1. W95-11D.ZIP Driver
2. LAPNET.TXT File Contents

LAPNET.TXT Driver File Contents (W95-11D.ZIP)

			     Networking Notebooks
				  12-13-1999
				Ojatex@aol.com



Ojatex's Networking Notebooks Tips page:
http://user.aol.com/ojatex/lapnet.htm
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http://user.aol.com/ojatex/lpnetpdf.zip
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Ojatex's Complete Laptop, Laptop98, Laptop2000 + LaptopME Tips in Windows HELP
format (freeware):
http://user.aol.com/aljoajo/LapHlp.zip

If you have questions, tips of your own or portable problems, please contact
the author at
Ojatex@aol.com



			    Start A Network

Got a new portable? Don't shut the lid on your old one or sell it for a few
bucks; network them instead, with your new machine as "Host" & the old one as
"Client". Take advantage of the Hosts higher speed & fancy features; let the
Client handle many of the peripherals [scanner, printer, zip drive, etc.]
which will make your Host "portable" rather than tied down with several
cables.

			"Buy" Insurance First

			BACK-IT UP!
			1 - The Registry? YES
			2 - Windows Folder? Recommended
			3 - Entire System? Good Idea

			     Cross Install

If you run peripherals that you must always have access to, install them on
both systems. Then re-connect them to the machine that will usually be their
home. If problems occur on one machine, your much needed peripheral [e.g. zip
drive] is available by just plugging it into the operable system followed by a
reboot.

			Maintain Internet Access

Don't try to set up your network in one fell swope on both systems. As you
work on the installation & perfecting your settings, periodically check that
at least one system has Internet Access even if you have to use a different
modem or move the modem cable from one machine to the other temporarily. If
Internet access is completely lost try restoring a Registry that existed when
you had Internet access &/or re-installing TCP/IP. Also, have on hand a Free
QNX Disk [http://www.qnx.com/demodisk/]. Internet Access with QNX does not
depend on Windows; if you have only AOL as a way of getting on the Internet,
QNX will not work, but at least AOL email, newsgroups & FTP are available.

			 Documentation on Hand

The WIN98SE manual has an entire section devoted to ICS & networking, but it
is not comprehensive with details. Also download Microsoft Knowledge Base
articles; here are a few which have links to more:

1- "Description of Internet Connection Sharing" at
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=234815

2- "How to Troubleshoot Internet Connnection Sharing Problems" at
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=238135

3- "Troubleshooting Windows 95/98 Network Connection Problems" at
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=192534

4- "Description of How ICS Appears in Network Properties" at
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=236465
 
The Windows Help file has several "Trouleshooters" & Microsoft has an "Online
Troubleshooter" [http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/tshoot/] that
can be helpful.

			  Advice about Advice

Your network setup may go very easily, and I am not trying to scare you, but
some documentation, I have found, tends to be incomplete, gloss over vital
details, conflict with other documentation & be down right wrong. One annoying
habit is the failure to designate whether the advice pertains to the Host, the
Client or both. Arm yourself with knowledge & fallbacks to avoid trouble as
well as the ability to recover from it.

			 Time Saving Shortcuts

Put Shortcuts to "Network" & "Internet Options" on your Desktop. [You may be
spending a lot of time there.] Open Control Panel, right click on each of the
above items in turn & select "Create Shortcut." They will automatically land
on the Desktop.

			    Typical Hardware

Hardware for a fully functional Network [i.e. file & printer sharing plus
Internet access on both systems] includes PCMCIA Network Interface Cards
[NICS] & Cables for each machine plus a Hub which handles the cables. Caution:
Older portables may not support "Card-Bus" type PC Network cards [they may not
even fit in the PCMCIA slot]; instead use a 16-Bit Network card for the older
system. Another type of "simple" network is that done via "direct cable
connection"; it is a file sharing network with a special cable that connects
through both parallel or serial ports. It is relatively inexpensive, but the
cable is short, full networking isn't available and usually laptops need their
ports for printers, scanners, modems & other peripherals.

