Does Windows 95 support the use of Wireless PC cards? I have an old Dell Latitude LM Laptop that I'd like to get online. Can someone point me to a direct sale of a Wireless PCMCIA card? Also, I got a LAN card for this laptop earlier (PCMCIA) but it wouldn't click into the slot...I'm wondering if there's multiple types I wasn't aware of...Once again, it is a Dell Latitude LM. Thanks in advance. Tony

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Found some information on the specs the laptop can support for PCMCIA: Cards Supported: 3.3 and 5-V cards PC Card Connector Size: 68 pins Data width (max): 32 bits


On Monday, July 31, 2006 at 9:11 pm, Tony wrote:
>Does Windows 95 support the use of Wireless PC cards?
>
>I have an old Dell Latitude LM Laptop that I'd like to get online. Can someone point
>me to a direct sale of a Wireless PCMCIA card?
>
>Also, I got a LAN card for this laptop earlier (PCMCIA) but it wouldn't click into
>the slot...I'm wondering if there's multiple types I wasn't aware of...Once again,
>it is a Dell Latitude LM. Thanks in advance.
>
>Tony

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Anyone?


On Monday, July 31, 2006 at 9:11 pm, Tony wrote:
>Does Windows 95 support the use of Wireless PC cards?
>
>I have an old Dell Latitude LM Laptop that I'd like to get online. Can someone point
>me to a direct sale of a Wireless PCMCIA card?
>
>Also, I got a LAN card for this laptop earlier (PCMCIA) but it wouldn't click into
>the slot...I'm wondering if there's multiple types I wasn't aware of...Once again,
>it is a Dell Latitude LM. Thanks in advance.
>
>Tony

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Tony:

Haven't had any luck with this project myself, and
I've had it one the back burner for about a year
and a half.  There ARE cards that purport to be
suitable for Win95 -- and I've purchased three
different ones, but none work.

I actually got through to a techie at one of the
card manufacturers, and he thought my problem was
that the BIOS of my Toshiba 510CDT wouldn't handle
the card.

These are the brands I've tried with no luck:
SMC Networks, Model SMC2632W-CA
Belkin, Model F5D6020
Orinoco, Model 8460-03

I'm still looking.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

you need a 16-bit card.

right now i'm sitting in my kitchen, using a ThinkPad 560x with Win95B. the wireless 
card is the Netgear MA-401. t's an excellent card. works just as well with a boot 
to Linux, or on my XP notebook. only drawback is it can't connect if the broadcast 
is in g-series. but this is not usually a problem as most wireless routers have the 
ability to also do mixed mode (or b). 
 
otoh, getting a machine ready for it is an altogether other story. i needed to do 
quite a bit of updating.  

IIRC, i needed to update to IE 5.5 SP2, DUN 1.4. and Winsock 2.0. also needed to 
grab the Microsoft Libraries update, and DCOM95.

http://oldfiles.org.uk/lightspeed/lightspeed95.html

there are links there to all those files. 

i also had to get the drivers for the MA-401. 

and then i had to some configuring. 

Linux -- Damn Small Linux distro -- otoh, was a breeze. it recognized the card right 
away.

btw, this is the second wireless card in this machine. first one was the AirConnect 
from 3Com. it was a bear to set up. and only worked with a b-series signal. 

good luck with this

richard 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Will this netgear card work on Win95A?


On Friday, August 4, 2006 at 10:35 am, rich pearl wrote:
>you need a 16-bit card.
>
>right now i'm sitting in my kitchen, using a ThinkPad 560x with Win95B. the wireless
>card is the Netgear MA-401. t's an excellent card. works just as well with a boot
>to Linux, or on my XP notebook. only drawback is it can't connect if the broadcast
>is in g-series. but this is not usually a problem as most wireless routers have the
>ability to also do mixed mode (or b).
>
>otoh, getting a machine ready for it is an altogether other story. i needed to do
>quite a bit of updating.
>
>IIRC, i needed to update to IE 5.5 SP2, DUN 1.4. and Winsock 2.0. also needed to
>grab the Microsoft Libraries update, and DCOM95.
>
>http://oldfiles.org.uk/lightspeed/lightspeed95.html
>
>there are links there to all those files.
>
>i also had to get the drivers for the MA-401.
>
>and then i had to some configuring.
>
>Linux -- Damn Small Linux distro -- otoh, was a breeze. it recognized the card right
>away.
>
>btw, this is the second wireless card in this machine. first one was the AirConnect
>from 3Com. it was a bear to set up. and only worked with a b-series signal.
>
>good luck with this
>
>richard
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Tony,

though i don't know for sure, i don't think so. you're better off in any case with 
an upgrade to at least 95B. better yet would be 95C, if you can find it, or 98SE 
if you can load it.

best of all is prolly a Linux distro -- i recommend DSL (DamnSmallLinux). i load 
it with Loadlin from a dos prompt. 

good luck with this,

richard

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Rich:

Thanks for the tip about the NETGEAR MA401.  I
located one, and it works perfectly on my Win95-B
Toshiba 510 laptop.  I'd tried four other
supposedly Win95-compliant cards previously with
no luck, and had pretty much given up on wireless.

