Networking Guide

I thought I’d give you a few network-troubleshooting tips to help anyone who might need them.

If you have a combination Ethernet-coax network card, and you can’t see the network, here is something to try. Some older ISA network combo cards have to be told which interface is being used. If you’ve been using coax, and are now switching to Ethernet, this may pose a problem. Locate the original driver, and look for directions for changing the EPROM on your card. You usually exit to DOS, then run a program to tell the card it’s now going to be part of an Ethernet network.

If you can’t see the network, and have tried the Win95/98 Network Troubleshooter, the problem might be in the cable. Be careful not to bend Ethernet cables. They can be easily damaged internally. A friend who has a cable tester is a wonderful friend to have. A cable tester will tell you if your Ethernet or coax cables are in good working order.

Look at your hub, and check to see which lights are lit. If your computer is connected to the hub, and the light isn’t lit, you may have a cable or hub problem. Not all hubs light up when connected, so check to see if your hub does. Network cards also have at least one light on the back that will blink to report connection problems. Read your owner’s manual to see what trouble is detected.

Make sure the ends of the cables are touching the RJ-45 connector. If the all colored wires don’t meet the very end if the RJ-45 connector, you have a bad end. The end can be easily installed again.

If there is a resource problem some older ISA network cards don’t give you the usual yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager. Look on the card to make sure the resources on the card match the settings in device manager.

If your coax network isn’t operating properly, the solution may be very simple. Sometimes the coax connectors have a way of coming unscrewed from the back of the card. Check to make sure you have a good connection.

Check the manufacturer’s web site for updated drivers and bug fixes. Old drivers on a new system can be bad news.

Be aware of a problem that some 3COM PCI cards have with non-Intel chipsets. Every other time I booted, I was able to access the network. I’ve had the same problem with two cards and two different VIA chipset motherboards. The problem was solved when I changed NICs.

Quickly

I was going to talk about sharing one modem, ISDN, ADSL or cable modem with all the members of your network, but I think I’ll wait. There are many programs that make Internet access available to an entire network, if you don’t pay for separate IP addresses. I’ll be evaluating a few of these products soon, and I’ll give you a comparison worthy of an entire article. Also expect an overview of ADSL technology, including a modem review and performance data.

Please let me know if there is a product or area of computing you’d like to see discussed. Your input is welcome.