Cannot Install More than One Network Adapter of Same Type

 Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
Article ID: Q91004
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.1

Some network adapters do not allow you to use more than one per machine under Windows for Workgroups version 3.1. This is not due to any problems in the adapters, but to their driver names. The following adapters exhibit this behavior:

  • SMC ArcNET Cards (and compatibles) [SMC_ARC.DOS]
  • SMC 3000 Series Cards [SMC_ETH.DOS]
  • Proteon 1390 Series Cards [NDIS39XR.DOS]
  • Cabletron E2000 Series Cards [E20NDIS.DOS]
  • Cabletron E2100 Series Cards [E21NDIS.DOS]
  • Cabletron E3000 Series Cards [E30NDIS.DOS]
  • Cabletron E3100 Series Cards [E31NDIS.DOS]
  • Cabletron T2000 Series Cards [T20NDIS.DOS]
  • Cabletron T3000 Series Cards [T30NDIS.DOS]

All network device drivers must have a unique, eight character name including a trailing dollar sign ($). If there are multiple adapters of the same type, each driver instance receives a numerical suffix. For example: 

   EE16$ - first adapter driver
   EE162$ - second adapter driver
When the driver name contains seven or more characters, the indexing process does not work, keeping you from configuring more than one network adapter.

KBCategory: kbnetwork kb3rdparty
KBSubcategory: wfw wfwg
Additional reference words: 3.10

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Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
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