Debian Networking Question

[Harry Kuhman]

I've just installed Debian sarge to a hard disk and am starting to work with it. So far I'm much more impressed with Knoppix and Kanotix, but wanted some "pure" Debain experience and wanted something that was intended from the ground up for hard drive install (seen way too many "can't access the Internet after installing to hard disk" posts here). I've quickly come across a networking puzzle that I can't understand. Here are the details:

This is a "desktop" install of Sarge. I've grabbed a few small aps of the Debian website, but nothing that affects networking (other than the desktop install). From the menu I can start the thing called "Network servers", which starts up a window with a title of "Network" and in the window it shows an icon labeled "Windows Network".

Damn, my question just got a lot more complicated! Yesterday, if I clicked the WWindows Network" icon, another window would open and I could see the rest of my Windows Network in it. I was able to drag and drop files across the network. I've never gotten Samba to work in Knoppix or Kanotix, but this worked great. That was yesterday .......

So I've rebooted both systems since then. I'm poking around in the Debian menus and come across System tools -> Networking and run it and put in the root password. On the screen that comes up I take the 2nd tab (General) and I notice that the Windows Network box is unchecked. When I try to cjeck it, I get a message that pops up telling me "SMB support is not running"and that I don't have SMB installed and that I should install it if I ever want to be able to check that box without seeing that message.

So my first question is, What was I running to see the Windows Network and transfer files between my Windows box and my Debian box if it wasn't SMB?

But it gets better. As I went to write this I stepped through all of the steps again, so that I would get the names of the menu items and window titles correct. But this time when I clicked to open the "Windows Network" icon, it opened a completely empty window. I can no longer see the other computers, although I'm certain I did yesterday (I even still have a file on the desktop that I moved to Debain across the network, so I'm certain that it's this install I'm remembering). So how is that this all worked yesterday, but is not working today, after just a simple reboot?

[Harry Kuhman]

Here's an update:

I was going to shut down Windows and reboot. But before I could I noticed that 1) Windows didn't show anything in it's Network Neighborhood and then 2) It suddenly could see the workgroup and itself again. (And I don't have any other computers but this and the Debian system on at the moment). So I went back to the Debian system. HAd shut down the "Network" window I got by picking "Network Servers" from the menu. This time when it started I could open the "Windows Network" icon and see my workgroup. I can open the workgroup and see my Windows computer. And I can see the files on the Windows box. Two problems still remain (3 if you count what happened to me a few minutes ago). One is that I can not see the Debain system from inside the workgroup on the Windows box (I did yesterday) and the second is that I can still go the the general tab on "system tools->networking" and get the SMB error message. So what am I running that lest me see the files on my Windows network if I'm not running SMB and don't have it installed?