			    Install Hardware

The cables connecting the notebooks to a Hub can be a few feet or several
feet, but before you start stringing cable around the house [& drilling holes
through walls], get your network fully functional first. Place the notebooks
back to back [especially handy if the hinges on the old machine are worn out]
or side by side. The Network cards [that come with drivers & install
instructions] for each machine set-up much like any PCMCIA card usually with
"Plug-and-Play" ability.

				Software

There are programs for sale to setup a network, but WIN98SE has all the
software needed. If you've hidden the "Network Neighborhood" icon on your
Desktop, it's time to bring it back to life -- use the Desktop tab in TweakUI.
For the HOST to use file, print & Internet access sharing - DUN [Dial-up-
Networking], TCP/IP plus ICS [Internet Connection Sharing] are required. The
CLIENT does not [& should not] install ICS nor does the client need WIN98SE;
an older O/S is fine. However, having the same O/S on both machines can have
the advantage of one machine "bailing" the other out of trouble as well as
minimizing the time it takes to download "updates/patches" from the Internet.
[WIN98/WIN98SE can be "forced" onto many older laptops; see: Special WIN98
Update at http://user.aol.com/ojatex/win98.htm]

		   Network Settings & Troubleshooting

A. Ideally, the NICS come with detailed instructions on setting up the file
and print sharing functions for each version of Windows they support. Before
you buy the NICS, inquire about the instructions & support that is available.

 1. Both the Host & the Client's Network Dialogue Screen should show 'Client'
 entries for "Client for Microsoft Networks" & 'Service' entries for "File and
 Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks". If any of these items are missing
 install them with the 'Add' Button. Click on the 'File & Print Sharing'
 button in the Network Dialogue Screen on both machines in turn; make sure
 both the File & Printer sharing items are checked.

 2. From the "Identification" tab in the Network Box [for both the Host &
 Client], enter a 'Computer name' of your choice; in the 'Workgroup' entry,
 make sure that the same name is used on the Host & Client machines.

 3. Confirm that 'File & Printer Sharing' is activated by opening the Network
 Neighborhood icon on both the Host & Client machines in turn. Each machine
 should show an icon for both the Host & Client by their respective 'Computer
 names'.

 4. On both machines in turn, open 'My Computer", right click on each drive
 that you want to share & select 'Sharing'. Under 'Share Name', fill in a
 descriptive identity. [For example, when working on the Host machine where
 the Hard drive is to be shared, fill in the 'Share Name' box with "Host 
 C:/".] In the "Access Type" box select what type of access the other machine
 is allowed. To share a specific printer, on the system to which the printer
 is connected, open the Printer icon, right click on the Printer to be shared,
 select 'Sharing', click on the "Shared as" item & fill in the 'Share name'
 box with the printer's name if it is not already named.

 5. On both machines in turn, re-open Network Neighborhood, click on the
 'Computer Name' icon of each machine to view the folders representing the
 shared drives/folders. On the machine which does not have a connected
 printer, open the icon of the machine to which the printer is connected,
 click on the printer icon which will enable the Share Printer Wizard; go
 through the wizard screens to enable use of the printer. 

Optional: After sharing is set-up, you may want to "map" the various drives
[on both the Host & Client] & printer by right clicking on the folders in
Network Neighborhood. See the Windows Help file for details about mapping
Network Drives & Printers.

B. If not already present, install ICS on the Host computer using the Windows
Setup Tab in "Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs". ICS is successfully
installed on the Host when there is in the Network Dialogue Box the following
items:

 1. A TCP/IP protocol entry identified as <Home> [Also look under Properties/
 Bindings for the Network Adapter {the NIC} item to contain a checked entry
 for TCP/IP <Home> & a checked entry for Internet Connection Sharing
 <Protocol>].

 2. A TCP/IP protocol entry identified as <Shared> [Also look under
 Properties/Bindings for the Dial-Up Adapter item to contain a checked entry
 for TCP/IP <Shared> & a checked entry for Internet Connection Sharing
 <Protocol>].

 3. A TCP/IP protocol entry pointing to Internet Connection Sharing [Also look
 under Properties/Bindings for the Internet Connection Sharing Adapter to
 contain checked items for TCP/IP & Internet Connection Sharing <protocol>].