Thanks again.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

If all else fails, you can go wireless just between the modem and the router with 
95, if you absolutely MUST go wireless.







On Friday, October 20, 2006 at 5:04 pm, Jerry wrote:

>Hi Rich:

>

>Thanks for the tip about the NETGEAR MA401.  I

>located one, and it works perfectly on my Win95-B

>Toshiba 510 laptop.  I'd tried four other

>supposedly Win95-compliant cards previously with

>no luck, and had pretty much given up on wireless.

>

>Thanks again.

>

>Jerry
 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hey guys, for those of you who didn't think it was possible, I am currently sitting 
at home on a super old 486 AST Ascentia 800N laptop running Windows 95A
and hooked up to wireless via a Netgear MA401 16bit PCMCIA card. I wasn't sure if 
it was possible, but I had this computer so here's how I did it:

Current system:
AST Ascentia 800N LAPTOP (no i don't have the impossible to find video drivers, just 
generic VGA)
486 DX2/50
4MB ram
1.44" FDD
340 MB HDD
Windows 95 ver. 4.00.950 (which AFAIK is ver "A")
(even has a built-in trackball mouse!)

I started by formatting the entire drive, and installing DOS 6.22 from floppies. 
Then I installed Windows 3.0 cause I had the floppies laying around so why not. That 
was fun for about a day, and I couldn't work out an internet connection with this 
so I installed the Windows 3.11 WFWG upgrade. Then I installed a 3COM etherlink III 
PCMCIA ethernet card and got an internet connection.
This site helped a bit for setting it up in WFWG:
http://www.michaelv.org/computer/guides/win31.php 

From here, I downloaded a copy of Windows 95A (upgrade) from an abandonware site, 
and installed it from my HDD. Wired internet still works fine. I found that Opera 
6.02 is not a bad browser for today's needs, and is relatively fast, and small enough 
for my 340MB HDD.

I followed the advice of some of the previous posts, and purchased a NETGEAR MA401 
for $15 locally. Then I installed the IE 5.5 SP2 upgrade, DUN 1.4, Winsock 2.0, and 
Microsoft Libraries update from:

http://oldfiles.org.uk/lightspeed/lightspeed95.html

(I didn't download or install DCOM95 because it came with IE 5.5 and WIFI works fine 
w/o the update)

I got the Netgear win95 drivers from:

http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/MA401.asp
(get version 2.6 for windows 95)

Installed everything, and after a couple dozen windows reboots here I am! Having 
never worked with wireless internet before, I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment 
(eventho it may not seem like much to seasoned computer gurus) Thanks for everyones 
help from this thread that helped me get this far!

Cheers

Andy







On Monday, July 31, 2006 at 9:11 pm, Tony wrote:

>Does Windows 95 support the use of Wireless PC cards? 

>

>I have an old Dell Latitude LM Laptop that I'd like to get online. Can someone point 

>me to a direct sale of a Wireless PCMCIA card?

>

>Also, I got a LAN card for this laptop earlier (PCMCIA) but it wouldn't click into 

>the slot...I'm wondering if there's multiple types I wasn't aware of...Once again, 

>it is a Dell Latitude LM. Thanks in advance.

>

>Tony 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Thanks for sharing the knowledge. :)







On Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 3:54 pm, Andy wrote:

>Hey guys, for those of you who didn't think it was possible, I am currently sitting 

>at home on a super old 486 AST Ascentia 800N laptop running Windows 95A

>and hooked up to wireless via a Netgear MA401 16bit PCMCIA card. I wasn't sure if 

>it was possible, but I had this computer so here's how I did it:

>

>Current system:

>AST Ascentia 800N LAPTOP (no i don't have the impossible to find video drivers, 
just 

>generic VGA)

>486 DX2/50

>4MB ram

>1.44" FDD

>340 MB HDD

>Windows 95 ver. 4.00.950 (which AFAIK is ver "A")

>(even has a built-in trackball mouse!)

>

>I started by formatting the entire drive, and installing DOS 6.22 from floppies. 

>Then I installed Windows 3.0 cause I had the floppies laying around so why not. 
That 

>was fun for about a day, and I couldn't work out an internet connection with this 

>so I installed the Windows 3.11 WFWG upgrade. Then I installed a 3COM etherlink 
III 

>PCMCIA ethernet card and got an internet connection.

>This site helped a bit for setting it up in WFWG:

>http://www.michaelv.org/computer/guides/win31.php 

>

>From here, I downloaded a copy of Windows 95A (upgrade) from an abandonware site, 

>and installed it from my HDD. Wired internet still works fine. I found that Opera 

>6.02 is not a bad browser for today's needs, and is relatively fast, and small enough 

>for my 340MB HDD.

