FastTips: Troubleshooting Windows for Workgroups Q&A

• Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.11

1. Q. I have several files with the extension .CLN in my Windows
      subdirectory. What is the purpose of these files?

   A. Three .CLN files (PROTOCOL.CLN, SYSTEM.CLN, and WIN.CLN) are
      created upon completion of the Windows for Workgroups version 3.11
      setup procedure. These files are copies of your PROTOCOL.INI,
      SYSTEM.INI, and WIN.INI files. If you encounter a problem after
      installing and using Windows for Workgroups, you can use these files
      to return to your original installation state. To do this, copy each
      .CLN file to the respective .INI file.

2. Q. I'm receiving the error message, "The Protocol Manager has
      reported an incomplete binding." What is causing this error?

   A. The error "The Protocol Manager has reported an incomplete binding"
      is most often caused by a conflict in the upper memory area or an
      incorrect setting in the PROTOCOL.INI file. To correct this error,
      add the line X=A000-EFFF to the end of the EMM386 line in your
      CONFIG.SYS file.

3. Q. I'm still receiving the "incomplete binding" error message after
      I exclude the upper memory area with EMM386 in the CONFIG.SYS file.
      What should I try next?

   A. If you still receive the "incomplete binding" error message after
      you have excluded the upper memory area, use the following three
      steps to check for possible errors:

      1. Run Network Setup (located in the Network group in Program
         Manager), choose Drivers, and note the brand name and model of
         the network adapter card listed under Network Drivers. If the
         network adapter card is incorrect, choose the Remove button,
         then choose the Add Adapter button to select the correct driver.

      2. In Network Setup, choose Drivers, then choose Setup and note the
         IRQ, I/O Port, and Base Memory address configurations. If any of
         these settings is incorrect, change the entry to its correct
         setting.

      3. The last item to check is protocols. You must have at least one
         protocol selected in the Network Drivers dialog box. Windows for
         Workgroups supports the NetBEUI protocol.

4. Q. I'm still receiving the "incomplete binding" error message even
      after I have confirmed and corrected all the settings in the
      PROTOCOL.INI file. What should I do now?

   A. If you continue to receive the "incomplete binding" error message
      after you verify that all settings in the PROTOCOL.INI file are
      correct and you are using a network adapter with a BNC thinnet
      connector, try the following steps:

      1. Turn off the computer and disconnect any cables from the card.

      2. Attach a T connector to the card with two terminators on the T.

      3. Restart the computer. If the message "The Protocol Manager
         has reported an incomplete binding" no longer displays, there
         is a problem with the cable.

      4. Confirm the I/O port address and IRQ settings in Control Panel
         match the actual settings of the network card.

      5. Verify that there are no I/O port address or IRQ conflicts
         occurring between your network card and other adapters in your
         computer.

5. Q. I'm running Microsoft Windows for Workgroups on a Novell Token
      Ring network and receiving the error message "File server cannot be
      found." What is causing this error?

   A. If you are running on a Novell Token Ring network, the error "File
      server cannot be found" may be caused by loading ROUTE.COM in the
      AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and remove the line
      that loads ROUTE.COM. After you save the file, restart your machine.

6. Q. I'm receiving the error message "NetBIOS session limit
      exceeded." What is causing this error?

   A. "NetBIOS session limit exceeded" refers to the number of
      connections that can be made to your server at any one time.
      This limit is affected by the number of sessions set in the
      [MS$NetBEUI] section of the PROTOCOL.INI file. Other protocols
      refer to variables other than SESSIONS. For more information,
      refer to your network protocol documentation. Use the following
      steps to increase the number of sessions:

      1. From the Windows directory, open the PROTOCOL.INI file in an
         ASCII text editor, such as Microsoft Windows Notepad.

      2. Locate the section titled [MS$NetBEUI].

      3. Double the value following SESSIONS=. When you increase the
         value following SESSIONS=, you must also increase the value
         following NCBS=. The NCBS value should be double the value
         of SESSIONS=.

      4. Save the file and restart Windows.

7. Q. What is Microsoft Network Diagnostics?

   A. Microsoft Network Diagnostics is a tool designed to aid network
      administrators and Microsoft support engineers in troubleshooting
      network connectivity problems with networks using an IPX or NetBIOS
      protocol. To most effectively use this tool, exit Microsoft Windows
      and type "net diag" (without the quotation marks) at an MS-DOS
      command prompt. For more information on using NET DIAG, consult the
      "Using Microsoft Network Diagnostics to Troubleshoot Networking
      Problems" section in Appendix E of the "Windows for Workgroups 3.11
      User's Guide."