3Com (R) Corporation 3C90x EtherLink PCI NIC Family Windows 95 Installation and Peer-to-Peer Networking Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This file describes how to install an EtherLink PCI NIC in a PC running Windows 95 using the EtherCD or installation diskettes. It also describes how to: Update the network driver and NIC software. Remove the network driver and NIC software. Troubleshoot installation problems. Use Windows 95 peer-to-peer networking. NOTE: For instructions on upgrading a PC from Windows 95 to Windows 98 that already has an EtherLink NIC installed, see the WIN98.TXT file located in the Help directory on the EtherCD (or in the HELP directory of EtherDisk 2). First-Time Installation ------------------------ The NDIS 3/4 drivers for Windows 95 are the 32-bit driver versions that Windows 95 uses as the default driver. EL90XND3.SYS and EL90XBC3.SYS (NDIS 3 driver) EL90XND4.SYS and EL90XBC4.SYS (NDIS 4 driver) All versions of the Windows 95 operating system do not have a built-in driver for the EtherLink NICs. You must install the latest driver using the EtherCD (or EtherDisk installation diskettes) that came with the NIC. There are two ways to install the NIC: Using the EtherCD Using the installation diskettes (created from the EtherCD) Using the EtherCD ----------------- NOTE: This method works only if you install the NIC from the EtherCD. If are using installation diskettes (created using the EtherCD), go to the "Using Installation Diskettes" section below. 1. Do not install the NIC in the PC! 2. Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive. The EtherCD Installer runs and the Welcome screen appears. 3. Click NIC Software 4. Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics. 5. Click Install NIC Driver. 6. Click Install with Diagnostic Program to install the network driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostic Program or click Install without Diagnostic program to install the network driver only. As soon as you make your choice, the installation occurs. A message appears when the installation is complete. 7. Click OK. 8. Select the operating system of the PC (Windows 95). The Completing NIC Installation screen appears. 9. Exit the EtherCD, leave the EtherCD in the CD-ROM drive, and then shut down the computer. 10. Install the NIC in the PC and connect it to the network. See the user guide or the quick guide that came with the NIC for instructions. 11. Turn the computer on. Windows 95 detects the NIC. The Insert Disk dialog box appears, prompting you for the location of the installation media. 12. Click OK. The Copying Files ... window appears. 13. Open the pull-down menu and select: C:\WINDOWS\options\cabs 14. Click OK. Windows 95 installs the 3Com files. You are prompted for the Windows 95 installation media. 15. Click OK. If you have the Windows 95 CD, remove the EtherCD and insert the Windows 95 CD. If the Windows 95 installation files are installed on the PC, open the pull-down menu and select the entry that points to the Windows 95 installation files. 16. Click OK. Windows 95 installs the network software. You are prompted to restart the computer. 17. Click YES. Using the Installation Diskettes -------------------------------- 1. Install the NIC in the PC, as described in the quick guide or user guide. 2. Turn on the power to the PC. Windows 95 detects the NIC. Depending on the version of Windows 95 that you have installed, the New Hardware Found dialog box appears or the Update Device Driver Wizard starts. NOTE: If Windows 95 detects the NIC but starts copying files right away without prompting you for a diskette, you have an existing version of the driver already installed on your PC. To update the driver, reboot the PC, and then follow the instructions in the "Updating Software" section below. If Windows 95 does not detect the NIC at startup, the PC may have installed a generic "PCI Ethernet Controller" driver (see the "Troubleshooting" section below). This can happen when Windows 95 is installed with the NIC already in the computer. In this case: a. Double-click the Add New Hardware icon in the Windows Control Panel. b. Continue to click Next until Windows 95 asks if you want it to search for new hardware. c. Click No, and then click Next. d. Choose Network Adapters in the Hardware Types menu, and then click Next. e. Click Have Disk, and insert EtherDisk diskette 1. Go to Step 3 when prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. If the New Hardware Found dialog box appears: a. Select Driver from Disk Provided by Hardware Manufacturer, and then click OK. b. Insert EtherDisk diskette 1 (or the EtherCD), and then click OK. c. Go to Step 3. If the Update Device Driver Wizard starts: a. Insert EtherDisk diskette 1 (or the EtherCD), and then click Next. Windows displays the name of the NIC. b. Click Finish, and then click OK when prompted for the EtherCD or EtherDisk diskette 1. c. Windows 95 prompts for the installation media. Enter A:\ if you are installing from diskette, or the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive (usually D:\) if you are installing from CD, then click OK. d. Go to Step 3. 