W95NDIS.TXT Driver File Contents (3Com3C905BNetworkInterfaceCard.zip)

                        3Com (R) Corporation
                   EtherDisk (R) Diskette for the
            3C90X EtherLink XL 10/100 / EtherLink XL NIC Family
                NDIS 3/4 or NDIS 2.0 Driver and Windows 95


The NDIS 3/4 drivers for Windows 95 is 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 (NDIS 4 driver), and EL90X.DOS 
(NDIS 2 driver).  Some versions of Windows 95 do not have a built-in 
driver for the EtherLink XL NICs. In any case, it's best to install the 
latest driver.

First-Time Installation
------------------------

The 3Com EtherDisk diskettes #1, #2, and the Windows 95 installation files 
will be needed during the installation.

1.  After installing the NIC as described in the user guide, start your
    computer.  When Windows 95 starts, it acknowledges the NIC, and the
    following message appears on the screen:

    "Windows has found new hardware and is installing software for it".

    NOTE: If Windows 95 Recognizes the NIC and starts copying files right
          away then you have an existing version of the installation.  
          To update your installation and the driver reboot your system
          and then follow the instructions in the Updating your Driver
          section below.  If Windows does not identify new hardware, the
          system may have installed a generic PCI Ethernet driver.  Refer
          to the hint section for details.
    
    If the message above does not appear, it is likely that Plug and Play
    mode has been disabled.  In this case, proceed as follows:
    a.  Click the Add New Hardware icon on the control panel screen.  
    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 then skip to step 3.
    
2.  Select Driver from Disk Provided by Hardware Manufacturer and click OK.    

3.  Insert the EtherDisk #1 diskette in the A: drive and click "OK".

4.  Windows will read files from EtherDisk #1, then prompt for EtherDisk #2.
    Insert the EtherDisk #2 diskette in the A: driver and click "OK".  More
    files are read.

5.  Windows next prompts for the Windows 95 files.  Enter the location of the 
    media on your computer.  For example, if the Windows 95 CD-ROM is in
    drive E, type:

    E:\WIN95
    
6.  Windows will copy the needed files from the Windows 95 installation 
    media, complete the installation of the network, and ask if you want 
    to reboot the computer.  Click "No".  

7.  When you return to the desktop, click the start button, choose Settings,
    Control Panel. On the control Panel screen, double click the Network 
    icon.
    
8.  Examine the Network Configuration.  The default network setup for
    Windows 95 is the following five components:
 
    Client for Microsoft Network
    Client for NetWare Networks
    3Com Fast EtherLink XL 10/100Mb Ethernet NIC
    IPX/SPX Compatible Protocol
    NetBEUI

9.  If any of these components are missing and are required for your
    network, add them by clicking the Add button.  
    Add protocols by choosing the protocol and clicking on the Add button.  
    In the Select Network Protocol, choose the vendor in the left pane,  
    in the right pane, select the protocol and click "OK".  Add clients 
    by choosing the client and clicking the "Add" button.  In the Select 
    Network Client window, choose Microsoft in the left pane, choose the
    client in the right pane, and press the "OK" button.  

10. The NDIS 3/4 driver is installed by default, so skip to the next step if
    you wish to use the NDIS 3/4 driver.  
    
    To install the NDIS 2.0 driver, Proceed as follows:
    a.  Click on 3Com Fast EtherLink XL 10/100Mb Ethernet NIC and then the
        properties button.  
    b.  Under the Driver Type tab, click "Real mode (16 bit) NDIS Driver"
        and then click "OK".
    
11. The computer must be shut down and restarted before the network can be 
    used.    
     
Hints
-----
1.  If an error message appears, saying 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 3Com's
    download sites, and make sure you expand it properly. Refer to the
    SUPPORT.TXT file on this diskette for more information.

2.  To verify that the actual NDIS driver was copied to your Windows 95
    system, compare the date of the driver SYS file in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
    directory of your hard drive with the date of the one in the root
    directory of the 3Com EtherDisk #2 diskette. The dates should be the
    same.

3.  If Windows 95 does not detect new hardware, then the system may
    have installed a generic PCI Ethernet driver.  In this case:

    a. Double-click on the System icon in the Control Panel.
    b. Change to the Device Manager tab.
    c. Under the Network Adapter section, the 3Com driver will be listed
       with a yellow exclamation in front of it.
    d. Under the Other Devices section, there will be a PCI Ethernet
       Controller listed with a question mark in front of it.
    e. Highlight the PCI Ethernet Controller under Other Devices and click
       on the Remove button.  Select Yes if asked to confirm removal of
       this device.  Select No if asked to restart the computer.
    f. Highlight the 3Com Fast EtherLink/EtherLink XL driver under Network
       Adapters and click on the Remove button.  Select Yes if asked to
       confirm removal of this device.  Select No if asked to restart the
       computer.
    g. Click OK to save all changes.  Restart the computer.

