Troubleshooting Dial-Up Networking

This section describes problems which you may encounter in using Dial-Up Networking and how to resolve them. Windows 95 provides a troubleshooter for Dial-Up Networking in online Help. Try using this troubleshooter before trying the troubleshooting steps included in this section.

You can monitor any Dial-Up Networking session for possible problems by enabling the Record a Log File option. This produces a PPPLOG.TXT file in the Windows directory, which you can reference to find out the cause of a problem. For more information, see "PPP Log File" earlier in this chapter.

You cannot access the Dial-Up Networking Server because user name is not valid.

To set Dial-Up Networking Server to allow caller access options

1. In Dial-Up Networking, click the Connections menu, and then click Dial Up Server.
2. In the the Dial-Up Server properties, click Allow Caller Access, if this is not already selected, and then view the User name list to ensure the user's name appears.

   The User name list appears only if you have chosen user-level security for the dial-up server. The type of security is selected in the Network option in Control Panel.

If the dial-up client is also running File and Printer Services for NetWare Networks, the File and Printer Sharing service automatically becomes the default server, but it cannot receive the information needed to find the remote servers.

You cannot access remote NetWare servers when making a dial-up connection.

• Disable File and Printer Sharing Service for NetWare Networks when you make the dial-up connection.

Software compression does not work.

To verify Dial-Up Server and compression options in Dial Up Networking

1. In the Connections menu, click the Dial-Up Server.
2. Click the Server Type button and verify that the correct type of dial-up server is selected.
3. Check that Enable Software Compression is selected. Compression will occur only if the dial-up client and server have enabled it.

The modem is dialing but not connecting.

• Check the modem configuration; change the configuration if necessary.
• Verify all parameters, such as access codes, area code, and country code.
• Try choosing the driver for Generic Modem Drivers.
• If you are using an external modem, check the cable and verify that it is connected correctly.
• Check the COM port configuration in Device Manager.

For more information, see the troubleshooting section in Chapter 25, "Modems and Communications Tools."

Dial-Up Networking Server is not answering incoming calls.

• Disable Allow Caller Access and shut down the computer. Turn off the computer to reset the COM port. If the modem is external, turn off the modem. Turn the computer back on and reconfigure the Dial-Up Networking server, and then try again.
• If these steps fail, disable Allow Caller Access and see if any modem software can manually answer the incoming call.
• If you are using an external modem, check the cable and verify that it is connected correctly.
• If you are using an internal modem with a nonstandard IRQ selection, use Device Manager to check the IRQ setting for the COM port and change it if necessary.
• Try choosing the Generic Modem Drivers on the dial-up server.

The password for the Dial-Up Networking server is stored in the RNA.PWL file. However, simply deleting this file or removing and reinstalling Dial-Up Networking may not remove the password. If you set the Dial-Up Networking server to monitor for calls, then delete the RNA.PWL file, the password is not removed because it is stored in memory. If you shut down Windows 95 at this point, the RNA.PWL file is recreated with the password in memory.

To replace a forgotten password in a Dial-Up Networking Server

1. Disable Allow Caller Access, and then shut down and restart Windows 95.
2. Delete the RNA.PWL file, and then restart the Dial-Up Networking.

Note When you first connect to the Dial-Up Networking server, an error message states that the password file is missing or corrupt for every modem device you have installed. If you have any null modem devices installed (for example, when you run Direct Cable Connection it installs a modem device for every COM and LPT port you have), this error message is also displayed.