3Com (R) Corporation EtherDisk (R) Diskette for the 3C90x EtherLink 10/100 PCI NIC Family Windows 95 Installation and Peer-to-Peer Networking Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This file describes how to install an EtherLink NIC in a PC running Windows 95. It also describes how to: Update EtherDisk software. Remove the NIC driver and EtherDisk 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 on EtherDisk diskette 3. First-Time Installation ------------------------ The NDIS 3/4 drivers for Windows 95 are the 32-bit driver version that Windows 95 uses as the default driver. The NDIS 2.0 driver is the real- mode 16-bit driver. The actual driver files that 3Com supplies are: EL90XND3.SYS (NDIS 3 driver) EL90XND4.SYS and EL90XBC4.SYS (NDIS 4 driver) EL90X.DOS (NDIS 2 driver) Some versions of Windows 95 do not have a built-in driver for the EtherLink NICs. In any case, it's best to install the latest driver using the EtherDisk diskettes that came with the NIC. The 3Com EtherDisk diskettes 1 and 2 and the Windows 95 installation files are needed during the installation. To install the NIC in a PC running Windows 95: 1. Install the NIC in the PC, as described in the 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 EtherDisk Software" section below. If Windows 95 does not detect the NIC at startup, the PC may have installed a "Generic PCI Ethernet" driver (see the "Troubleshooting" section below), or Plug and Play mode may have been disabled. 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 the EtherDisk diskette 1 in drive A, and then click OK. c. Go to Step 3 when prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. If the Update Device Driver Wizard starts: a. Insert the EtherDisk diskette 1 in drive A, and then click Next. c. Click Finish, and then click OK when prompted for EtherDisk diskette 1. d. Go to Step 3 when prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. 3. Remove EtherDisk diskette 1, insert EtherDisk diskette 2, and then click OK. Files are copied. You are prompted for the Windows 95 installation files. 4. Insert the Windows 95 CD, and then click OK. Windows copies files from the Windows 95 installation media. You are prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. 5. Make sure that EtherDisk diskette 2 is in drive A, and then click OK. Files are copied. You are prompted to restart the PC. 6. Remove EtherDisk diskette 2 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. 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. The NDIS 3/4 driver is installed by default. Go to Step 12 if you want to use the NDIS 3/4 driver. To install the NDIS 2.0 driver: a. Click on the 3Com EtherLink NIC, and then click Properties. b. On the Driver Type tab, click Real mode (16 bit) NDIS Driver. c. Click OK. 12. Shut down Windows and reboot the PC. Updating EtherDisk Software --------------------------- If you are currently using a version of EtherDisk software that is older than the software on this EtherDisk, follow the instructions below to properly update the driver and the Windows-based 3Com NIC diagnostic software. Note that the instructions below do not apply to Windows 95 versions Earlier than OSR2. To update your driver in earlier versions of Windows 95, you must first remove the driver and EtherDisk software (see instructions below), and then re-install the software by following the instructions for a first-time installation (see instructions above). Windows 95 (OSR2) ----------------- To update the driver and diagnostic software on a PC running Windows 95 OSR2: 1. Open the Windows Start menu, select Settings, and then Control Panel. 2. Double-click the System icon, and then select the Device Manager tab. 3. Double-click Network adapters. 4. Highlight the 3Com EtherLink NIC, and then click Properties. 5. Select the Driver tab, and then click Update Driver. The Update Driver Wizard starts. 6. Select "No, Select driver from list," and then click Next. The Select Device screen appears. 7. Click Have Disk. The Install from disk screen appears. 8. Insert EtherDisk diskette 1 drive A, and then click OK. The Select Device screen appears. 9. Click OK. Files are copied. You are prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. 10. Remove EtherDisk diskette 1, insert EtherDisk diskette 2, and then click OK. Files are copied. You are prompted for the Windows 95 CD. 11. Insert the Windows 95 CD, and then click OK. Files are copied. You are prompted for EtherDisk diskette 2. 12. Make sure that EtherDisk diskette 2 is in drive A, and then click OK. The 3Com EtherLink NIC Properties screen appears. 13. Click Close. The System Properties screen appears. 14. Click Close. 15. Shut down Windows and reboot the PC. After the PC reboots, the new network driver and software are ready to use. Removing the NIC 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 EtherDisk diskette 1. The filename is W95EL90X.INF. If the W95El90X.INF file 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 diskette 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" 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 EtherDisk diskette 2. 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 v4.0.4)