Hi Dave,
I run the same Head First
Java (HFJ) code on two Win XP machines.
Make sure that you first configure the connection between your both XP machines.
Test the connection with a ping from both sides.
Once you are successful with your connection go ahead and put all files as described in HFJ onto your server XP machine.
Start the rmiregister on your server XP machine. Then go to your client XP machine and start your client. Make sure that you use the server IP address in your Naming.lookup() you previously configured for your server XP machine.
Regards,
Darya