I've had all sorts of probloems printing from an XP on a home network to a
printer connected to a 98SE.

When it prints it is very slow.  More often than not, after printing
something I have to shut down Word 2002, and reload it before I can print
again.  Also a whole load of .tmp files pile up whenver the printinf fails.

I found something on the net that might be related.  It has to do
with ports, but I do not know if I should start messing around with my
network setup, which apart from the printing works fine.  Any advice that
you may give me will be appreciated.

http://groups.google.pt/groups?hl=pt-PT&lr=&frame=right&th=b25fedf4873ebc51&seek
m=b2eecfd8.0409221425.331cc0be%40posting.google.com
...since Win2000 and also in WinXP, when windows networking is bound
toTCPIP, the system tries a network connection to remote IP port 445,
andonly if this fails, uses ports 137 to 139. As Win98 and WinME don't havea
port 445 open (and would not know how to handle those incoming
networkpackets to port 445), WinXP keeps trying for some time or number
ofattempts. (I'd like to know where this is defined, because after
updatewith SP2, this takes forever.)During these attempts, the printing
process seems to be frozen. So your problem may very well go away if you
unbind file and printersharing from TCPIP on the WinXP machine. I would like
to know whether

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I have noticed, by monitoring my Kerio firewall, that whn I open Word, it
tries to connect out tp ports 139 and 445, and that it continues to do so
every now and then while I am using Word even if I am not trying to print.

Any help in trying to understand what is going on is much appreciated.

Peter