>

>I followed the advice of some of the previous posts, and purchased a NETGEAR MA401 

>for $15 locally. Then I installed the IE 5.5 SP2 upgrade, DUN 1.4, Winsock 2.0, 
and 

>Microsoft Libraries update from:

>

>http://oldfiles.org.uk/lightspeed/lightspeed95.html

>

>(I didn't download or install DCOM95 because it came with IE 5.5 and WIFI works 
fine 

>w/o the update)

>

>I got the Netgear win95 drivers from:

>

>http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/MA401.asp

>(get version 2.6 for windows 95)

>

>Installed everything, and after a couple dozen windows reboots here I am! Having 

>never worked with wireless internet before, I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment 

>(eventho it may not seem like much to seasoned computer gurus) Thanks for everyones 

>help from this thread that helped me get this far!

>

>Cheers

>

>Andy

>

>

> 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Jerry, Did you ever have any luck with this? I just dug out my old laptop to see if I could get it on my wireless net. Coincidentally it too is the Tecra 510. Rick =====================


On Thursday, August 3, 2006 at 11:11 pm, Jerry wrote:
>Hi Tony:
>
>Haven't had any luck with this project myself, and
>I've had it one the back burner for about a year
>and a half. There ARE cards that purport to be
>suitable for Win95 -- and I've purchased three
>different ones, but none work.
>
>I actually got through to a techie at one of the
>card manufacturers, and he thought my problem was
>that the BIOS of my Toshiba 510CDT wouldn't handle
>the card.
>
>These are the brands I've tried with no luck:
>SMC Networks, Model SMC2632W-CA
>Belkin, Model F5D6020
>Orinoco, Model 8460-03
>
>I'm still looking.
>
>Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Rick:

Yes, the NETGEAR card works perfectly, as reported
a little earlier in this thread:
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win95/1161389097?s

I'm writing this from a free WiFi hotspot in a
Burger King hamburger joint, Win95B, Toshiba
510CDT.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I was very excited to find this thread, as i am trying to get an old Dell Latitude laptop working wirelessly. I got the netgear card and i think i loaded all the drivers (I'm a mac guy, so I'm a little confused about some of the intricacies of Windows 95). How to I connect to my network though? My router is set to both g and b and I took off the encryption (for now) to make it easier to connect but I can't seem to get on. Any advice or thoughts would be much appreciated. Todd


On Saturday, January 13, 2007 at 9:39 pm, Jerry wrote:
>Hi Rick:
>
>Yes, the NETGEAR card works perfectly, as reported
>a little earlier in this thread:
>http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win95/1161389097?s
>
>I'm writing this from a free WiFi hotspot in a
>Burger King hamburger joint, Win95B, Toshiba
>510CDT.
>
>Jerry
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Todd:

All my wi-fi surfing has been done through public
Internet "hot spots," and I'm not real familair
with personal wireless routers.  But here are some
tips I learned getting my card to work.

First, let's make sure the Netgear card is working
OK in the laptop.

Right click on the MY COMPUTER icon on the
DESKTOP.  Select PROPERTIES from the menu that
appears.  Click on the DEVICE MANAGER tab.  Do you
see any yellow EXCLAMATION MARKS?

Find NETWORK ADAPTERS in the list.  Click on the
little "+" next to it.  Do you see NETGEAR MA401
WIRELESS PC CARD in the list the appears?  If so,
double click on it.  In the middle of the panel
that opens, look for DEVICE STATUS.  Does it say
"This device is working properly"?

If "yes," click CANCEL and CANCEL again to close
all the windows.

When you installed the Netgear drivers, did you
install the WIRELESS CONFIGURATION UTILITY?  If
so, by default, it will load itself and run in the
SYSTEM TRAY when it detects the PCMCIA card in the
slot.  The tray icon looks like a little TV set. 
It's RED when there's no signal, and GREEN or
YELLOW when it sees a signal.  Is it there?

Double click on the icon to open the panel.  Near
the bottom of the panel is a SIGNAL STRENGTH
meter.  Does it show a signal (a row of dark blue
boxes from left to right)?  If no signal, click on
the RESCAN button near the top, and it will hunt
for signals.

If it finds signals, but you still have no
Internet connection:

Look through your START menu for WINIPCFG. 
Chances are, you won't find it.  Be default, this
doesn't seem to make it to the START menu, even if
you elect to install it during the initial Windows
installation.  If you don't find it, look in the
C:\WINDOWS
folder for WINIPCFG.EXE, and make a SHORTCUT to
it.  Put the SHORTCUT on your DESKTOP or in the
START menu.  It's enormously useful.

Start WINIPCFG.  A little window opens.  There's a
drop-down menu, which probably says PPP ADAPTER. 
Click on the arrow next to it.  You should see
NETGEAR MA401 WIRELESS PC CARD in the list.  Click
on it.

There will be a number next to ADAPTER ADDRESS. 
Write this number down.  This is called the "MAC
ADDRESS."  (This has nothing to do with that OTHER
kind of computer.)  Under ADAPTER ADDRESS, there
are three other panels where numbers may appear. 
If there are no numbers, click on the RENEW
button.

If numbers appear, you SHOULD be connected.  If
you get an error message "DHCP Server
Unavailable", even though you show a strong signal
on the NETGEAR CONFIGURATION UTILITY, then your
ROUTER needs to be programmed to allow a
connection.  Exactly how this is done will depend
on your brand of router, but it will need to know
that MAC ADDRESS you wrote down.

