3Com 3C509B ODI Driver Fails to Load in Windows 95

• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to load the ODI driver for the 3Com Etherlink III 3C509B Plug and Play network adapter, the driver fails to load or is unable to find the adapter at the specified I/O address. However, if you restart Windows 95 and choose "Safe mode command prompt only" from the Startup menu, you can load LSL and 3C5X9.COM without errors.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if Windows 95 sets the adapter to Plug and Play mode before the 3C5X9.COM driver is loaded. Because the 3C509B adapter is a Plug and Play adapter, Windows 95 attempts to enumerate the adapter along with the other Plug and Play devices on the system during the boot process. The enumeration process sets the adapter to Plug and Play mode, causing it to no longer maintain its manually specified hardware settings. This causes the driver to fail to locate the adapter.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use the 3C509B configuration utility to disable support for Plug and Play when using an ODI driver.

NOTE: You can also disable Plug and Play for the 3C509B adapter by obtaining the latest EtherDisk (version 4.2) for the Etherlink III and running the PNPDSABL.BAT file located in the root directory of the disk. For more information about the 3Com Etherlink III or 3Com utilities, contact 3Com.

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