Updating Your Driver
--------------------
If you are currently using any version of software older than the software on
this EtherDisk you are installing, you must follow the instructions below to 
update the windows diagnostic software.

To update properly, right mouse button click the My Computer icon, then
choose the "Device Manager" tab. On the device manager screen, click the '+'
box to the left of "Network adapters", then choose the "3Com Fast EtherLink
XL 10/100Mb TX Ethernet Adapter'.  Press the "Properties" button. On the
next screen, choose the "Driver" tab, then press the "Update driver" button.
On the "Update device driver wizard" screen press "Next". VERY IMPORTANT: On
the next screen, click the "No, select driver from list" option,
then press "Next" button.  On the Select device screen, press the "Have
disk" button. On the "Install from disk" screen, make sure EtherDisk 4.0
disk #1 is in the floppy drive, then press "OK". On the next screen, press
"OK". The diskette will be read several times, then the "Insert Disk" prompt
appears for EtherDisk #2.  Put EtherDisk #2 in the floppy drive and press
"OK".  Finally, the Insert Disk screen will prompt for the Windows 95 CD_ROM.
Enter the path to the CD-ROM and press "OK". After reading the Windows 95
files, the screen returns to the "3Com Fast EtherLink XL 10/100Mb TX Ethernet
Adaper" screen.  Press the "Close" button.  The "System Properties" screen is
visable.  Press the "Close" button. Now open the Start icon at the lower
right corner of the screen, then click the "Shut Down" menu item.  On the
"Shut Down Windows" menu, choose the "Restart the computer" item and press
the "Yes" button.  After the system reboots, the new network software is
ready to use.
 

Removing the installation
-------------------------

The correct way to remove an installation is to open the network control
panel, choose the EtherLink XL NIC, and press the Remove button.

If you attempt to remove the "3Com TCAAITDI Diagnostic TDI", the NIC will
be removed, which causes the rest of the network components to be removed.
Running the 3Com NIC diagnostic without support of the TDI will result in
the system locking up.  The TDI is not an optional component that can be
removed.

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, follow the steps
below.

Install Windows 95 and configure the network as outlined in the previous
instructions in this document.  To use peer-to-peer networking, you must 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 capability to your network configuration.  To install file and
print sharing, do the following:

1.  Click the Start button on the Windows 95 taskbar 

2.  Select Settings. 

3.  Select Control Panel. 

4.  Double-click the Network icon.

5.  In the Network window, click Add...

6.  Select Service from the list of network components and click Add...

7.  Select Microsoft from the list of manufacturers in the left column.

8.  Select File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks from the right
column.

9.  Click OK.

10. Go back to the Network window and select the Identification tab.

11. Assign a computer name that will identify you on the network.  
    This name must be unique.

12. Assign a workgroup name.  
    The workgroup name must be the same on all 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 a different workgroup.

13. Describe your computer. 
    This tells what is on your computer.  It further defines who you are 
    on the network.

14. When you have finished entering this information, click OK.

15. Click OK at the bottom of your Network window. 
    Windows 95 prompts you for the location of the Windows 95 CD-ROM or 
    diskettes containing the files needed for sharing.  
    
16. Assuming the CD-ROM is drive D: on your computer, type:

    D:\WIN95

17. When Windows 95 prompts you to shut down and reboot the computer,
    click the Yes button.  
    After Windows 95 reboots, you are ready to share resources.

18. To share a device, such as a disk drive, proceed as follows:
    a.  Double-click My Computer on your desktop.
    b.  Click the right mouse button over each device you want to share.  
    c.  From the menu that appears, select Sharing..., 
    d.  Click Shared As, pick a share name for the device, and click OK.  
        The device is now shared.

19. To share folders rather than an entire disk drive, proceed as follows:
    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 means no user can write to or delete your shared files and 
        folders.  Read and write access gives other 
        users permission to delete or change files and folders.  For more 
        detail, refer to your Microsoft Windows 95 manual on how to share 
        resources with other computers on your network.

            (%VER W95NDIS.TXT - NDIS 3.0 in Windows 95 v4.0.3)

Download Driver Pack

How To Update Drivers Manually

After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.

  • Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).

  • If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.

  • Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.

  • Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.

  • Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.

  • From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.

  • Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.

Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.

For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.

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