How to stream media files from win-98 share to android?

[Nomen]

I have enabled a directory to be shared on my win-98 system with full-access and no password. I have a Polaroid tablet running android 4.0.4 and I have absolutely no problems using ES file browser to locate the win-98 machine and browse the directory structure of the shared folder. Image files (like album cover-art jpg files) are rendered perfectly. I can copy, cut and paste files between the two devices.

But I can't play/stream any content from the win-98 shared folder!!!

I've installed about 1/2 dozen different audio players on the tablet, and from ES file-explorer when I click on any given file on the share, I am prompted to choose a player, and when I do, the player seems to try to play the file (and I can hear a brief burst of hard-drive activity on the win-98 machine) but the operation fails - either by telling me that it's trying to connect to "127.0.0.1" or that the file-type is somehow incompatible.

I've been able to stream media files from an XP machine to the tablet, so I know this _can_ work. Any idea why it doesn't work on win-98? Is there a difference in the SMB that win-98 implements vs XP?

Edit: I believe (and I need to check this) that ES File Explorer can't or doesn't discover the win-98 machine on it's own during a search - I have to enter the IP address of the win-98 PC and then it persistently shows up in ES-fe from that point onwards as an IP address (not as machine-name or host-name, etc). I don't know how to remove it from ES-fe and see if I can replicate this.

Edited August 14, 2013 by Nomen

[TmEE]

My GF copied the files from the share to the SD card and then watched from there. She also could not get files play directly.

[Drugwash]

Make sure both devices share the same Workgroup.

Try Trout player.

[Nomen]

Can someone tell me if this "lanman" thing is the root issue here?

http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/win9x_samba.htm

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Samba version 3.2.0 turned off lanman support by default, both on the client (client lanman auth=) and the server (lanman auth=). 3.2.0 also turned off the default for client plaintext auth=. Before 3.2.0 all three were turned on by default. Windows 9x can only work with lanman support, so unless a corresponding modification of smb.conf is done before the first login, there will be Win9x access failures.

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This (and other stuff I find on the web) talks about win-98 and SMB in the context of a client - not a server. I'd like to find something that talks about SMB/Samba in the context of win-98 being the server, and android being the client. And android is just another form of linux - yes?