If you have still have problems, let us know how
far through this check list you got, and what is
different from what I described.

Good luck.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Jerry, Thanks for your quick response. This looks very helpful, but I'm slogging through it kind of slowly. I did FINALLY get the device manager to say that the card was working properly. However, I'm not sure if I've correctly installed the drivers. And I don't believe I've installed a Wireless Configuration Utility? How do i do this? Is it with the drivers? Would I need to download it from somewhere? Thanks for letting me know what you think. Todd


On Monday, February 12, 2007 at 9:32 pm, Jerry wrote:
>Hi Todd:
>
>All my wi-fi surfing has been done through public
>Internet "hot spots," and I'm not real familair
>with personal wireless routers. But here are some
>tips I learned getting my card to work.
>
>First, let's make sure the Netgear card is working
>OK in the laptop.
>
>Right click on the MY COMPUTER icon on the
>DESKTOP. Select PROPERTIES from the menu that
>appears. Click on the DEVICE MANAGER tab. Do you
>see any yellow EXCLAMATION MARKS?
>
>Find NETWORK ADAPTERS in the list. Click on the
>little "+" next to it. Do you see NETGEAR MA401
>WIRELESS PC CARD in the list the appears? If so,
>double click on it. In the middle of the panel
>that opens, look for DEVICE STATUS. Does it say
>"This device is working properly"?
>
>If "yes," click CANCEL and CANCEL again to close
>all the windows.
>
>When you installed the Netgear drivers, did you
>install the WIRELESS CONFIGURATION UTILITY? If
>so, by default, it will load itself and run in the
>SYSTEM TRAY when it detects the PCMCIA card in the
>slot. The tray icon looks like a little TV set.
>It's RED when there's no signal, and GREEN or
>YELLOW when it sees a signal. Is it there?
>
>Double click on the icon to open the panel. Near
>the bottom of the panel is a SIGNAL STRENGTH
>meter. Does it show a signal (a row of dark blue
>boxes from left to right)? If no signal, click on
>the RESCAN button near the top, and it will hunt
>for signals.
>
>If it finds signals, but you still have no
>Internet connection:
>
>Look through your START menu for WINIPCFG.
>Chances are, you won't find it. Be default, this
>doesn't seem to make it to the START menu, even if
>you elect to install it during the initial Windows
>installation. If you don't find it, look in the
>C:\WINDOWS
>folder for WINIPCFG.EXE, and make a SHORTCUT to
>it. Put the SHORTCUT on your DESKTOP or in the
>START menu. It's enormously useful.
>
>Start WINIPCFG. A little window opens. There's a
>drop-down menu, which probably says PPP ADAPTER.
>Click on the arrow next to it. You should see
>NETGEAR MA401 WIRELESS PC CARD in the list. Click
>on it.
>
>There will be a number next to ADAPTER ADDRESS.
>Write this number down. This is called the "MAC
>ADDRESS." (This has nothing to do with that OTHER
>kind of computer.) Under ADAPTER ADDRESS, there
>are three other panels where numbers may appear.
>If there are no numbers, click on the RENEW
>button.
>
>If numbers appear, you SHOULD be connected. If
>you get an error message "DHCP Server
>Unavailable", even though you show a strong signal
>on the NETGEAR CONFIGURATION UTILITY, then your
>ROUTER needs to be programmed to allow a
>connection. Exactly how this is done will depend
>on your brand of router, but it will need to know
>that MAC ADDRESS you wrote down.
>
>If you have still have problems, let us know how
>far through this check list you got, and what is
>different from what I described.
>
>Good luck.
>
>Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

FYI - I just went back and checked the device manager and it seems to think its the MA301, when it is in fact the 401, so i don't think it's recognizing it properly. I have had a devil of a time trying to get these darn drivers installed. Maybe that's the best place to start. Boy I feel like an idiot. Thanks for your help again. Todd

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Todd:

OK.  Let's get rid of the MA301 drivers first.  Go
back to the DEVICE MANAGER, and click on the "+"
next to NETWORK ADAPTERS.  Click once on the MA301
listing to highlight it.  Then, click on the
REMOVE button near the bottom of the window.  The
listing should disappear.  Click OK to close all
the windows.

I would reboot the computer at this point, with no
card in the PCMCIA slot.

(By the way, if anybody else stumbles on this
thread, if you've NEVER used a PCMCIA card before,
you will need to install PCMCIA support first.
Click on START, then SETTINGS, the CONTROL PANEL. 
Find the PC CARD (PCMCIA) icon, and double-click
on it.  If support has never before been enabled,
you'll get a "wizard."  Click NEXT, NEXT, FINISH
to the three panels.  If support WAS already
enabled, you won't get the "wizard," but instead
you'll get a window showing your empty sockets.)

