Ethernet card gets no IP-Address

[fagga]

Hi there,

I would like to connect my Windows 98 SE workstation over an ethernet network to my Linux router but the ethernet card in my Windows workstation never gets an IP address assigned. Not if I assign it on my own directly, nor if I specify to get an IP address automaticaly from the working DHCP server. 'winipcfg' and 'ipconfig' both terminate saying that they couldn't read the ip configuration or something. Only if I install a Dial-Up Adapter 'winipcfg' runs but it doesn't show the ethernet card. There's only the PPP device.
Everything works fine under Linux (on the same computer) so the problem must be somewhere in Windows.
I tried reinstalling several times with no effect. Windows allways detects the ethernet card and installs the appropriate drivers but that's it. It get's never an IP address.

Any clues?

 

[mjinks61]

did you install the TCPIP protecols? Good luck, and Happy Computing

 

[fagga]

Yes, everything is installed and should work. I have the same Windows version running under VMware under Linux and it works perfectly with the same configuration.
There is the Client for Microsoft Networks, the Ethernet Card (RealTek 8029) and the TCP/IP protocol. But when I start 'winipcfg' or 'route print' it seems that there is no ethernet at all.

 

[edfair]

What about the properties of tcpip. You have settings available there. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[fagga]

I think it should be enough to specify an IP address in the TCP/IP properties for the ethernet card. But it should also work if I leave it on the standard DHCP setting ("Obtain an IP address automatically&quot as I have a DHCP server running.
Shouldn't this be enough to get the ethernet device in the winipcfg-list?
Are there any other important options?

 

[wolluf]

Are you saying if you supply a manual IP address, Windows just loses this address? (there's something wrong with your hardware or software if this is the case).
If it can see the DHCP server, it should pick up IP address - but it might be best to give it a manual one in the correct range (assuming you can) to try to get it connected to the network (what other machines on this network - can you ping any of them from the 98?)

 

[fagga]

I can supply an IP address but it has completely no effect. Normally, when I have an ethernet card and I start 'winipcfg' it should show me the IP and some other information. But this is not the case. 'winipcfg' reacts as if I had no ethernet card in my computer. But on the other hand Windows detects the card and lists it in the network properties. And when I supply an IP address to it in the network properties -> TCP/IP it wants me to restart the computer, so I do and after the reboot I have still no connection to the local network. I can't ping any other host than localhost and 'winipcfg' can't see the ethernet device. It's not possible that it's a hardware problem because under Linux on the same computer everything works fine und without any single problem.
There must be a curse or something on my version of Windows.

 

[wolluf]

you can ping 127.0.0.1 but your machine has no IP address? (you are putting a (correct) subnet mask in when you supply IP address?). What's your network set up (ie, how is everything connected & what's on the network)?

 

[fagga]

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 and the IP-Address is 192.168.1.19 or anything else at the end. The router is 192.168.1.1. There are no other hosts on the network.
But I think the network itself isn't really important at this point, because if the network device has no IP address it can't see the network. At first I have to find out why Windows doesn't set up the routing (When I run 'route print' it only shows the entry for 127.0.0.1) and why 'winipcfg' can't see the ethernet card. But I have really no idea what could be wrong.

 

[MiggyD]

I'm siding with wolluf and will add that it sounds more like software.

You have linux AND windows on the same computer; yet, windows can't or won't store your changes in the registry?

Is this a dual boot setup? My experience with adding "new" NICs has been to boot to windows and wait for configuration screen ("Windows is configuring system please wait....configuration comple now continuing loading windows&quot to finish.

Do you get that screen at all when you "reboot"?

--MiggyD

 

[fagga]

Why could Windows not store my changes in the registry if it is on the same computer as a Linux installtion? It doesn't even know that there's Linux on another partition.
I have a boot manager (lilo) installed, so I can decide on each boot process which OS I want to start.

Since the ethernet card was allways inside the computer when I installed Windows there was no configuration screen in the boot process of Windows, because Windows detected the ethernet card during the installation and it was already up when Windows started the first time.

Could it be possible that things change if I remove the ethernet card first, install Windows and then put it back in and let Windows detect it after the installtion?

 

[MiggyD]

I don't know, you may want to try it. I don't recall you mentioning that in your previous posts.

Another option, instead of re-installing windows, is to remove any reference to the NIC from Device Manager. (Ctrl. Panel>System>Device Mgr.) and see if windows picks it up on restart.

--MiggyD

 

[mjinks61]

I would try removing the NIC from device manager, and letting windws re-install it. Good luck, and Happy Computing

 

[fagga]

I thank you all so much for your help but it doesn't work.
I just tried to remove the NIC from the device manager and let Windows redetect it - with no effect. So I removed the NIC from the computer, reinstalled Windows without the NIC and build it in again. Always the same.
But I have another idea: Windows wants my soundcard to be on IRQ 5 but its on IRQ 10. And on IRQ 5 there's the NIC. Could this be the problem? How can I change the IRQ in the device manager? Even if I say that I want to make all settings manually Windows says that I can't change the IRQ. But that's crazy, I really know that the soundcard is on IRQ 10.

Windows also keeps freezing somethimes while I see the boot splash screen. I thought this is another problem but as I installed Windows without the NIC Windows never froze. Maybe it's because of the IRQ problems?

Ok, my main question is now: How can I change the IRQ if Windows always says that I cannot change the IRQ? There _must_ be a way tell Windows the right setting.

 

[fagga]

There seems to be no way to tell Windows which IRQ the soundcard is using but I gave the PCI slot of the soundcard the right IRQ so everything in the device manager is all right now and there are no conflicts. It even looks like Windows doesn't freeze anymore while it's booting.
But there is still no network available. It's always the same: I can only ping localhost and 'winipcfg' behaves like there is no NIC.

 

[edfair]

Soundcards create all sort of IRQ problems. They want to grab 3.

For the duration of NIC troubleshooting, how about pulling the soundcard?

And if the NIC is PCI there is the built in problem of the IRQs it wants to use. You have to deal with the CMOS assigned legacy issues. 5 would be great if it was ISA. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[Teamaker]

Just a thought but Win98 has a habit of installing RealTek 8029 card drivers even when that is not the exact card.

Is that definately the exact card you have it the machine?

 

[allteltec]

Also Check you Bios if it has an option for PNP OS yes/no try both ways. No has the MB BIOS setup hardware, Yes lets windows setup hardware.

 

[HKinNYC]

I'm thinking of a bad driver for you NIC as well. Make sure of the brand and version of the NIC and DL the newest drivers and install from there.

 

[fagga]

Yes, it's a RealTek RTL8029 for sure and I use the latest drivers from the RealTek website.

I just played a few hours around with removing cards and putting them back in and so on. Once I got it and Windows really saw the NIC after I told Windows in Safe Mode the right IRQ. The network worked fine and with some more booting and clicking I got the NIC and the soundcard working side by side. But as I installed the drivers for my Elsa Erazor III LT graphic card everything was as before.
I really don't know what is happening behind the boot splash screen but I'm sure Windows has completely no idea about the drivers and the IRQ and/or IO settings and other things like this. It always gives the NIC and the soundcard the same wrong IRQ and when they have both the same IRQ Windows won't boot and I have to start it in Safe Mode. Everything I can do in Safe Mode is to remove the NIC and the soundcard and everything starts again. Windows even don't cares if I specify the right IRQs in my BIOS.
It seems to be impossible to get network, sound and hardware accelerated graphics work side by side.

Nevertheless thank you very much for your help.