ReadMe File for HF000X V0.82 Windows 95 /A/B/C, 98 /SE, ME Driver package part
Table of contents
1. Overview
2. Contents
3. Installation
4. Driver options
5. FAQ
6. Known issues
7. Revision and file history
8. Disclaimer
9. Copyright notices
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1. Overview
HF000X is a driver package for the Diamond Multimedia HomeFree Wireless
LAN line of cards and adapters for Windows 95, 98, ME, 2k, 2k3, NT3.51,
NT4, LH, Vista and XP operating systems, supporting PCMCIA, ISAPNP and
PCI cards and adapters.
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2. Contents
HF000X contains the following files for Windows 95, 98 and ME
Root\
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
HF000X9 .CAT - The Windows 98 /SE, ME dummy catalog file
README9X.TXT - This file
DRV\
SKYHOOK .VXD - The Windows 95 support
SKYLINE .SYS - The W9X driver for HomeFree WLAN cards and adapters
GUIDES\
WIN95 .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 95 Retail
WIN95A .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 95 A
WIN95B .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 95 B
WIN95C .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 95 C
WIN98 .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 98
WIN98SE .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows 98 SE
WINME .TXT - The easy network installation guide for Windows ME
OBSOLETE\DHCPSRV\
DHCPSRV .INI - The sample INI file for DHCPSRV V1.5
DHCPSRV .TXT - The ReadMe file for DHCPSRV V1.5
WLU\
BIGSKYLN.VXD - The VxD memory trace device
HOMEPING.EXE - The HomeFree wireless lan utility (WLU)
HOMEPING.TXT - The WLU ReadMe
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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.
For information how to set up DHCP support for your local network,
browse the 'OBSOLETE\DHCPSRV' folder.
Additional internet sharing utilites from the original manufacturers
Windows 9X installation software 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.
Remember, every computer needs a different Computername and IP-Address,
to avoid malfunction and error messages during machine startup.
Examples
W9x TCP/IP configuration
User : GUEST (Setup)
Computername: COMP1 (Setup / network properties, ident.)
Workgroup : HOMEFREE (Network properties, identification)
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, RC1, RC2 and RTM need a DNS server or gateway
to access local area networks, alternative protocols are not available.
Instead of a dedicated hardware, you may set up a software DHCP- and DNS-
server as a workaround solution.
CoNetId 'MYNETWORK' is 'hardwired' into the INF file. To customize
the entry use the driver / network advanced properties page or the
'HomePing' WLU to change the default or current value.
All text entries should or must be in upper case. Avoid country
dependant character sets.
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 'WIN95.TXT',
'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',
'WINV_RC1.TXT', 'WINV_RC2.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' to connect W9X/ME to XP instead.
XP with Service Pack 2 supports 'NetBEUI'.
Minimum 'TCP/IP' configuration is easy to set up and preferable to
'NetBIOS' over 'IPX/SPX'.
Configurations testet
Protocol OS Adapter Driver OS Adapter Driver
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TCP/IP connecting W95 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) to W2K / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W2K / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) to W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFISAPNP (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFISAPNP (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFPCI (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WLH / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFISAPNP (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFISAPNP (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WVISTA / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95B / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95B / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W95B / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95C / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W95C / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W95C / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W2K / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) to W2K / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) to W2K3 / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WLH / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Diamond)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WVISTA / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
TCP/IP connecting W98SE / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
NetBEUI connecting W95 / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic)
NetBEUI connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Generic)
NetBEUI connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to W98 / HFPCMCIA (Diamond)
NetBEUI connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Generic)
NetBEUI connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WME / HFPCI (Diamond)
IPX/SPX connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Generic) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
IPX/SPX connecting W95A / HFPCMCIA (Diamond) to WXP / HFPCI (Generic)
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
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4. Driver options
Physical driver and network parameters can be modified, changing default
values in the network properties advanced tab, 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 possible, because of hardware
capability of the IR controller, but not tested.