3. You are prompted for the Windows 95 installation files. 4. Insert the Windows 95 CD, and then click OK. 5. Place the path to the Windows 95 installation media in the 'Copy files from:' entry box, and then click OK. Windows copies files from the Windows 95 installation media. 6. Remove the EtherDisk diskette 1 from drive A, and then click Yes to restart the PC. 7. Open the Windows Start menu, select Settings, and then Control Panel. 8. Double-click the Network icon. 9. Examine the Network Configuration. The default network setup for Windows 95 contains the following five components: Client for Microsoft Network Client for NetWare Networks 3Com EtherLink 10/100Mb Ethernet NIC IPX/SPX Compatible Protocol NetBEUI 10. If any of the components are missing and are required for your network, add them by clicking the Add button. To add a protocol: a. Select the protocol and click Add. b. In the Select Network Protocol window, select the vendor in the left pane (this is usually Microsoft). In the right pane, select the protocol and click OK. To add a client: a. Select the client and click Add. b. In the Select Network Client window, select Microsoft in the left pane. c. Select the client in the right pane. d. Click OK. 11. Shut down Windows and reboot the PC. Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software -------------------------------------------- There are two ways to update the network driver and NIC software: Using the EtherCD Using the installation diskettes Using the EtherCD ----------------- If you are using a version of EtherDisk software that is older than the software on the EtherCD version 5.1, follow the instructions below to properly update the network driver and the Windows-based 3Com NIC Diagnostic program. Note: Do not use the "Update Driver" button located on the driver tab of properties page for the NIC. This button updates the device driver only. It does not update the NIC diagnostic software. It is important to update both the driver and the Windows diagnostic software together. To update to the EtherCD 5.1 software using the EtherCD: 1. Insert the EtherCD in the CD ROM drive. The EtherCD Welcome screen appears. 2. Click NIC Software. 3. Click NIC Drivers and Diagnostics. 4. Click Update NIC Driver. 5. Click Update Drivers and Diagnostic Program to update the network driver and the 3Com NIC Diagnostic program, or click Update Drivers and remove Diagnostic Program to update the network driver only. The update begins as soon as you click on your selection. The update is complete when the update message box appears stating that you must restart your system for the changes to take effect. 6. Click OK. 7. Exit the EtherCD, and then restart Windows and the computer. After the Windows restarts, the EtherCD software is ready to use. Using Installation Diskettes ---------------------------- To update to the EtherCD 5.1 software using the installation diskettes: 1. Delete the NIC, following the instructions in the next section "Removing the NIC Driver and EtherDisk Software." 2. Install the network driver and NIC software, following the instructions in the previous section "Updating the Network Driver and NIC Software Using Installation Diskettes." Removing the Network Driver and EtherDisk Software -------------------------------------------------- To remove the NIC driver and software: 1. Double-click the My Computer icon, then the Control Panel icon, and then the System icon. 2. Click the Device Manager tab. 3. Double-click Network adapters. 4. Highlight the 3Com EtherLink NIC. 5. Click Remove. 6. Click OK to confirm the device removal. You are prompted to restart the PC. If you are physically removing the NIC from the PC, click No. Do not restart the PC until you shut down the PC, turn the power off, and remove the NIC from the PC. If you are reinstalling the NIC software, click Yes to restart the PC. Troubleshooting Tips -------------------- 1. If an error message appears during the installation, stating that the .INF file cannot be found in the specified location, verify that Windows 95 is looking at the correct location. The file should be in the root directory of the 3Com EtherCD (or EtherDisk diskette 1). The filenames are W9XEL90X.INF and W9X90XBC.INF. If you installed using the 3Com EtherCD program, the installation files are located in the \WINDOWS\options\cabs subdirectory on the hard disk. If the INF files is missing, download the file from one of 3Com's download sites (such as the World Wide Web or FTP site), and make sure that you expand it properly. See the SUPPORT.TXT file on this EtherCD (or on EtherDisk diskette 2) for more information. 