Installing Novell NetWare 3.12 and 4.0x Support for Windows

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1, 3.11
• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

This article contains information about using Windows for Workgroups with a third-party product that has not been tested and is not supported by Microsoft.

If the steps or procedures described in this article do not function properly, contact the manufacturer of the third-party product for more information.

SYMPTOMS

After you install Novell NetWare version 3.12 or 4.0x client software to a shared copy of Windows or Windows for Workgroups, you may receive the following error message:

   NetWare shell incompatible

   Cannot use a device specified in the SYSTEM.INI file. The device
   may be necessary to run Windows in 386 enhanced mode.

   If you experience problems, run the Setup program again.

   C:\WINDOWS\vnetware.386

CAUSE

The Novell NetWare client install for versions 3.12 and 4.0x uses VLM.EXE in place of NETX.EXE. If you are using VLM.EXE, the Novell NetWare client software does not properly update a shared copy of Windows (SETUP /A and SETUP /N); therefore, you must add the new Windows support files provided by Novell NetWare.

RESOLUTION

To correctly install the NetWare client software to both the shared copy of Windows on the NetWare server and to all user directories, perform the steps below.

NOTE: These steps assume that you have run SETUP /A on the server and SETUP /N to a user directory that has not been modified by the NetWare 4.0x client install:

1. Create an empty subdirectory on the local drive.

2. Create two blank files in this directory named WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI.

3. Run the Novell NetWare client install utility. This utility is provided by Novell and will add the files needed for Windows. During the NetWare client install process, step 3 gives the option to install support for Windows and to provide the location of the Windows directory. You must choose Yes to install support for Windows, and point it to the empty subdirectory created in Step 1.

4. Once the installation is finished, delete all *.INI files in the subdirectory specified in step 1.

5. Change to the mapped drive and directory in which the shared Windows directory (SETUP /A) is located, and remove the read-only attribute from all files in the shared Windows directory.

6. The NetWare client install creates the following two subdirectories under the subdirectory created in step 1:

   NLS and SYSTEM

7. Copy the files from the SYSTEM subdirectory to the shared Windows directory on the NetWare server (where the SETUP /A was installed). This should copy the following five files:

   NETWARE.DRV NETWARE.HLP VNETWARE.386 VIPX.386 NWPOPUP.EXE

8. Delete these files in the SYSTEM subdirectory and remove the SYSTEM subdirectory.

9. Copy the remaining files in the subdirectory created in step 1, along with the entire NLS subdirectory, to the shared Windows directory on the NetWare server.

10. Delete the NLS subdirectory and the subdirectory created in step 1.

11. You then need to mark all files in the shared Windows directory with the read-only attribute. This can be done by typing

    attrib *.* +r

    in the subdirectory in which the shared copy of Windows was installed.

12. Add the following lines to the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows user directory for all workstations that will be running either the NetWare 3.12 or 4.0x client:

    TimerCriticalSection=10000 ReflectDOSInt2A=TRUE UniqueDOSPSP=TRUE PSPIncrement=5 OverlappedIO=OFF

    NOTE: With Windows for Workgroups 3.11, these lines should already exist if support for Novell NetWare 4.x was installed during Setup.

13. You can then run the client install to all other workstations on the network running Novell NetWare version 3.12 or 4.0 as needed. When the install utility asks if you want to install support for Windows, choose No. Each workstation will use the updated Novell files in the shared Windows directory.

    NOTE: Novell NetWare install adds a group to Windows Program Manager for the Novell Utilities. If you want to install this group after following the above steps, continue with the following steps; otherwise, you can stop here.

14. Copy the NWUTILS.GRP file from the shared Windows directory to each Windows user directory on all workstations to which you want to add the group.

15. From each workstation, run Windows.

16. In Program Manager, choose New from the File menu.

17. Select the Program Group option button, then choose OK.

18. In the Description box, type "NetWare" (without the quotation marks).

19. In the Group File box, type "NWUTILS.GRP" (without the quotation marks).

20. Choose OK.

The Novell products included here are manufactured by a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.