Default : 1 Mbps
Values : 1, 2, 4 Mbps (12, 24, 48 MHz IR controller clock xtal)
'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 receive after transmit timeout holdoff
to prevent packet collisions. Smaller values allow quicker packet
acknowlegement but increase packet collisions. To optimize through-
put, data sources require higher values (1200-2000), data drains
should be set to smaller values (400-800).
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
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5. FAQ
Q. Can 'HF000X' replace the manufacturer's driver packages?
A. 'HF000X' contains only necessary and compatible parts. It provides the
functionality and support needed and usual for wireless lan products.
Q. Windows 95 /OSR1 reports missing files 'HOMEPING.DOC' and 'SVRAPI.DLL'
during installation and several others during removal of the manu-
facturer's driver package.
A. The installation and removal procedures and sequences were cleaned up.
Q. Windows ME crashes during installation of the manufacturer's drivers.
A. The original drivers missused 'SKYNDI.DLL' for extended installation
options. The complete procedure is no longer used.
Q. HomePing won't report any visible nodes.
A. Add the protocol 'NetBEUI' to your bindings.
HomePing must be running on every node to be reported.
Q. Are common wireless lan utilities and sniffers compatible with the
HomeFree wlan?
A. HomeFree wireless lan emulates an IEEE 802.3 cable based lan. It's
Windows 95/98 driver design restricts performance and interface,
providing support for common and advanced protocol analysation on
network protocol level, only.
(-> NetGroup 'Analayser', System Internals 'TDIMON')
Q. My network shall make use of a DHCP server. Must i have a special
version of Windows or a dedicated computer for this task?
A. Static or dynamic DHCP server support is not included as a service
in most versions of Windows. A software DHCP server can be executed
as a background task on one client machine, running almost any
non-server version of Windows.
(-> Uwe A. Ruttkamp 'DHCPSRV 1.5')
Q. Computers running Windows Longhorn, Vista Beta 2, RC1, RC2 or RTM
aren't visable in my network.
A. A local area network with Windows Longhorn or Vista requires a valid
network properties setting for DNS-server or gateway, the entry is no
longer optional. If a hardware router is not available, a software
DHCP- and DNS-server may provide the neccesary support.
(-> ObiWan & NT Canuck 'BIND-LE', Meilof Veeningen 'Sans V1.0.1')
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6. Known issues
None.
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7. Revision history
08/21/2004 , V0.10, Crosscompare version for ALL_OS.INF assembled
07/19/2005 , V0.20, All OS version stripped down to W9X/ME only
07/28/2005 , V0.30, Optional parameters added
08/03/2005 , V0.40, HomePing WLU support added
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 INF and ReadMe
09/18/2006 , V0.81, Minor additions, updated ReadMe
01/21/2007 , V0.82, Updated ReadMe, DNS/DHCP support
File history
HF000X , V0.30, 2K/2K3/XP
HF000X9 , V0.50, 95ABC/98/98SE/ME/2K/2K3/XP
HF000X9_060, V0.60, 95ABC/98/98SE/ME/2K/2K3/XP
HF000X9_070, V0.70, 95ABC/98/98SE/ME/XP
HF000X_080 , V0.80, 95ABC/98/98SE/ME/NT3.51/NT4.0/2K/2K3/XP/LH/Vista B2
HF000X_081 , V0.81, 95ABC/98/98SE/ME/NT3.51/NT4.0/2K/2K3/XP/LH/Vista RC1
HF000X_082 , V0.82, 95ABC/98/98SE/ME/NT3.51/NT4.0/2K/2K3/XP/LH/Vista RC2 + RTM
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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.
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9. Copyright notices
BIGSKYLN.VXD, SKYHOOK.VXD, SKYNDI.DLL 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 Russinovich
DHCPSRV is Copyright (C) Uwe A. Ruttkamp
BIND is Copyright (C) University of Berkley
Sans is Copyright (C) Meilof Veeningen
Download Driver Pack
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.