Now then, where was I?  Oh yes.  Netgear MA401.
I used the drivers on the CD that came in the box
with the card.  The last version released in the
boxed version was v1.3.  If you don't have a CD,
you can download one from here:
http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/MA401.asp

It's the download called "CD Driver Set 1.3
(Version which shipped with product)"

I see there is a newer (v2.6) suitable for Win95
also listed.  I originally used the CD v1.3 for my
laptop, but I just tried the v2.6 installation on
my test laptop, and it seemed to work just as
well.

After booting your computer, insert the Netgear
card.  The Windows "Plug and Pray" wizard should
discover your new card, and look for drivers. 
You'll probably have to help it.  "Browse" the
wizard toward the MA401 folder on the CD (or the
unzipped v1.3 download folder).  Inside the MA401
folder is one called WIN95B -- open it.  This will
make the wizard happy, and allow you to continue.

You may be asked to insert your WIN95 installation
CD.  You may not need the CD itself if you have
the installation CAB files on your hard drive. 
Typically, they are in a folder called
C:\WIN95
but I've also seen them in
C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
or 
C:\INSTALL
(this is something experienced installers will do
-- the standard Windows installer didn't do this
back in 1995.  By the time Win2K came out, M$
jumped on the bandwagon and made the installer
leave the needed installation files on the hard
drive for future use, so people didn't have to
keep digging out their Windows CD.)

At some point, you may be asked to insert your
C:\WINDOWS\MSDUN
disk.  I don't know the history of this, but I've
run into this "MSDUN hell" often enough that I'm
now prepared for it.

First of all, you should already have the official
MSDUN v1.4 FOR Windows 95 installed.  It made a
lot of good improvements over the original DUN. 
Strangely, the update is still available from M$:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285189
Be sure to get the one for Win95.

You should also (by now) have upgraded your
WINSOCK.  Download the upgrade from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wuadmintools/s_wunetworkingtools/w95sockets2/

These upgrades still won't keep the Netgear driver
installer from nagging you to "Insert your MSDUN
disk."  You will probably find you DO have a
C:\WINDOWS\MSDUN
folder, but mine only had two files in it, and the
Netgear installer was not happy with those two
files.  I made my own MSDUN floppy disk, and it
always works when something wants an MSDUN disk. 
Typically, as it goes through the files from my
disk, I get messages that I'm trying to copy a
file that older than the one I already have.  "Do
you want to keep this file?"  (I've always had
issues with M$ for the way they worded this
question.  WHICH is THIS file -- the one I'm
trying to install, or the one I already have?  The
answer is: "this file" is the one you already
have.  So tell it "Yes" to keep the newer file.)

Here's the list of files on my MSDUN disk:

ARP.EXE
FTP.EXE
ICMP.DLL
INETMIB1.DLL
msvcrt.dll
NBTSTAT.EXE
NETSTAT.EXE
PING.EXE
ROUTE.EXE
snmpapi.dll
TELNET.EXE
TRACERT.EXE
VDHCP.386
VIP.386
VNBT.386
VTCP.386
VTDI.386
vudp.386
WINIPCFG.EXE
WINSOCK.DLL
WSOCK32.DLL

You'll find the files in one of three places:
C:\WINDOWS
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
C:\WINDOWS\WS2BAKUP

Make the floppy and save it.  It's a great time
saver.

This should get the proper drivers installed.  Now
then, let's attack that CONFIGURATION UTILITY.

If you have the v1.3 download (or CD), look in the
MA401 folder, then in the UTILITY folder.  Double
click on SETUP.EXE which will install the
CONFIGURATION UTILITY (the one with the SIGNAL
STRENGTH meters).  The installer will put
SHORTCUTS in your START MENU, and will set itself
to start up when you boot windows, but you won't
see anything in the SYSTEM TRAY unless you have
the MA401 card in its slot.

If you have the v2.6 download, you'll find the
CONFIGUATION UTILITY in the WIN95 folder.  There
is no installer.  Find the CONFIG.EXE file, right
click on it, COPY it, (don't DRAG it), and PASTE
the copy somewhere handy.  Put it on the DESKTOP
for now.  You can move it later and make SHORTCUTS
for your START MENU if you like it.

I see there is also a FIRMWARE UPDATE folder in
that v2.6 download.  I installed that and ran it,
but it just reported that I already had the latest
firmware in my card.  The FIRMWARE UPDATER has an
uninstaller so you can remove the updater after
you're done with it.

I hope I haven't scared you with all these pages
of instructions.

Good luck.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Jerry, I can't believe how helpful you've been. However, despite the seeming success of the MSDUN disk and evn the getting around of the Novell Netware Client install issue (found a web site on getting around those erorrs), it still won't install the drivers. One of the times I used the MSDUN disk i forgot one of the files and skipped it in the install and afterwards went back and added the missing file to the disk and installed again. This time the system asked me if I wanted to use default generic drivers (which it wanted me to use) or the newer ones I had just installed. I chose the latter and reinstalled the drivers. It required a reboot and after rebooting the new drivers were not installed. I'm getting pretty flummoxed by this and I'm sure your interest is wearing thin as well. If you have any thoughts as to why this is happening i would love to hear them. Thanks again for all of your help. Todd

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Todd:

I have run into this sort of "driver hell" before
myself, and I'm not sure I have a good answer for
it.  When I've gotten myself into a "bad install"
situation, it's always been on my "test machine,"
and I too-quickly cave into to wiping the hard
drive and dropping in a new "image" of a fresh,
plain Win95 installation.  This is probably not
feasible for most people.

