ReadMe File for HF000X V0.81 Windows 2K/2K3/LH/NT3.51/NT4/Vista/XP Driver package part Table of contents 1. Overview 2. Contents 3. Installation 4, Driver options 5. FAQ 6. Known issues 7. Revision history 8. Disclaimer 9. Copyright notices ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Overview HF000X is a driver package for the Diamond Multimedia HomeFree Wireless LAN line of cards and adapters for Windows 2k, 2k3, NT3.51, NT4, LH, Vista, XP, 95, 98 and ME operating systems, supporting PCMCIA, ISAPNP and PCI cards and adapters. Windows NT 3.51/4.0 development is discontinued. Included support for all cards and adapters is not functional and for documentary and experimental purposes only! Refer to the folder 'Obsolete' for the related material. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Contents HF000X contains the following files for NT based operating systems WIN2K .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 2K WIN2K3 .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 2K3 WINLH .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows LH WINNT351.TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows NT3.51 WINNT4 .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows NT4 WINVISTA.TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows Vista WINXP .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows XP HF000X .DSK - The Disk Tag file for 9X and NT 5 based operating systems HF000X .INF - The combined INF file for 9X and NT 5 based operating systems HF000XN .CAT - The dummy catalog file for NT 5 based operating systems READMENT.TXT - This file SKYLINE .SYS - The W9X driver for HomeFree WLAN cards and adapters HF000X .DSK - The Disk Tag file for NT 3.51 / 4.0 Operating systems OEMSETUP.INF - The INF file for NT 3.51 / 4.0 operating systems SKYLINE .HLP - The HLP file for NT 3.51 / 4.0 operating systems SKYLINE .HPJ - The Help Project file for NT 3.51 / 4.0 operating systems SKYLINE .RTF - The Help Rich Text file for NT 3.51 / 4.0 operating systems ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Installation You MUST be familiar with network terms and setup procedures. For an easy step-by-step network and driver installation, browse the 'GUIDES' folder in your distibution copy of 'HF000X', read and print the guide for your operating system and follow its instructions. Additional utilites from the original manufacturers windows 9X drivers are not compatible with and to Windows NT3.51/4, 2000, 2003, LH, Vista or XP. Replacements are not available. Additional internet sharing utilites from the original manufacturers Windows 9X installation software are not are not neccesary for Windows ME and XP, both including the 'Network Installation Assistent' to create a diskette, containing necessary files to grant support for bridge based internet access from client machines. You may use network properties and settings to configure workgroups, shared drives etc. compatible with and to W9X settings and properties. Examples W9X TCP/IP configuration User : GUEST (Setup) Computername: COMP1 (Setup / network properties, ident.) Workgroup : HOMEFREE (Network properties, ident.) Description : MYNETWORK (Network properties, identification) IP-Address : 192.168.000.001 (Protocol properties) Subnet mask : 255.255.255.000 (Protocol properties) DNS : - (Protocol properties) CoNetId : MYNETWORK (Network properties, adv. / Homeping) ME TCP/IP configuration User : GUEST (Setup) Computername: COMP2 (Setup / network properties, ident.) Workgroup : HOMEFREE (Network properties, identification) Description : MYNETWORK (Network properties, identification) IP-Address : 192.168.000.002 (Protocol properties) Subnet mask : 255.255.255.000 (Protocol properties) DNS : - (Protocol properties) CoNetId : MYNETWORK (Network properties, adv. / Homeping) XP TCP/IP configuration User : GUEST (Setup) Computername: COMP3 (Setup / network properties, ident.) Workgroup : HOMEFREE (Network properties, identification) Description : MYNETWORK (Network properties, identification) IP-Address : 192.168.000.003 (Protocol properties) Subnet mask : 255.255.255.000 (Protocol properties) DNS : - (Protocol properties) CoNetId : MYNETWORK (Driver / Network properties, adv.) Vista TCP/IP configuration User : GUEST (Setup) Computername: COMP4 (Setup / network discovery, settings) Workgroup : HOMEFREE (Network discovery, settings) Description : MYNETWORK (Network discovery, settings) IP-Address : 192.168.000.004 (Network properties IPV4) Subnet mask : 255.255.255.000 (Network properties IPV4) DNS : Router default (Network properties IPV4) CoNetId : MYNETWORK (Driver / network properties, adv.) Windows LH, Vista Beta 2 and RC1 need a DNS server to access local area networks, alternative protocols are not available. CoNetId 'MYNETWORK' is 'hardwired' into the INF file. To customize the entry use the driver / network advanced properties page to change the default or current value. All text entries should or must be in upper case. Windows 2K and 2K3 default to 'TCP/IP', no shared resources or access rights during network installation. Shared drives and printers, access rights and path have to be supplied manualy. Additional information about network installation and configuration is supplied in the 'easy step-by-step installation guide' files 'WIN2K.TXT' and 'WIN2K3.TXT Windows 95 defaults to 'IPX/SPX' without 'NetBIOS', no shared resources or access rights during network installation. 'TCP/IP' protocol, shared drives and printers, access rights and path have to be supplied manualy. Additional information about network installation and configuration is supplied in the 'easy step-by-step installation guide' files 'WIN95A.TXT', 'WIN95B.TXT' and 'WIN95C.TXT'. Windows 98/SE and ME default to 'TCP/IP', no shared resources or access rights during network installation. Shared drives and printers, access rights and path have to be supplied manualy. Additional information about network installation and configuration is supplied in the 'easy step-by-step installation guide' files 'WIN98.TXT', 'WIN98SE.TXT' and 'WINME.TXT'. Windows LH and Vista default to 'TCP/IP', no shared resources or access rights during network installation. Shared drives and printers, access rights and path have to be supplied manualy. Additional information about network installation and configuration is supplied in the 'easy step-by-step installation guide' files 'WINLH.TXT' and 'WINVISTA.TXT'. Windows XP Home and Pro default to 'TCP/IP', no shared resources or access rights during network installation. Shared drives and printers, access rights and path have to be supplied manualy. Additional information about network installation and configuration is supplied in the 'easy step-by-step installation guide' file 'WINXP.TXT'. XP and XP with Service Pack 1 do not support 'NetBEUI', use 'NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS compatible protocol' for XP and 'IPX/SPX compatible protocol' with activated 'NetBIOS over IPX/SPX' for W9X instead. XP with Service Pack 2 supports 'NetBEUI'. Minimum 'TCP/IP' configuration is easier to set up and more reliable than 'NetBIOS over IPX/SPX'. Configurations testet Protocol OS Adapter Driver OS Adapter Driver ------------------------------------------------------------------------- TCP/IP connecting W2K / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting W2K / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting W2K / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting W2K / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting WLH / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WLH / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WVISTA / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WVISTA / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95B / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95B / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95C / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95C / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W98SE/ HFPCMCIA (Generic) TCP/IP connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W98SE/ HFPCMCIA (Diamond) IPX/SPX connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) IPX/SPX connecting WXP / HFPCI (Generic) to W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) Configurations untestet TCP/IP connecting WNT3.51 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to any TCP/IP connecting WNT3.51 / HFISAPNP (Generic) to any TCP/IP connecting WNT3.51 / HFPCI (Generic) to any TCP/IP connecting WNT4 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to any TCP/IP connecting WNT4 / HFISAPNP (Generic) to any TCP/IP connecting WNT4 / HFPCI (Generic) to any ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Driver options Physical driver and network parameters can be modified, changing default values in the advanced network properties page, optimizing performance or to customize settings. 