DOS Compatible Card: Windows 95 and NetBEUI

TOPIC

This article describes how to configure NetBEUI with Windows 95 for a DOS Compatibility Card and DOS Compatibility software version 1.5.

DISCUSSION

NetBEUI is a simple and efficient protocol that is still well suited for use on work group size networks. It is not capable of routing (since it does not understand network numbers) so its use does have limits. It is often implemented along with TCP/IP on Windows clients, with NetBEUI used on the local network and TCP/IP used for the other side of routers.

Windows 95 manages all network configuration in the "Network" control panel. Locate the "My Computer" icon on the screen and double-click it to open.

1. Open the Control Panel folder to find the Network control panel, double-click the Network control panel to open it.

2. Windows 95 requires the installation of at least 3 elements to make a network connection, an Adapter, Client, and Protocol. Start the installation by choosing an adapter. Click the "Add..." button in the Network control panel.

3. Choose Adapter and click the "Add..." button. You will load the NDIS driver provided on the DOS Compatibility Installer disk by clicking the "Have Disk..." button, informing Windows 95 that the driver is on a separate disk.

   4) Use the default location, "A:\", provided in the Install From Disk dialog box. Insert the "PC Software" floppy disk, part of the PC Compatibility Card installer software disk set. Click the OK button and Windows 95 will scan the floppy in drive A: for possible drivers.

   5) When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a list of the drivers found on the floppy.

   6) Choose the only option you should see, "PC Card Network Driver (NDIS2)", and click the OK button. Windows 95 will read the driver from the floppy disk and return to the Control Panel display, which should now contain entries for two Clients, the network adapter (you just loaded), IPX/SPX protocol, and the NetBEUI protocol.

   NOTE: The IPX/SPX protocol stack is based on Novell's original implementation, however, it is not the same as Novell's original implementation. If you were loading IPX/SPX for NetWare connectivity, you would be selecting "Novell Compatible IPX Protocol"

4. Choose the IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol and click the Remove button. This removes the protocol and Client for NetWare Networks.

   Now you have a working configuration. The final step is to verify the setup of the remaining components.

5. First, confirm the Identification information of the computer by selecting the "Identification" tab.

   ** DO NOT CLICK OK AFTER THIS STEP **

   Verify that the entries for Computer name, Workgroup, and Computer Description are satisfactory.

   IMPORTANT: Be sure to check this information. It must be compatible with other computers on the network, therefore these values are often supplied by your network administrator.

   ** DO NOT CLICK OK YET **

6. Next configure the Client component. Re-choose the Configuration tab to display the network configuration. Choose "Client for Microsoft Networks" and click the "Properties..." button.

   Select the "Logon validation" checkbox which instructs the computer to Logon to a Windows NT domain and provide the domain name. You can choose either one of the "Network logon options" depending on your desired logon action.

7. This completes the configuration of the network. Close the control panel by clicking the "OK" button. Windows 95 will ask for various parts of the original Windows 95 installation media while it adds the new software components. It is possible you will get messages about an attempt to install older version of existing component software. Always choose to keep the newer versions installed in these cases.

8. Once all new software is read from the original Windows 95 installation media (in step 10) you will be asked to restart. Select the "continue" option instead and run the SETNET program located on the DOS Compatibility Installer disk. Select the NDIS and NetBEUI options and click the "OK" button. This step will create the appropriate entries in the PROTOCOL.INI file for the NDIS driver to use.

9. Restart the Windows 95 environment by clicking the "start" button, selecting the "restart" option, and choosing "shutdown and restart".
   
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