The problem is getting out the old drivers
cleanly.  You may have noticed, if you don't have
the NETGEAR card in its slot, it doesn't even
appear in the DEVICE MANAGER, so there's nothing
to click on to remove.

Try booting up with the NETCARD card in the slot,
and see if it appears in the DEVICE MANAGER list. 
If it does, you should be able to single click to
highlight it, then click on the REMOVE button.  An
UNISTALL program SHOULD run -- just like when you
ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS.  It should put back all the
files it installed and updated, and you'll
probably see more screens of "You are trying to
copy a file older than the one you already have. 
Do you want to keep this file?"

After running these "uninstalls" I'm often to
surprised to find remnants.  For example, I know
that uninstalling NETGEAR will leave the CW10.SYS
file in
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
and the NETMA401.INF or 95MA401.INF files in
C:\WINDOWS\INF

Go in and remove these by hand.  Also remove
anything left in
C:\Program Files\Netgear

If you accidentally installed MA301 drivers, you
may find a NETMA301.INF file in 
C:\WINDOWS\INF
Get rid of it.

For good measure, go back into DEVICE MANAGER,
click on the "+" next to PCMCIA SOCKET, then
highlight PCIC OR COMPATIBLE PCMCIA CONTROLLER,
and click REMOVE.  Then reboot the computer, and
re-enable PCMCIA SUPPORT from the CONTROL PANEL. 
I'm not sure backing up this one extra step does
any good, but it can't hurt.

I've noticed that a couple of entries remain
in the REGISTRY after uninstallion, but I'm not
sure I can recommend editing the REGISTRY if
you're not already familiar with it.

If you used installer for the UTILITY (signal
strengths meters), I've discovered the uninstaller
for that doesn't work very well.  If there's an
item in ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS, you can run it, and
it removes some stuff, but it leaves CONFIG.EXE in
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
and it leaves a REGISTRY entry that tries to start
the UTILITY every time you boot up.  Although I
don't think any part of the UTILITY is affecting
the proper installation of the card drivers -- the
UTILITY seems to be a completely independent
application.  If you really decide you need to
remove it, I can tell you how to do it.

This is about as much as I can think of to get rid
of those remnants.  And I know, in my case, even
this cleaning up by hand didn't straighten out my
test machine enough to allow a proper
installation once.  There's still a lot about
Windows that just makes my shake my head.

Good luck.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Jerry, I'm typing this from my laptop!!!! You did it. Or at leasthelped me do it. I am forever in your debt. If you are ever in Minneapolis I am so buying you a drink. Thank you so much for all of your incredible help. Todd


On Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 10:27 pm, Jerry wrote:
>Hi Todd:
>
>I have run into this sort of "driver hell" before
>myself, and I'm not sure I have a good answer for
>it. When I've gotten myself into a "bad install"
>situation, it's always been on my "test machine,"
>and I too-quickly cave into to wiping the hard
>drive and dropping in a new "image" of a fresh,
>plain Win95 installation. This is probably not
>feasible for most people.
>
>The problem is getting out the old drivers
>cleanly. You may have noticed, if you don't have
>the NETGEAR card in its slot, it doesn't even
>appear in the DEVICE MANAGER, so there's nothing
>to click on to remove.
>
>Try booting up with the NETCARD card in the slot,
>and see if it appears in the DEVICE MANAGER list.
>If it does, you should be able to single click to
>highlight it, then click on the REMOVE button. An
>UNISTALL program SHOULD run -- just like when you
>ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. It should put back all the
>files it installed and updated, and you'll
>probably see more screens of "You are trying to
>copy a file older than the one you already have.
>Do you want to keep this file?"
>
>After running these "uninstalls" I'm often to
>surprised to find remnants. For example, I know
>that uninstalling NETGEAR will leave the CW10.SYS
>file in
>C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
>and the NETMA401.INF or 95MA401.INF files in
>C:\WINDOWS\INF
>
>Go in and remove these by hand. Also remove
>anything left in
>C:\Program Files\Netgear
>
>If you accidentally installed MA301 drivers, you
>may find a NETMA301.INF file in
>C:\WINDOWS\INF
>Get rid of it.
>
>For good measure, go back into DEVICE MANAGER,
>click on the "+" next to PCMCIA SOCKET, then
>highlight PCIC OR COMPATIBLE PCMCIA CONTROLLER,
>and click REMOVE. Then reboot the computer, and
>re-enable PCMCIA SUPPORT from the CONTROL PANEL.
>I'm not sure backing up this one extra step does
>any good, but it can't hurt.
>
>I've noticed that a couple of entries remain
>in the REGISTRY after uninstallion, but I'm not
>sure I can recommend editing the REGISTRY if
>you're not already familiar with it.
>
>If you used installer for the UTILITY (signal
>strengths meters), I've discovered the uninstaller
>for that doesn't work very well. If there's an
>item in ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS, you can run it, and
>it removes some stuff, but it leaves CONFIG.EXE in
>C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
>and it leaves a REGISTRY entry that tries to start
>the UTILITY every time you boot up. Although I
>don't think any part of the UTILITY is affecting
>the proper installation of the card drivers -- the
>UTILITY seems to be a completely independent
>application. If you really decide you need to
>remove it, I can tell you how to do it.
>
>This is about as much as I can think of to get rid
>of those remnants. And I know, in my case, even
>this cleaning up by hand didn't straighten out my
>test machine enough to allow a proper
>installation once. There's still a lot about
>Windows that just makes my shake my head.
>
>Good luck.
>
>Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Todd:

