Here I will talk about how to set up a LAN in Windows 95/98/Me.
Once you've set up your hardware (i.e. slotted in the network card and connected all of the computers - actually you don't have to connect to another computer at this stage, but you must have installed the network card) boot up your computer (for instructions on installing your network card, see the instructions that come with it).
Chances are the network card you have is PnP (Plug and Play) compatible. If so Windows should detect the network card and (provided you follow the on screen instructions correctly) complete the installation process (it probably gave your network card the Realtek drivers). Your computer will probably be automatically restarted to complete the installation process.
Upon loading Windows, you will be asked for your name and password. Type in a name and press OK (do not enter a password - you can do that later if you want).
Right click on the Network icon that has now appeared on your desktop and select properties.
To make things easier, we'll deal with the Identification tab first.
Select the Identification tab by clicking on it. You will be presented with the following screen:
Enter the appropriate information. Note - the computer name must be unique for each computer but the computer description can be blank/same/different for each computer. The Workgroup must be the same for each computer that wants to belong to a particular network. You can have several logical networks connected by the same physical network (i.e. cables)!
Now go back to the Configuration tab.
In here you may already have a Dial-Up Adapter (an adapter) if you have a modem and an Internet connection. If so then you'll also have the TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter (a protocol) displayed. As these are just for the Internet, you can ignore them (i.e. don't edit or delete them).
Also in this box will be another adapter and another protocol relating to the adapter. This will have been set up during the previous boot-up when Windows installed and configured your new network card. The adapter may say something like Realtek RTL8029 PnP Ethernet Adapter and will have the protocol IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol -> Realtek RTL8029 PnP Ethernet Adapter.
NOTE - the protocols may not be listed as [PROTOCOL] -> FOR ADAPTER XXXX as this is not needed if there is only one adapter. In which case it will simply list the protocol being used.
Here is an example of the configuration tab:
The first thing you should do here is ensure that the Primary network Logon is set to Windows Logon. This means that you do not need to enter a password every time you log on. If you want to other computers on the network to be able to view/access your files and/or use your printer, etc click on File and Print Sharing and then tick the relevant boxes. I recommend that you tick both these boxes for now because even with them ticked, they are still not actually enabled - more on this later...
Now to set up the TCP/IP protocol for the network adapter (required for some games such as Close Combat 2, Half Life, etc).
Click Add Protocol Microsoft TCP/IP
You will now see:
TCP/IP-compatible Protocol -> Realtek RTL8029 PnP Ethernet Adapter
Double click on this to display the following screen:
Enter the settings as shown i.e.:
Specify an IP address - Selected
IP Address - 10.0.0.1
Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0
For each computer on the network the Subnet Mask must be the same, but the IP address must be different (or you will get an IP address conflict error) e.g.: 10.0.0.1, 10.0.0.2, 10.0.0.3, etc.
Then go to the Bindings tab and make sure that the Client for Microsoft Networks option is ticked and the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks option is unticked.
Click on OK to go back to the main network configuration screen.Click OK again to quit the network configuration screenWindows will probably ask for the Win 9x CD and will then ask you to restart the computer
Once everyone has restarted their computers, double click on the Network icon on your desktop (also in Explorer). You should now see the names of all of the computers connected to the network. If not, try pressing the F5 key to refresh your display (although this should be done automatically). If you still can't see everyone, ask EVERYONE to reboot their computer - this is sometimes necessary. if you still can't see everyone's computer, check your settings; you probably overlooked something. For some pointers check out my troubleshooting page.
At this point you can now start playing games with your friends (soon to become mortal enemies!) :-)
However I recommend that you put this off for just a few more minutes and read the following section on file and printer sharing!
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