Samba box. Can you ping the Samba box from your Windows clients? In XP, when I hada problem similar to yours, I coud connect as another user and I used root and all was well until I made the smbpasswd entries. Remember, you need to make the users first on your Linux box itself before you add them on Samba. Here's my smb.conf
path = /var/spool/cups
passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
domain master = True
printing = cups
dns proxy = No
null passwords = Yes
encrypt passwords = Yes
valid users = bax morbo amy nobody
invalid users = root
wins support = true
printcap name = /etc/printcap
max log size = 1000
hosts allow = 192.168.1.
obey pam restrictions = Yes
passwd chat = *Enter\snew\sUNIX\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\sUNIX\spassword:* %n\n .
username level = 8
map to guest = Bad User
security = user
message command = /bin/sh -c '/usr/bin/linpopup
server string = %h server (Samba %v)
workgroup = SHEP
syslog = 0
netbios name = PRINTSERVER
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
load printers = yes
os level = 35
default = printers

[homes]
path = %H
writeable = yes
valid users = bax,morbo,amy,nobody
comment = Home Directories
public = yes
create mask = 0700
directory mask = 0700
level 2 oplocks = yes

Thanks bax for your help... I have finally gained access through my windows systems. I had to change the os level, add a netbios name, and enable the wins support. I also, as you pointed out, added accounts and smbpasswd(s) for each machine. I added the users by using these commands:

useradd -m [machinename]
smbpasswd -a [machinename]

Thanks again for your help....

??!!?? I was right? Great I can assure you, it doesn't happen often. Now, figure out why I can't print to my Samba printer. Congratulations on fixing your problem. I've been there myself.

I am having the same problems and I was trying to follow all you guys but I am a little lost ... What is LinNeighborhood? And in the command smbmount //stuff/morestuff /mnt/network, what's stuff? I mean, where do I find the information to put in that part of the command? And in morestuff, that's just the computer's network name right?

My windows box is a P2 450 running Win 98 on a FAT 32-formatted filesystem ...

LinNeighborhood is for browsing M$ machines and mounting SMB filesystems. Comparible to WIndows NetworkNeighborhood. Here is the link if you want to check it out:

http://www.bnro.de/~schmidjo/

Because I am having printer problems myself, I doubt I will be of much help to you bax...

I can see linux box in net neighborhood in win98, but when double clicked, it gives me the famous $IPC error message. Can you tell me what's the problem? thanks.
TH

smbadduser <linuxuser>:<windows user>

xsmbrowser is also a good tool for browsing samba shares in your network