> is there anyway to make the current release work in XP pro ?
Probably, if by "current release" you mean the current release of
Ethereal, rather than the current release of WinPcap.
If you mean the current release of WinPcap, no, there is no way to make
it work in Windows XP.
This is not an Ethereal problem, this is a WinPcap problem; to quote the
Ethereal FAQ:
http://www.ethereal.com/faq.html#q3.14
"Q 3.14: Does Ethereal work on Windows XP?
A: Yes, but it cannot capture packets, as the current version of WinPcap
doesn't work on Windows XP. It can read existing capture files,
however."
and the WinPcap FAQ:
http://netgroup-serv.polito.it/winpcap/misc/faq.htm
"Q-12: On which OS can I run WinPcap?
A: WinPcap can run on all the main Win32 operating systems: Windows
95,98,ME, NT4 and 2000. Windows XP is supported from version 2.3 beta.
A version for Windows CE is currently under development."
WinPcap 2.2 doesn't support Windows XP, period, end of story.
WinPcap 2.3 beta does, so, to be able to capture packets with Ethereal
(or WinDump, or Analyzer, or any *other* libpcap/WinPcap-based
application) on Windows XP, you have to:
accept the risks of running beta software (such as "it may have
more problems than the final release will);
accept the obligations of running beta software (such as "if it
has problems, let the developers know as soon as you can, and
help them to the maximum extent possible if they ask for your
help in debugging the problem");
install WinPcap 2.3 beta.
> BTW this is on a laptop, and it has
> worked well on this particular laptop before w/ 98 and 2k.
Neither of those matter in this case. It doesn't matter whether the XP
box is a laptop or a desktop or what, and it doesn't matter that WinPcap
worked fine in previous releases - the WinPcap driver needed to be
modified for Windows XP, and the Politecnico di Torino folks didn't do
that until after WinPcap 2.2 was released.