 4. If there are missing or incorrect entries in items in B1, B2 &/or B3
 above, consult "How to Troubleshoot Internet Connnection Sharing Problems"
 mentioned above. Also open the "Internet Options" shortcut [Connections tab]
 on the Host, select the "Sharing" button; the 'Enable Internet Connection
 Sharing' box should be checked, the 'Connect to the Internet using' box
 should show "Dial-Up Adapter" & the 'Connect to my home network using' box
 should show the name of your Network Adapter Card [NIC].

 5. Once the Host's Network Dialogue box contains the properly configured
 TCP/IP entries & required reboots made, test the Host's ability to access the
 Internet via the browser or other application that is used to go online.

C. Once establishing the Host's ability to access both the Client's files &
the Internet with ICS installed, run the ICS floppy disk on the Client
machine.

 1. On the Client, open the Network shortcut; there should be a protocol entry
 for TCP/IP pointing to Network Adapter [NICS]. Also, select the 'Properties'
 button for this TCP/IP protocol which should have activated/checked:

  a. IP Address tab as "Obtain IP address automatically".

  b. WINS tab as "Use DHCP for WINS".

  c. Gateway tab with no entries.

  d. DNS tab as "Disable DNS".

  e. NetBIOS tab with no entries.

  f. Bindings tab with both "Client for Microsoft Networks" & "File and
  Printer Sharing" checked.

 2. After any necessary changes & reboots by the Client, have the Client
 determine whether Internet access is available on their machine. Be sure that
 the Host system is active [i.e. Windows running, signed onto Network, not in
 a standby mode, Modem turned on]. If Internet access fails on the Client, try
 the following [for items #a through #d below be sure the Host is connected to
 the Internet]:

  a. From Start/Run on Client, type in "winipcfg" [no quotes]. Select "Release
  All", "Renew All" and "Okay". Reboot Client & attempt Internet access.

  b. From a DOS prompt [C:>Windows] type "ping 192.168.0.1" [no quotes], hit
  enter to establish packets sent by the Client are received by the Host with
  0% loss.

  c. From the Client, ping the IP address in the same manner as item #b. [If
  the IP address is unknown, use the Host machine to ping the IP Host name
  (such as "www.myispname.com" {no quotes} where myispname is the company from
  which you obtain Internet access). Pinging the IP Host name will return the
  IP address in a numeric form]. Packets sent from the Client to the IP
  address [numeric form] using the ping command should be received with 0%
  loss.

  d. From the Client, ping the IP Host name. Packets sent from the Client to
  the IP Host name using the ping command should be received with 0% loss. If
  pinging the IP Host name is successful, try pinging other websites, such as
  "www.zdnet.com" [no quotes] & "www.pcworld.com" [no quotes]; make a note of
  the IP addresses [numeric form] for these websites if packets sent from the
  Client machine are received with 0% loss. On the Client machine, open the
  browser, type in the Address Bar the IP name of a successfully pinged
  website such as "http://www.zdnet.com" [no quotes]. Next type in the Address
  Bar: "http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" [no quotes] where xxx stands for the the IP
  address [numeric form] of a successfully pinged website. If the Client's
  browser cannot display the website of a successfully pinged website, check
  that the browser is set to operate via a LAN & no proxy server is enabled.

  e. See "DUN Client May Not Be Able to Ping Remote Host by Name" at
  http://support.microsoft.com/?id=160095 . If changes were made to the
  Client's configuration, reboot Client & attempt Internet access.

  f. On the Client's machine, access the Registry [Start/Run, type "regedit"],
  go to key: "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Net", back it up,
  open all the numbered keys [0000, 0001, 0002, etc.], delete any & all
  numbered keys that have a "DeviceDesc" string where the value is NOT the
  name of the Client's Network Adapter [NIC] as listed in the Client's Network
  Dialogue screen. Reboot Client & attempt Internet access.

  g. On the Client's machine, right click on "My Computer", select
  'Properties' and the 'Device Manager' tab. From the 'View Devices by Type'
  mode, expand the 'Network Adapter' icon, remove any adapter that is NOT the
  Client's Network Adapter [NIC].

  h. Remove, then re-install TCP/IP from the Network Dialogue screen on the
  Client's machine. The re-installed TCP/IP protocol on the Client should be
  configured as outlined in item #C 1 a through f above. Reboot Client &
  attempt Internet access.