2. If Windows 95 does not detect new hardware after you install the NIC and power on the PC, the system may have installed a generic "PCI Ethernet Controller" driver. In this case: a. Double-click on the System icon in the Windows Control Panel. b. Select the Device Manager tab. c. Under Network adapters, the 3Com EtherLink driver appears with a yellow exclamation in front of it. d. Under Other Devices, a PCI Ethernet Controller appears with a question mark in front of it. e. Highlight the PCI Ethernet Controller under Other Devices, and then click Remove. f. Select Yes if prompted to confirm the removal of the device. g. Select No if prompted to restart the PC. h. Highlight the 3Com EtherLink NIC under Network adapters, and then click Remove. i. Select Yes if prompted to confirm removal of this device. j. Select No prompted to restart the PC. k. Click OK to save all changes. l. Restart the computer. 3. To verify that the actual NDIS driver was copied to your Windows 95 system, compare the date of the driver .SYS file in the directory of your hard drive with the date of the one in the root directory of the 3Com EtherCD or EtherDisk diskette 1. The dates should be the same. General Overview of Peer-to-Peer Networking ------------------------------------------- In a peer-to-peer network, a relationship exists between two or more "like" computers. Each computer may make portions of its devices (such as disk drives, CD-ROM drive, and printers) available to other computers on the network. You can decide what to make available to other users. When you share a disk drive or folder, you also need to decide if you want to grant other users the right to store and change information on your drive or folder. The general characteristics of a peer-to-peer network are: The network provides the capability to share resources with any computer on the network. When you share resources, your computer acts as a server for all other computers in the network while still retaining all its capability for your use. In a server-based network, only the resources on the dedicated server can be shared. A peer-to-peer network is more difficult to administer than a server-based network. Its flexible resource-sharing and lack of central management and control make management difficult. However, the network works with your existing equipment and does not require the purchase of a dedicated server. This lowers the cost of networking. Peer-to-Peer Networking with Windows 95 ---------------------------------------- Microsoft Windows 95 comes with a built-in peer-to-peer network. It also supports a wide range of network environments and network software vendors to work with dedicated networks. To configure Windows 95 for peer-to-peer networking: 1. Install Windows 95 and the EtherLink NIC. 2. Configure your network configuration as outlined in the previous instructions in this document. 3. Make sure that you have the Microsoft Network client in your network configuration. Before you can share resources on your computer, you need to add file and print sharing capabilities to your network configuration. To add file and print sharing capabilities: 1. Open the Windows Start menu, select Settings, and then select Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Network icon. 3. In the Network window, click Add. 4. Select Service in the list of Network Component Types, and then click Add. 5. Select Microsoft from the list of manufacturers in the left column. 6. Select File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks in the right column. 7. Click OK. The Network window appears. 8. Select the Identification tab. 9. Assign a computer name. This computer name identifies your PC on the network. This name must be unique. 10. Assign a workgroup name. The workgroup name must be the same for all of the computers on your network with which you want to share information. More than one workgroup may exist on a network, but members of one workgroup cannot directly see members of another workgroup. 11. Assign a computer description. The description allows other users in your workgroup to know what is available on your computer (such as a printer or scanner). 12. Click OK. Windows 95 prompts you for the location of the Windows 95 CD-ROM or diskettes containing the files needed for sharing. 13. Assuming the CD-ROM is drive D: on your computer, type: D: 14. Click Yes when Windows 95 prompts you to shut down and reboot the computer. After Windows 95 reboots, you are ready to share resources. 15. To share a device (such as a disk drive): a. Double-click the My Computer icon. b. Click the right mouse button over each device (for example, your C: drive) you want to share. c. From the menu that appears, select Sharing. d. Click Shared As in the Sharing window. e. Assign a share name to the device, and then click OK. The device is now shared. 16. To share a folder rather than an entire disk drive: a. Select a drive and click the left mouse button to open the drive. b. Select the folder and click the right mouse button. c. Select Sharing from the menu. d. When the Share menu opens, select a shared name and the way you want to share the folder. Read Only--no user can write to or delete your shared files and folders. Read and write--gives other users permission to delete or change files and folders. For more information on peer-to-peer networking, see your Microsoft Windows 95 manual. (%VER W95NDIS.TXT - NDIS 3.0 in Windows 95 v5.1.0)