'Default CoNetId' (network identification) is a unique identifier distinguishing accessable nodes of one wireless lan from foreign wlans. Default : 'MYNETWORK' Max. length : 32 letters and digits Case : Upper and lower case possible 'Driver Description' is automaticaly administered by the system, no user interface available. Default : 'Auto' 'Interrupt Number' is automaticaly administered by the system, no user interface available. Default : 'Auto' 'I/O Base Address' is automaticaly administered by the system, no user interface available. Default : 'Auto' 'Maximum Link Speed' limits the actual transfer speed (bitrate) of possible connections; higher bitrats available, because of hard- ware capability of the IR controller, but not tested. Default : 1 Mbps Values : 1, 2, 4 Mbps (12, 24, 48 MHz IR controller clock) 'Network Address' allows to substitude the current network address for special applications. Default : 'Auto' Max. length : 12 hexadecimal letters and digits Case : Upper case only 'Tx Minimum Holdoff' defines timeout holdoff to prevent packet collisions. Typical values vary from 800 for faster and up to 1600 ticks for slower machines. Default : 1000 Values : 100, 200, ... 2000 'Vendor Description' identifies the vendor of the network. Default : 'HOMEFREE' Max. length : 32 letters and digits Case : Upper and lower case possible ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. FAQ Q. Driver (V0.3-0.8x) crashes 2000, 2003 and XP after idle periods in single machine environement. A. Deactivate device when unneeded. Q. Bubblegum boxes keep popping up, reporting endlessly 'No cable connec- ted' and 'Cable reconnected'. A. Deactivate device when no network connection is available. Q. During driver installation (V0.3-0.8x) the system crashes sometimes after a short period of time. Running programs seem to accelerate this. A. An active second node (even unconfigured) and terminating all running programs prevents this. Q. Data transfer speeds with Windows 2003 servers seem slower than those with Windows 2000 servers. A. Adjust 'Tx Minimum HoldOff' to compensate different response timings. Q. HF000X for Windows 9X supports HomePing WLU. Can HomePing be used with 2000, 2003, LH, Vista and XP, too? A. HomePing is unable to open the registry as needed. Additional para- meters can be emulated. BIGSKYLN.VXD can't be opened. Driver limitations keep other wireless lan utilities from recognizing HomeFree cards and adapters, use protocol analysation utilities instead. (-> NetGroup 'Analayser', System Internals 'TDIMON') Q. Why was the development of HF000X for NT 3.51/4.0 discontinued? A. NDIS for NT 3.51/4.0 does not support 'NdisMQueryAdapterResources', a workaround is not functional. The driver for Diamond HomeFree wlan cards and adapters can't claim system assigned hardware resource para- meters. Limited support for PCMCIA and ISAPNP cards may be made available by user intervention. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Known issues 'Unpredictable crashes with driver V0.3-0.8x' Users report system crashes within minutes to hours after startup, if no second node is available, but never when connected, greater vulnerability of Windows 2003 compared to XP and almost none of Windows 2000. Use the latest driver to obtain higher stability. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Revision history 08/21/2004, V0.10, Crosscompare version for ALL_OS.INF assembled 08/25/2004, V0.20, All OS version stripped down to XP only 09/01/2004, V0.30, Additional skyline parameters isolated/preset 08/03/2005, V0.40, Minor additions, updated ReadME 08/08/2005, V0.50, Reintegration into ALL_OS.INF 12/01/2005, V0.60, Advanced network properties, WHQL conformity 01/04/2006, V0.70, Minor changes and additions, network installation guides 03/04/2006, V0.80, Updated ReadMe, additional guides, Beta NT3.51/4/LH support 09/27/2006, V0.81, Minor additions, additional guides, Vista RC1 support ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Disclaimer This driver is provided in good faith and the hope that it is useful for users, however the author explicitly disclaims all liability for damages that are a result of the usage of this driver. The author is not affiliated with any company mentioned, nor is any support available from them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Copyright notices BIGSKYLN.VXD and SKYLINE.SYS are Copyright (C) Alation Systems, Inc. HOMEPING.EXE is Copyright (C) Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. HomeFree (R) is Registered Trademark (TM) Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. Windows (R) 95, 98, ME, 2K, 2K3, NT3.51, NT4, LH, Vista and XP are Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. NetGroup Analsyser is Copyright (C) Politecnico di Torino, Italy TDIMON is Copyright (C) Mark RussinovichDownload Driver Pack
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