Problems with laptop ethernet card and TCP/IP protocol

[rocmonster]

man that's a dry message title

I have an old Compac Laptop (running win95-the first version, pentium 133mhz with 16k ram) that I want to add to my home network (shared cable internet connection with a 4 port linksys router) and am having trouble getting tcp/ip to work with a 3com ethernet card. This system used to use an external 3com 56k modem via serial port.
The installation software from 3com allows win95 to identify the card and it's drivers. The dongle lights up when I boot the system and the device manager shows that everything is okay.
However, when I go to network properties and add the TCP/IP protocol for the 3com adapter and reboot, it doesn't seem to take. When I run "WINIPCFG", I get 0.0.0.0 for the ip, and other network information. Obviously the laptop is unable to communicate with the router as it doesn't show up on the router's routing address table. I am not familiar with win95 to know what to do next.

Any takers for this deceptively simple problem?

p.s. is there a better OS for this config, I really only want to use this for web surfing and email while my main system is being tweaked.

 

[Scoober]

(My apologies if this is too basic, but I just wanted to make it as simple to follow as possible since you are "not familiar with 95)...

The first thing I would try is to ping the nic itself (nic=network interface card). Go to the DOS prompt (Start-Run-type 'command' - no quotes). Then type 'ping 127.0.0.1' again, without quotes. If you get a message like the following:

Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

... then the nic has been installed correctly. If not, the Operating System cannot communicate with the nic. Therefore, you need to troubleshoot the installation.

Since you get a connection light on the dongle, it is relatively safe to assume that the cable between the laptop and router is ok.

Next, does the Linksys router have DHCP running? (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol assigns the IP addresses to devices on a network). It probably does, since you said that the IP (0.0.0.0) isn't within the range the router should assign. That will probably be 192.168.1.100-150 unless you have changed those settings.

The next step would be to ensure that DHCP is enabled on your laptop. Right-click on Network Neighborhood and check the Properties of TCP/IP on the Configuration tab. A new window will open, and on the IP Address tab, ensure that &quot;Obtain an IP address automatically&quot; is selected. If not, select it and click any boxes that may arise confirming that you have a DHCP server operating on the network.

Then back on the Configuration tab, check the Properties of your nic (the entry should be something like &quot;3COM 3C562B&quot. On the Bindings tab, ensure that TCP/IP is checked.

Next, click on the Identification tab. The laptop should have a unique name (different from all other computers on your network) and should be a member of the same workgroup as the other computers. For example, my second computer has the name &quot;client&quot; whereas my primary computer is &quot;server&quot; and both are members of the workgroup &quot;HOME&quot;.

Click OK to close out of the Network properties and restart the system. If all goes well, when the laptop restarts, you should get a valid IP and have network connectivity.

Also, within WINIPCFG, clicking the &quot;Release All&quot; and &quot;Renew All&quot; buttons requests a &quot;new&quot; IP address from the router. I say &quot;new&quot; because IP's are generally reserved for three days, then thrown back into the pot for the next system to request an IP.

I hope at least one of the aforementioned steps resolves your problem. Good luck!

 

[rocmonster]

thanks man! straight talk is what I need. I will reply back here after I follow through with your instructions

 

[rocmonster]

<<fricken double post nonsense>>

 

[Scoober]

I forgot to mention one thing... and you may be ok if this works, so I apologize for the wild goose chase.

When you run WINIPCFG, it defaults to the PPP Adapter in the drop down box. Change that to your 3COM adapter and see what the IP is. And even try the Release All/Renew All buttons.

If that's all it was, again, I'm sorry for the earlier ramblings, but see how much you've learned?!?!