Windows 95/98/Me Troubleshooting Guide
There are several things that you can
check on your own before submitting a help request. These are a few of
the more common mistakes made, or things to look for that can get your
connection working.
The first thing to check is to make sure
that everything is plugged in correctly. One end of the network cable
should be plugged into the wall port while the other end into the
network card on your computer. Cables can usually be found in your room,
but in the event that they are missing, you can obtain one from the MHC
Book Store.
The port in the wall should be marked as
the data port and should have the network cable already plugged into it.
This will be indicated by the word DATA, or a small icon representing a
computer. It is found next to the phone port and it is easy to confuse
the two. If there are two sets of ports available, and both are open,
then you can use either port. If one of them doesn't seem to work, you
can try the other. I.T. strives to eliminate the possibility of port
failure by testing each port every summer and implementing fixes where
needed.
Problem:
- If Windows doesn't report errors,
but you are still unable to get an Internet connection, see
Solution 1.
- If Microsoft networking ("Network
Neighborhood", or "Map Network Drive") seems to function properly
but you cannot Telnet, FTP, Browse the Web, or use other TCP/IP
based programs, see Solution 2. ***
Please note that Microsoft networking (Network Neighborhood) is not
supported by Information Technology.
- If you receive an error message
reading "No protocol to bind to" or something similar, see Solutions
2 and 3.
- If your computer is reading a
unknown PCI network card, see Solution 4.
Solutions
- If you are running Windows
95/98/Me and the internet doesnt work properly, following the steps
below might help solve your problem. The first thing to check is
your cable. You must be careful because Ethernet cables and
telephone cords look a lot alike. The difference is that the
connector on the end of the Ethernet cable is wider than that at the
end of a phone cord. People are often misled because a telephone
cord is able to fit into an Ethernet port. Make sure that you are
using a real Ethernet cable.
Once you are sure your cable is
connected to the data port, the next step is to see if there are any
signals coming through your Ethernet cable. You must turn your
computer on and have your Ethernet card plugged in properly for this
to work! You should have one or more lights on the back of your
Ethernet card. You should check the instruction manual for your
Ethernet card to find out what the lights mean. Here are some common
meanings for different lights:
Power: This means that
your Ethernet card is plugged into your computer properly. This
is usually a steady, green light.
Link: This means that the
Ethernet cable is plugged into the Ethernet card and the wall
properly. This is also usually a steady, green light.
Data (Receive): This is
usually an irregular blinking light. If you see any blinking
light on the back of your card, it usually means that you are
receiving data from somewhere. This means that your card is
talking with the network properly. This is a good sign. If you
do see a blinking light this is a good sign that your network
card is probably not broken and everything from the card to the
wall and to the network is working. If you don't see a blinking
light, it doesn't mean things aren't working. Some cards do not
have a Data (Receive) light on them. If your card does not have
one, you will have to skip this test.
If everything is okay up to this point, you
know that all the physical hardware is okay.
- Open the "Control Panel" and
double-click on the "Network" Icon, then right-click the LAN
Connection, and then 'Properties'. There should be a minimum of
3 things installed. One of the items in the list should be the
TCP/IP protocol. (If it is not, you should click on "Add", select
"Protocol", select "TCP/IP" and click on "Ok". Step 4B explains how
to make sure that the network control panel is configured correctly.
- Open the "Control Panel" and
double-click on the "Network" Icon, then right-click the LAN
Connection, and then 'Properties'. There should be a minimum of
3 things installed. At the top of the list should be the "Client for
Microsoft Networks". This must be installed in order to communicate
with other Windows computers on the network and should be the only
client installed. No configuration is required for this item, and it
should be the only client installed. You may set the workgroup to
anything you wish, but it is suggested that you set it to the name
of your residence hall.
- A. This will happen if you did not
run the pre-install program. What you need to do is shut down the
computer, pull the card out of the machine and restart the computer
two times without the card in the slot. At this point if the
pre-install is not loaded reinstall and then put the card back in.
B. On the Network Control Panel
window, select the TCP/IP protocol and hit the Properties button.
Also do the following: Click on the IP Address tab (if it isn't
already selected) and verify that the default "Obtain an IP address
automatically" is selected. You do not need to enter that
information yourself. Verify that the default of Disable DNS [sic]
is selected. The rest of the IP advanced settings -- Bindings,WINS,
and Gateway -- should be left blank. If you have an old Gateway
entry, delete it so that the proper gateway returned by the DHCP
server will be used. Click OK to close the Network Control Panel.
When prompted, do not restart your PC; this might cause your PC to
freeze up with the file system in an unstable state. Instead, click
No, close other applications, then restart your computer using the
Start/Shut Down command.
You can find out if the configuration was completed
correctly with a few simple tests:
Please note that the numbers you receive from these commands are
different from the numbers in the images below. The images are provided
as a reference only.
From the Start menu, select Run. Enter 'command'. At the command
prompt type 'netstat -r'. It will output as shown.
Next look at the output from the netstat command to show what the
Default gateway is. You will want it's IP address. From the command
prompt ping the gateway by typing 'ping' and the IP address of the
gateway, such as in the following example 'ping 155.31.235.254'.
Once you've connected, launch your web browser which will direct you
to the ResNet Logon Screen.
