Networking a Windows 98 Computer

[jliger99]

My brother and my Mom are using a Netgear GS605 Wired router to share a cable internet connection. For the longet time, everything worked great. After upgrading to a much faster connection speed (5Mbit from 768), the Windows 98 computer no longer will connect at all. The 98 computer uses an IBM 10/100 EtherJet adapter.

Would the adapter not accept the higher speed? Is she in trouble?

 

[amdskip]

Try a different network card, speed should not be an issue.

 

[Madwand1]

The GS605 switch doesn't care about the OS, but its cosmetics sometimes interfere with good cable connections, esp. with cables with large connectors. Try pushing in the connector firmly or using a different cable.

 

[robmurphy]

The GS605 is a switch. That may well be the problem. After the upgrade of the internet connection the chances are that the cable modem will only give out 1 IP address. Try doing whatever the equivelant of an ipconfig /all is on Win 98. If it has not been allocated an IP address by the cable modem it will not connect.

Normaly to share an internet connection you would use a router and connect the WAN port of the router to the cable modem, and then connect the PCs to the lan port(s) on the router.

 

[dfnkt]

robs got it , If you unplug the other computer and restart (or ipconfig /release, ipconfig /renew) from the 98 box, it should pull an ip. Then if you do the same to the other machine, it should steal the ip from the 98 machine causing it to lose connection.

 

[jliger99]

Well, I have tried almost everything that has been suggested (Thanks for trying, guys), but no amount of releasing and renewing will get this computer to recognize its connection. We even tried hooking up another computer to the cable, with no success.

Is the problem the switch? Is getting a real router the answer?

 

[robmurphy]

The cable modems used here in the UK by Virginmedia will only give out an IP address to 1 or 2 MAC addresses. I have seen this on a family relations setup. The cable modem would give out an IP address to their Laptop, but not to their router. What I had to do was clone the MAC address on the router, so that to the cable modem thought it was giving the IP address to the same machine.

Some times, and only some times, power cycling the cable modem will make it give the address to new hardware.

If you do not want to get a router then get another ethernet connection on the PC that does connect and turn on ICS (Internet connection sharing) I have not done this so I do not know how well it works.

Unless funds are realy tight get a wired or wireless router. Most of the home routers have a 4 port switch built into them so you could sell the GS605 to offset the cost. As you only have 2 machines and 1 of them has a 10/100 BT ethernet card then the Gigabit functionality is of no use at present.

If you do get the router you will need to set its MAC address on the WAN port to be the same as the MAC address of the PC that connects at present. This is what is meant by "cloning". The router will significatly reduce the amount of malware and nasties your machines will get from the net.

I do not know what prices the routers are in the US, but I'm sure some else here can advise.

Rob Murphy.