In over my head?????

Ok got everything renumbered.
Now LAN02's internet connectivity is sketchy at best, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

Can always ping Lan02's WAN port, it is actually on LAN01.
Sometimes can ping LAN02's Lan side port, but not with any regularity. Have also pinged ONE pc inside LAN02 from LAN01, ONCE. Even found that machine by searching via IP, and did map its drive to a machine in LAN01, BUT only once and only for a little while.

Can also ping LAN01 from within LAN02, again sketchy at best, intermittently. When it is working I can ping ALL hosts on LAN01, from LAN02. But have never been able to locate a LAN01 host from windows explorer in LAN02, either by name or IP.

I'm am assumeing this is all related back to "HOSTS" file.
My question now is there a way to have ONE master hosts file and distribute it over the two LANs so everybody will see everybody else. If not then the "HOSTS" file is going to be a "MONSTER" to keep current on every machine, some of witch may not even be "COMPATIBLE" with a hosts file since they are essentially NOT win boxes. For example the NAS, and the PRINTER, both standalone network devices, prolly running an embedded LINUX for OS.

OR

Is this whole setup just not feasable using these "CHEAP" relitivley speaking, CONSUMER routers????

Tried a copy of "Simple DNS" for about an hour Sunday, and never did get it running, seems some other app was already using port 53 on the machine I was try'in to set it up on.
Tried BIND once b4, and I just don't have the expertice or patentice to FIGHT with it either.

Will prolly break down and buy another HUB, to put back in the ****** truck again, since I used the other one in another location allready.

THIS really shouldn't be this difficult should it!!!!!!????????

Thanks

PS Yea all the PC's are runn'in WINDOWS of one flavor or another, W98se, W2K, and WXP, are all represented in this fiascoe.