Slow Home Networking

Hey to all,
I could really use some advice, so ANY is greatly appreciated. I've been
stuck on this for quite some time now and no one has been able to provide me
with what I'm looking for:

Note: PC#1=XP machine on which problem exists
PC#2=Win98 OSR2 desktop with new HD
PC#3=Win98 OSR2 laptop

I have the following (apparently common) problem, that is slightly different
than as described under the MS knowledge base:

322097 Slow Browsing to Windows 98 or Windows Me Clients from Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp
SYMPTOMS
If the following conditions exist, you may experience slow browsing for file
shares and printers that are on Microsoft Windows 98-based or Microsoft
Windows Millennium Edition-based computers:
a.. You are browsing from a Windows XP-based client computer.
b.. Both computers are part of a workgroup.
c.. (X: No, passwords are disabled - I even reinstalled File and Printer
Sharing services to make sure that they would be)The Windows 98 or Windows
Millennium Edition (Me) client has a password-protected file share.
d.. (X: I don't think so, at least I have no idea what this is talking
about, but the only time I enter a poassword in XP is when I log into the
administrator account) You are using the "Save this password" feature on
your Windows XP client computer.

*The braces with X's are things that are different for me

I will also say this...everything worked fine and dandy until PC#2's
HD crashed. I bought a new HD and re-installed everything and now things
are
extremely slow (no matter whether connecting to the PC#2 or my laptop, or
even browsing the shared folders on the XP computer from the XP machine
through the Home Networks folder). I have a 10Mbit card in my laptop (win98
OSR2) and a 100Mbit in my (PC#2 98 OSR2).

I noticed this poblem after fixing PC#2. This didn't
happen before this, and as far as I can recall, I didn't make any major
changes to my XP machine (which is PC#1).
Also, this problem doesn't exist when browsing any other machine from any of
the win98 machines (PC#'s 2 or 3).

The last thing I'd like to re-mention is that browsing the folders marked as
"shared folders" on my XP machine is slow via my XP machine, if these are
accessed through the My Network Places.

Thanks to all

Doug