Glad to hear you got it up and running.  Now you
get to drive around town and be amazed at how many
people are running unsecured wi-fi (either by
design or oversight).  You'll find the CONFIG
UTILITY (signal strength meters) handy for
spotting these.  When you find a signal, then use
the WINIPCFG utility to try to secure a DHCP
address.  Sometimes you have to "release" the old
address before "renewing" it.  If you see a strong
signal, but can't secure a DHCP address, then the
signal has been "locked down," and will only
connect to machines with known MAC ADDRESSES.
But, I'm still amazed and how many are running
wide open.

(Don't actually do any of this WHILE driving --
park first!)

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Jerry, I am attempting to use a Netgear MA401 card as well, with an older laptop running Win2000 pro. I was trying to use the Wireless Configuration Utility that you mentioned, but I found no PC Card icon in the Control Panel. Should it be there? Also,this machine has a 2 Texas Instruments PCI 1220 Cardbus Controllers installed and I wondered if these may need uninstalled. I downloaded the driver cd from Netgear but, following the instructions on your posts, they would not install. Any thought? Thanks very much. jd


On Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 1:17 am, Jerry wrote:
>Hi Todd:
>
>OK. Let's get rid of the MA301 drivers first. Go
>back to the DEVICE MANAGER, and click on the "+"
>next to NETWORK ADAPTERS. Click once on the MA301
>listing to highlight it. Then, click on the
>REMOVE button near the bottom of the window. The
>listing should disappear. Click OK to close all
>the windows.
>
>I would reboot the computer at this point, with no
>card in the PCMCIA slot.
>
>(By the way, if anybody else stumbles on this
>thread, if you've NEVER used a PCMCIA card before,
>you will need to install PCMCIA support first.
>Click on START, then SETTINGS, the CONTROL PANEL.
>Find the PC CARD (PCMCIA) icon, and double-click
>on it. If support has never before been enabled,
>you'll get a "wizard." Click NEXT, NEXT, FINISH
>to the three panels. If support WAS already
>enabled, you won't get the "wizard," but instead
>you'll get a window showing your empty sockets.)
>
>Now then, where was I? Oh yes. Netgear MA401.
>I used the drivers on the CD that came in the box
>with the card. The last version released in the
>boxed version was v1.3. If you don't have a CD,
>you can download one from here:
>http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/MA401.asp
>
>It's the download called "CD Driver Set 1.3
>(Version which shipped with product)"
>
>I see there is a newer (v2.6) suitable for Win95
>also listed. I originally used the CD v1.3 for my
>laptop, but I just tried the v2.6 installation on
>my test laptop, and it seemed to work just as
>well.
>
>After booting your computer, insert the Netgear
>card. The Windows "Plug and Pray" wizard should
>discover your new card, and look for drivers.
>You'll probably have to help it. "Browse" the
>wizard toward the MA401 folder on the CD (or the
>unzipped v1.3 download folder). Inside the MA401
>folder is one called WIN95B -- open it. This will
>make the wizard happy, and allow you to continue.
>
>You may be asked to insert your WIN95 installation
>CD. You may not need the CD itself if you have
>the installation CAB files on your hard drive.
>Typically, they are in a folder called
>C:\WIN95
>but I've also seen them in
>C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
>or
>C:\INSTALL
>(this is something experienced installers will do
>-- the standard Windows installer didn't do this
>back in 1995. By the time Win2K came out, M$
>jumped on the bandwagon and made the installer
>leave the needed installation files on the hard
>drive for future use, so people didn't have to
>keep digging out their Windows CD.)
>
>At some point, you may be asked to insert your
>C:\WINDOWS\MSDUN
>disk. I don't know the history of this, but I've
>run into this "MSDUN hell" often enough that I'm
>now prepared for it.
>
>First of all, you should already have the official
>MSDUN v1.4 FOR Windows 95 installed. It made a
>lot of good improvements over the original DUN.
>Strangely, the update is still available from M$:
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285189
>Be sure to get the one for Win95.
>
>You should also (by now) have upgraded your
>WINSOCK. Download the upgrade from here:
>http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wuadmintools/s_wunetworkingtools/w95sockets2/
>
>These upgrades still won't keep the Netgear driver
>installer from nagging you to "Insert your MSDUN
>disk." You will probably find you DO have a
>C:\WINDOWS\MSDUN
>folder, but mine only had two files in it, and the
>Netgear installer was not happy with those two
>files. I made my own MSDUN floppy disk, and it
>always works when something wants an MSDUN disk.
>Typically, as it goes through the files from my
>disk, I get messages that I'm trying to copy a
>file that older than the one I already have. "Do
>you want to keep this file?" (I've always had
>issues with M$ for the way they worded this
>question. WHICH is THIS file -- the one I'm
>trying to install, or the one I already have? The
>answer is: "this file" is the one you already
>have. So tell it "Yes" to keep the newer file.)
>
>Here's the list of files on my MSDUN disk:
>
>ARP.EXE
>FTP.EXE
>ICMP.DLL
>INETMIB1.DLL
>msvcrt.dll
>NBTSTAT.EXE
>NETSTAT.EXE
>PING.EXE
>ROUTE.EXE
>snmpapi.dll
>TELNET.EXE
>TRACERT.EXE
>VDHCP.386
>VIP.386
>VNBT.386
>VTCP.386
>VTDI.386
>vudp.386
>WINIPCFG.EXE
>WINSOCK.DLL
>WSOCK32.DLL
>
>You'll find the files in one of three places:
>C:\WINDOWS
>C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
>C:\WINDOWS\WS2BAKUP
>
>Make the floppy and save it. It's a great time
>saver.
>
>This should get the proper drivers installed. Now
>then, let's attack that CONFIGURATION UTILITY.
>
>If you have the v1.3 download (or CD), look in the
>MA401 folder, then in the UTILITY folder. Double
>click on SETUP.EXE which will install the
>CONFIGURATION UTILITY (the one with the SIGNAL
>STRENGTH meters). The installer will put
>SHORTCUTS in your START MENU, and will set itself
>to start up when you boot windows, but you won't
>see anything in the SYSTEM TRAY unless you have
>the MA401 card in its slot.
>
>If you have the v2.6 download, you'll find the
>CONFIGUATION UTILITY in the WIN95 folder. There
>is no installer. Find the CONFIG.EXE file, right
>click on it, COPY it, (don't DRAG it), and PASTE
>the copy somewhere handy. Put it on the DESKTOP
>for now. You can move it later and make SHORTCUTS
>for your START MENU if you like it.
>
>I see there is also a FIRMWARE UPDATE folder in
>that v2.6 download. I installed that and ran it,
>but it just reported that I already had the latest
>firmware in my card. The FIRMWARE UPDATER has an
>uninstaller so you can remove the updater after
>you're done with it.
>
>I hope I haven't scared you with all these pages
>of instructions.
>
>Good luck.
>
>Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi James:

I had a torrid one-week love affair with Win2K,
when I found it WOULD install on my little old
Toshiba 510CDT.  It was wonderful -- a lot of my
after-market shareware and freeware applications
were no longer needed, and Win2K had fixed all the
shortcomings of Win95 that I had learned to work
around.

Win2K found all my hardware (display, modem,
sound card) that I previously had to manually
install drivers for.  There were particularly nice
improvements in the Dial-Up-Networking area with
Win2K's ability to remember and dial alternate
telephone numbers for my multiple DUN ISPs.

Everything was going great until I tried to
install my Netgears MA-401, which worked fine on
my laptop when it ran Win95.  It absolutely would
not work, either with with the default Win2K
drivers or the most recent Netgear Win2K drivers.
I fussed with it for several days, and the best
I could get was Win2K's message: "The drivers for
this device have been installed successfully, but
the device may not work properly."



The only thing I could think of was that although
my 147MB of RAM was enough to run Win2K, there
wasn't enough left over to run the Netgear card
too, whereas Win95's smaller RAM footprint DID
allow enough memory to run the OS and the Netgear
card simultaneously.

No Wi-Fi was the deal-breaker.  So, my newly
acquired Win2K installation disk went into my
closet, and I went back to my trusty Win95. I
really don't know what to suggest to you.  I
didn't have any trouble with Win2K's recognizing
the PCMCIA card, because my LAN card and my 28.8K
and my 56K dial-up PCMCIA modems worked fine.

You might try posting here:
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win2000
and see if any of the Win2K gurus have any ideas.

Sorry.

Jerry

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

on this note, i have a question. i bought my 12 year old a used latitude lm. since reading more on this page about how to get her wireless I think all I have to do is get that Netgear 16 bit card and a wireless router. Am I right???


On Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 10:13 am, Chris wrote:
>If all else fails, you can go wireless just between the modem and the router with
>95, if you absolutely MUST go wireless.
>
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I have no idea. I dont use wifi on my 95 system. I'm the one who used the router 
and the lan cable and let the router worry about the wifi.







On Friday, February 8, 2008 at 12:47 pm, heather wrote:

>on this note, i have a question.  i bought my 12 year old a used latitude lm.  since 

>reading more on this page about how to get her wireless I think all I have to do 

>is get that Netgear 16 bit card and a wireless router.  Am I right???

>

>

> 

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